A Gracious Perspective on WorkExemplo

Why work?

Why work? That is a question that every adult must answer and that every young adult should be thinking about. Did you know that the Scriptures have a lot to say about work? Not just ministry work but work in general. This is where most people spend the greater part of their waking hours, and since that is the case, understanding what the Bible has to say about work is important.

The Bible gives a number of reasons for people to work—all of them profound in their own way—because what we do for a living matters to God. Did you know that? What you do for a living matters to God! One of those profound reasons we find in the Bible when Paul tells us in his letter to the church at Thessalonica that it is important to work because that is the means through which we support ourselves. That may seem mundane but consider this: If you don’t work then you don’t eat! The second reason for work is equally significant, as Paul tells Timothy: Work is the primary way we take care of our families. 

Paul shares with both the church at Ephesus and the one in Corinth that work is a means by which we care for those in need—those who may be unable to work or to take care of themselves. Our physical work could be that means of caring but so can our generous giving. Throughout the Scriptures we see God stating that we are to care for the widows, the orphans, and the poor. In other words, by our work, we share the heart of God with those less fortunate.

Paul also shares that work is the means by which we support the church and its work. Our place of work is an area which God has given us to live out our faith. Paul was grateful to the church at Philippi for their support of his ministry while he was in prison. 

The best example of the value of work comes from Jesus, who not only surrounded Himself with ordinary working people but who spent the majority of His earthly life working as a carpenter to provide for His family after His earthly father had died. Jesus did not have to work, yet He chose to do it, so it must be a good thing. 

Work is practical and yet profound. What is your perspective about your work?