Ponderings on "Why Work?" Number 8

God instructed Adam and Eve to expand the Garden

to the whole earth and to serve as His representatives...they

were eventually thrown out of the Garden for eating the

fruit, but they were still responsible for stewarding the ground.
- fm Joy at Work Bible Study

From Sayers argument of the 2nd Proposition: Let the Church remember this: that every maker and worker is called to serve God in his profession or trade - not outside it. The Apostles complained rightly when they said it was not meant they should leave the word of God and serve tables; their vocation was to preach the word. But the person whose vocation is to prepare the meals beautifully might with equal justice protest; It is not meant for us to leave the service of our tables to preach the word. The official Church wastes time and energy, and, moreover, commits sacrilege, in demanding that secular workers should neglect their proper vocation in order to do "Christian" work.

Ask someone "why work?" most people will answer - I like to eat - to provide for my family - to earn money to buy things - I have bills to pay. When pressed for more, the answers will include giving to charity - feed the poor - to tithe to the church - to support foreign missions.

But rarely will the answer to "why work?' include

God made me to work

Through my work I'm able to worship God

Work itself has deeply intrinsic value

God called me to work

My work is my ministry

In the thousands of pages written about the God and Work subject, the authors consistently give us scripture and correlation to our lives. Yet few outside that circle of authors will search this matter out. And thus, the work becomes drudgery, church becomes seemingly irrelevant and the two drift farther apart.

But it doesn't need to be, the two don't have to seperate.

To that end.........search the matter out.

In His glory, God conceals matters. The

glory of kings is to search matters out.
                                            Proverbs 25:2