A: Yes—because the Lord desires to bless the work of our hands (Deuteronomy 16:15, 24:19). Is work pleasant? Not always. But it is definitely not evil.
So what is God’s perspective on work? First, we must realise that God creates all of us with a very special purpose and destiny. Jeremiah is a great example of this. God told him: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).
Like the prophet Jeremiah, we all have a special job to do for the Lord, which ultimately is to point people to Him. When our ultimate goal and aim is to use our gifts and abilities to bring glory to God and lead people to Jesus, we can all live as full-time ministers of the Lord!
There can be a wrong perspective on work. Jesus alerted us to this in Matthew 6:31-33, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
The main difference between Christians and the world concerning work is we are not working because we seek material things. As we prioritize fulfilling God’s will, material things seek us (verse 33)! As Christians we never have to simply “work a job” for the sake of a paycheck. We are working for the Lord, and our motivation is to bless people with the resources God gives us!
An interesting thing happens when we simply spend time with God daily, listen to the Holy Spirit and do what He shows us to do—His plan becomes clear. Finding God’s plan follows putting Him first. When we do, we will find that even things like work become enjoyable instead of labourious because we are doing it as unto Him!
