Make a list of what you do on a typical day (if there were such a thing!). You can be as specific as you’d like, just give yourself an idea of how the hours in your day are spent.
Got it?
How much of your day was spent in Christian piety? That is, how much time did you spend doing “spiritual” things like reading your Bible reading, prayer, personal reflection and worship?
For the sake of argument, let’s aim high and say we spend one hour each day in prayer and Bible reading. How many hours are left in that day?
What do we make of the 23 hours of our day spent on other activities that are not “spiritual”?
A common misconception is that only spiritual pursuits ultimately matter to God. Everyday life and daily work is just something to endure. There’s nothing particularly important about it.
This misconception is dangerous because it destroys the dignity of everyday tasks, making them important only when they are done for a “spiritual” purpose. For example, doing the dishes for the church is somehow more important than doing them at home for your family.
But if we look thoughtfully at the nature of God and work, we discover that God does not limit himself to only super spiritual or miraculous deeds, but commits himself to the enjoyment of everyday work.
God planted a garden and shaped humans from the dirt (Genesis 2:8-9).
God still works by cultivating the ground and watering it with rain (Psalm 65; 104).
God is said to be magnificent in wisdom and wonderful in counsel because he delights in helping humans succeed as farmers (Isaiah 28:24-29).
Jesus worked as a carpenter for much longer than he healed the sick and preached the gospel (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55).
God makes the sun rise and set every day. He apparently enjoys the repetition of the sun rising and setting because it has always happened this way (except for that one battle during the conquest).
We must remind ourselves that work is not part of the curse. Before the fall and curse, work was part of the beauty and value of what it means to be human, made in God’s likeness (Genesis 1:28).
Only after the fall did the curse make work difficult so that now even our best efforts can be frustrated by our own selfishness or by the selfishness of others (Genesis 3:17-19).
And so the kingdom of God was (and still is) essentially and simply the flourishing of humans on earth in a perfect relationship with God, each other and all of creation (Genesis 1-2).
The fall into sin resulted in the degeneration of God’s kingdom in Eden. The sin of Adam and Eve confused the relationship between God, people and the world (Genesis 3-11).
The rest of the Bible shows God’s gracious and eternal plan to regenerate that original kingdom which was present in Eden in which God, his people and all of creation existed in perfect harmony, perfectly fulfilling each of their roles (Genesis 12, 15, 17; Exodus 19-20; 2 Samuel 7; Mark 1:14-15; Revelation 21-22, etc).
This salvation (regeneration) is possible because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which provides atonement for sin and entry into new life, the regenerated kingdom originally established in Eden (2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; 1 John 4:9).
Union with Christ brings regeneration to the world and allows us to truly find joy and pleasure in the kingdom through the dignity of everyday work.
“There may be no better way to love your neighbor than to simply do your work…The way to serve God best is to do your job as well as it can be done” (Tim Keller).
Helpful Verses:
“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his work” (Ecclesiastes 2:24).
“Whatever you do, do it well” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24).
“Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
“For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-13).
Helpful Resources:
- Tim Keller, “Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.” New York: Dutton, 2012 (253 pages).
- Martin Luther, “The Freedom of the Christian.” (Numerous printings).
- J. Richard Middleton, “A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology.” Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014 (312 pages).
- Dallas Willard and Gary Black Jr. “The Divine Conspiracy Continued: Fulfilling God’s Kingdom on Earth.” San Fransisco: Harper One, 2015 (352 pages).
- Michael Wittmer, “Heaven is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God.” Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004 (221 pages).
- Michael Wittmer, “Becoming Worldly Saints: Can You Serve Jesus and Still Enjoy Your Life?” Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015 (188 pages).