When God created Adam, “the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Prior to sin’s entrance, God gave Adam the great gift of work, a divine assignment to benefit the earth and bring personal fulfillment. Then came Genesis 3, and sin entered the world. Adam was to continue his work, but now, in this life “under the sun,” things changed. The ground, in the fallen world, was cursed by sin. God said to Adam, “in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life . . .. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground….” (Gen. 3:17-19). 

In the fallen world, in life “under the sun,” work became…burdensome. The person who lives without God finds work wearisome and directionless. Solomon says, 

Ecclesiastes 10:15
The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.

But for the believer, things should be different. Every Christian must have a biblical theology of work. Work is a gift from God, so we should honor him in our endeavors. When we honor God with our efforts, we bring glory to him. 

Now to be sure, we will become tired from the gift of work. We will expend energy that drains us physically, mentally, and emotionally. And we know that our weariness can impact us spiritually. Christians need time to refresh and reboot. However, we are never directionless when we understand how God has wired us, equipped us, and trained us for his desired vocation. We “know the way to the city,” that is, we understand that the gift of work is to bring honor and glory to God. 

Father, thank you for the great gift of work. Thank you that even as we expend energy, we can experience your pleasure in what we do. Help us know what you have put us on this earth to do and be about doing it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.