Work

“I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work” Exodus 31:3-4

Work – It’s not just doing something!  Work is never about being busy.  The Hebrew word asah means work with a purpose.  It is about fulfilling an assignment from God.  The same word for “work” is also used to describe a moral obligation or a goal.  This is no accident.  In the Bible, work is God’s calling.

God’s world is not a world of lazy pleasures.  God is not asking you to sign up for the Life of Riley.  Even before Adam sinned, God assigned.  Work was an important part of God’s design for humanity.  Why?  Because God is a God of work.  God is always active for a purpose.  And He wants us to know that if we are fulfilling our intended design, we will also be active agents for a purpose.  God wants to put us to work.

But God is the Boss.  That means He assigns the work that He wants me to do.  God does not ask me to write my own job description.  He knows exactly where and when He wants to employ me for His purposes.  All He asks is that I turn over the logistics to Him.

One of the joys of being a follower of Jesus is that I do not have to interview for the jobs God needs done.  God will place me right where I need to be.  He already knows my exact skills.  He already knows what training programs will be best for me.  So, He places me in the job that best fits my needs and His.  Today it may be a bus boy in a restaurant.  I will be in good company.  Learning to clean up after others is a skill God wants to develop.  Tomorrow it may be the head of a large organization.  God will put me there when He knows I am ready.  The question in my life is not, “What shall I do?” but rather “How will I serve where I am?”

Work is divinely ordained.  The Spirit of God fills us for the purposes He wants us to accomplish.  We can always undermine those purposes and destroy our assignment, but that is not God’s fault.  Take one step back from the frenzy of your work life and tell yourself, “God put me right here on purpose.  He wants me to learn how to serve right where I am.”  Now look at that job in front of you.  Stop being busy and start being about His purposes.

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