Message by Larry Thacker Jr from June 23, “Working God’s Way”
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “work?” For some, it might be what you do for a living. For others, it might be anything that requires effort. Some love it. Others hate it. Some consider it a curse; others, a blessing. Many of us think of work as a necessary evil, but that view has a huge problem. God created us to work. That we find much of it unpleasant has a lot to do with living in a fallen world.
The Garden of Eden was certainly a beautiful place. We tend to imagine Adam and Eve idly strolling about the place until the day that Satan showed up to ruin the mood. That he succeeded was actually Adam’s fault, but that’s another discussion for another day. I do not doubt that it was a wonderful and happy place to live, and at the end of the day they got to hang out with their creator.
But did you know that Adam had a job to do? “Then Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” (Gen 2:15 LSB) We were created in God’s image. He is a creator, and He is always working. It should be no surprise, then, that we were made to work.
So what happened? How did our relationship with work get so complicated? Does it have to be that way? And what about those of us who can’t or don’t work? If we were made to work, is there room for retirement? Do we ever reach a point where enough is enough? God’s word has answers to these questions. I believe you will find strength and comfort in those answers.
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17)
