Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Prov 16:13

Our goal in this short series of messages is to shine a light on one of God’s preferred four letter words: WORK.  Seeing more clearly how vital (rather than burdensome) work can be offers a more wholesome perspective we all need.  Too many of us seem to be ignorant of, passively ignore, or aggressively reject the essential benefits of work.

In 1998, after almost thirty years of service, I officially retired from my job as a Special Needs Teacher with the New Bedford Public School Department.  “Retirement,” in this sense, has no relevance to my overall position of work and life.  In the greater picture, I consider myself to be in “refirement,” not retirement. If God, my eternal Father, never retired and is always working, then why shouldn’t I do the same? If His pattern is to work six days and rest one, then why shouldn’t I follow that as well? Retirement may apply to a particular job, but it can never apply to the life energy that comes in our privilege to live, to move, to have our being in a work place.

Work is not synonymous with a job.  A job is more interested in drawing a paycheck, watching the clock, and heading home. Work is the secret treasure necessary for a fertile life. It is the inner storehouse that God designed to draw on our potential to be helpfully and hopefully productive.  Within that store-house, our Creator has placed the abilities, talents, energies, and opportunities for us to meet and overcome life’s challenges. Work is the energy or currency that God deposits in us so we can personally succeed in being and doing what’s necessary to gainfully mature; all the while simultaneously pleasing and glorifying Him.

It’s interesting that the first commandment man (Adam) was given was to tend, guard, and keep the garden (Gen 2:4-7).  In other words, “Get to work, Junior!”  Everything the Creator had placed in Adam was contingent upon his exercising his untapped reservoir of inner attributes necessary to accomplish the work God commanded.  Let’s also remember that God’s commandments are loving guides designed to be obeyed for holy fruitfulness, not mere suggestions to consider or reject.

Family and friends, we need a renewed mind to desire and appreciate work. We deprive ourselves of true development, deployment, and employment if we don’t! To be continued…

Proverbs 14:23; Nehemiah 4:6; Colossians 3:23; Psalm 90:17; Proverbs 12:11

** Special thanks to the late, Dr. Myles Monroe, and his book, Releasing Your Potential; the inspiration for this series.