Dhimas Anugrah
“The hardest work in the world is being out of work.”
This playful quote came from a friend who shared his struggles with finding a job. He felt empty, drained, and useless as he stayed at home with nothing to do, applied for various positions, and waited anxiously for responses.
We all agree that work enriches human life, despite the challenges that come with it. My late father’s words, “Men have to be productive, and work diligently,” inspired me to work part-time while attending college after high school. I quickly took the opportunity to play the piano in hotels between classes. By God’s grace, those piano-playing jobs even helped me pay for my graduate studies.
That work experience taught me that work is God’s way of providing for His people. But, if God is Almighty, why can’t He just bless us without us having to work hard?
Work has been a timeless topic in human history. In ancient Greece, Plato suggested a system of dividing labor into three economic classes. He believed this would ensure that qualified people did important tasks. But, even before Plato, the Torah has shown the importance of work in human life.
Work is God’s idea, not ours. The Book of Genesis tells us that He is a working God. He worked for six days to create the world and rested on the seventh. He also told us to imitate Him by working, being fruitful, and using our skills (Genesis 1:1-28). As humans changed over time, so did their work methods and attitudes. They started by hunting for food, then they learned to farm, and then they became the modern people we see today.
However, today we agree that work is not just for “getting food on the table”. We have many other needs that require money. Often, we feel work is a burden rather than God’s model to follow. We complain and feel hopeless. We wish we could just relax and do nothing, but still be wealthy.
Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, argued that work was a source of alienation and exploitation under capitalism where workers were treated like machines. However, Jean Paul Sartre, another philosopher from the 20th century, argued that work was not only a way to earn money and food, but also a way to express ourselves and find meaning in our lives.
Work is Our Way of Honoring God
But what does the Bible tell us about human work? It teaches us that work is a way of serving God. In the New Testament, Paul wrote: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). This verse was meant for Christian slaves in the first century AD, but Paul’s idea is relevant for all believers who work: “work as if we were serving God himself.”
The phrase “with all your heart” implies that we should work with enthusiasm and passion. We are to honor God through our work. No work is unimportant when we do it for Him. He wants us to use our talents and skills to work well and hard.
The next verse tells us that our ultimate reward comes from God, not from human masters whom we serve temporarily. This verse helps us to understand that work is not just about earning money or meeting worldly demands, but also about serving God through our occupation. This does not mean that we ignore our own well-being that we rightfully earn after working hard. However, beyond Marx’s view that only valued one’s welfare or Sartre’s philosophy that saw work as a way of creating meaning in life, the Bible teaches us a Christian work ethic that focuses on God and glorifies Him (1 Corinthians 10:31).
A Christian should not work just to please ourselves or our bosses, but ultimately to glorify God. He wants us to honor Him with our best. When we do that, we will work hard and well. Proverbs 10:4 says, “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” This means that we should be active, responsible, and helpful in society. We contribute to the common good by working. We can do different kinds of work, but we should always do our best, with all our heart. Our work is our way of serving and honoring God, our Master.
Read also:
Help! I May Lose My Job
With much instability and uncertainty in today’s economy and job environment, many of us face the threat of losing our jobs. Who can help us and give us true security, comfort, and assurance?
Our Daily Bread Ministries in Indonesia is supported by the freewill offering of individuals in Indonesia, who through their gifts enable us to continue to bring the life-changing wisdom of the Bible to many here. We are not funded by any church or organisation.
