We’ve seen that from the very beginning, work was made to be good part of life. It’s part of God’s life, Jesus’ life, and now we see it was meant to be part of our life.
In Genesis 2:1-15
[5] When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, [6] and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—[7] then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. [8] And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. [9] And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Then in v. [15] The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
We were created to work…it’s not something added in after the fact.
After creating, and caring for his creation, God commissions workers to continue that care.
We’re the only part of creation given a job description. Other animals will simply multiply, but humans are commanded to fill the earth. Not to just reproduce like bunnies, but to do this intentionally. We see this in how humans have developed civilizations and societies.
Here we see humans are in the garden to work and keep it. Earlier in the creation story, it says humans were to rule the earth – sounds violent – but can’t be since this is before rebellion and sin added violence into our world. We were meant to steward the earth’s resources – like an investment professional cares for others’ money. Make it grow, last, and be useful.
We also see two kinds of work – this isn’t just about paid work outside the home – filling the earth involves manual labour, civilization building, and raising families.
This explains why we need work: I knew someone who never needed to work because of a disability, but still dreamt of working hard. Or consider those out of work, they can so easily become depressed unless they find some kind of meaningful work, whether it’s paid or not, job searching or a hobby.
This is why so many of you answered on Facebook you wouldn’t stop working, but you might change how you work.
Question: Have you ever been out of work? What was it like? How did you cope – did it involve a different kind of work?
Acknowledgements: Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavour and Work & Rest
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Yesterday we saw one truth from Jesus' story about foundations in life: that we all build on one foundation or another.
Truth 2: Difficult times will come to all.
We are all subject to the same rains, winds. Both houses face the same problems, but their foundations are differently equipped to withstand such pressures.
IF built on sand, then great was its fall.
If my identity is based on a stock portfolio, then when the market drops, my life falls apart.
If my identity is built on my physical health or beauty, the moment I get older, or get a bad diagnosis, I’m shaken. I can’t be who I thought I was forever.
If my identity is on my kids becoming what I expect, I can ride high when things are good. I can be proud of their accomplishments, and so on. But that good life is easily shaken. If they make bad choices, don’t choose a prestigious career, I'm done and can do little to fix the situation.
But if my identity is not on kids, but on God, following Jesus to him, then it’s built on rock. Then if my kids make bad choices, my identity is not shaken. I will be heartbroken, but by knowing who I am and that my foundation is on a solid rock, I will be able to reach out a hand to help them while they sink in sand.
If my stock portfolio drops, I will be able to live on, knowing that I’ve invested in eternal treasure, and didn’t wrap myself up in that financial identity to the point of unnecessary risk.
As my body begins to age or sustains injuries or illness, I can see it all in perspective. My life is built on my relationship with God, and my body is meant to serve that purpose. I’m not here to serve my body.
We'll see tomorrow how that looks in practice.
Question: How can foundations in life crumble? What kinds of winds or rains expose their sandiness?
We meet for coffee every Wednesday night at Starbucks in the Chapters Store in Ajax, in Durham Region just East of Toronto. Maybe we'll see you there?
