SQUASHING A NASTY LITTLE RUMOR(ea)
There is a nasty little rumor circulating that says “business is a dirty enterprise, but somebody has to
do it.” Implied in this line of thinking is the idea that somewhere out there, there is a higher
calling. Like there is the “secular” and then there is the “spiritual.” And somehow we can
never quite get the two together.
The fact is that God loves work and He loves us to work! Let me give you six reasons why:
1. God is a worker: Just take a gander at Genesis 1 and 2 in creation. When God finished
His creation, He saw that His own work was “good.” (Check out Deuteronomy 11:1-7;
Psalm 111)
2. Before the fall God created us to be workers: “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the
east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed… The Lord God took the man and put him
in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:8,15) (See Genesis 1:26-29)
3. Work enables us to meet our family and personal needs: “Make it your ambition to lead a
quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your
daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (I
Thessalonians 4:11, 12)
4. Work makes it possible for us to give to others: “He who has been stealing must steal no
longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to
share with those in need.” (Ephesians 4:28)
5. Work gives us pleasure and reward, thus easing life’s pain: “Then I realized that it is good and
proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during
the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth
and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a
gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness
of heart.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20)
6. Work affords us a platform for ministry: “‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you
fishers of men.’” (Matthew 4:19)
To catch fish, you have to go where they hang out. Is there a better place to “fish” than where
you spend 40 – 60 hours of your week?