Monday MattersSample

Work to Create and Worship

Having looked at how our work relates to Us (working to provide and grow) and Others (working to serve and witness), let’s focus our thoughts on how it relates to Him: we work to create and worship.

God, the Creator of everything, created us in His image, and because of that there’s a deep desire within us to create, too. In Proverbs 2:3–5, we find an invitation from God to search for knowledge, insight, and understanding. We get to mine God’s infinite wisdom when we’re in an intimate daily walk with Jesus, and as we yield to His will we’re increasingly inspired by His heavenly creativity. As believers, we have access to the Creator of the universe, and we can approach His throne with confidence to ask Him for wisdom and revelation for innovative work. Dorothy Sayers writes that ‘work is not merely a means to an end, but a creative calling by which we reflect God’s image and bring Him glory.’

Astonishingly, the first mention in scripture of someone being filled with the Holy Spirit, which is central to redemption, is a craftsman, Bezalel. Being an artist – working with his hands – was his job, and God gave him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, creativity, and artistic skills for his daily work. God is with us; His Spirit is in us. He is calling and equipping us to be creative. In fact, as Christians, we should be the most creative and innovative people on the planet because we’re reflecting the image of the ultimate Creator to the world around us. Through Him, we’re empowered to be creative in every aspect of life, regardless of how mundane or transformational the task at hand may be.

Our work is an opportunity for us to reflect God’s creative nature, and it’s also a way to worship Him. Rick Warren says, ‘Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of His presence.’ It may seem weird to put work and worship in the same sentence, but actually they coexist in the same word. The Hebrew word avodah is translated in various scriptures as work, worship, and service (Genesis 2:15, Exodus 8:1, Exodus 34:21, and Joshua 24:15). That means the word for physical labour in the fields is the same word used for worshiping God. Austin Burkhart explains, ‘So often we think of worship as something we do on Sunday and work as something we do on Monday. This dichotomy is neither what God designed nor what He desires for our lives. Avodah suggests our work can be a form of worship where we honour the Lord God and serve our neighbours.’

As you work in whatever job God has provided for you, ask Him to bring His transformation to your workplace through creativity and innovation. And simply enjoy worshiping Him through the work you carry out with excellence and integrity.