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Genesis 1.26-30

We often view our work as a means to an end. We want to get to the weekend so we can enjoy the leisure we’ve labored to procure. And the goal of the American dream is to become financially independent, never have to work again, and live out our days in palatial leisure. But this is definitely not how God designed it. We were created to work and to enjoy it!

The book of Genesis draws us to this conclusion in two ways. God’s first commission to Adam and Eve was to rule over the natural world and create order out of chaos. Secondly, God made man in his image. When we work there is some divine attribute that’s reflected back to God. We represent God in our creativity and labor. Just as God brought order to the chaotic world described in Genesis 1, so we’ve been commissioned to bring order to the chaos around us.

So how we work and the attitude we bring to our work reflects on our Savior, Jesus. The real challenge here is not what job we might have, though there are certainly some vocations that are not God-honoring. No, the real challenge is to bring our whole hearts to the jobs God’s given us. When we perform a job half-heartedly, God is not reflected the way he should be.

Today, as you step into the work God’s given you, ask yourself, “Am I bringing my whole heart?” One way to motivate yourself to perform even painful or monotonous tasks well is to offer each task to God by praying: God I do this for you alone. Help me to bring my whole heart to this work because of how it reflects you.