Our work matters

In his preface to his book Heaven is a Place on Earth Michael Wittmer writes, “This book is about the meaning in life. A slew of Christian books already address the meaning of life.” Do you have meaning in life? In my time of private worship this morning I read an interesting verse:

^ESV Ecclesiastes 5:18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment¹ in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.

In other words, amidst all the transience and impermanence of life, to have meaning in life is to find enjoyment in your “lot” in life. With joy to fully engage in the work that God has placed before you.

I’m sorry to say that many Christians I know are not any more joy-filled in their work than those who reject Christ and ignore the counsel of the Bible. I think this is a great tragedy and does much damage to the gospel witness of the believers in this world. The old adage is, “He’s so heavenly minded that he’s of no earthly good!” comes to mind.

There are no doubt many reasons why believers lack joy in their work. It could be a failure to walk in step with the Spirit (who would bear the fruit of joy, peace, patience, etc. if we did – Galatians 5:22-23). It could be that the Adversary enticed us into a lucrative field that doesn’t match our gifts or our passions (and thus our work is extraordinarily frustrating). It could be that the curse of the Fall has infested our work in the form of weeds, rust, malware, and tech glitches. Or it could be still something else. But one thing that I’m determined as a pastor that it will not be is an inadequate or unbiblical view of work.

One reason many believers lack joy in their work is because they believe that the only meaningful work is “spiritual” work. By which they mean important things like “preaching, Bible study, evangelism, mercy ministries, etc.” The reality is that much of our work isn’t “spiritual” in this sense. Prepping breakfast for the family, cleaning up the morning dishes, chores, the commute to work, the ritual of checking emails on your smart phone to get a head start in the office, the coordination and logistics just to have the bits in place to do your job, working hard to make things better, faster, cheaper, continued education, returning home, meals, diapers, noses, dog walks, mowing, laundry on and on it goes. So little of life really fits into the category of “spiritual”. If you love Christ and you have a desire to make a difference for Him all the ordinary bits of life can seem like a hassle, barriers to “spiritual work”.

What I am jealous for you to understand is that not only is Christ to be Lord over all of life, all of life matters because Christ is Lord. Jesus values our work – all of it. Chores at home, our work as learners, our work as parents, our work as children, our work as spouses, our work in the marketplace, our work in recreation, our work to rest.

^ESV Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

This means that there is no dichotomy between the sacred and secular. Martin Luther is famous for saying that the milkmaid glorifies God just as much as the pastor. This also means that there isn’t a dichotomy within our work. Responding to emails isn’t less sacred than implementing a new idea or solving a problem. Doing dishes isn’t less sacred than swinging a hammer on the job site. All of life is worship. We exist to glorify God. Evangelism and prayer aren’t the only “spiritual” things.

            It isn’t just souls and the Bible that will last into the age to come. They are not the only permanent things. And it also isn’t true that the only thing worthwhile is doing something permanent, something that lasts. Anyone who has seen a sunset or a spring flower knows that the Lord God doesn’t just value the permanent. God clearly delights in His work – even the transient temporary evaporating things. God models for us meaning in work. The key is finding joy in the work God has placed before you and to do it to the best of your ability. How we do it matters as much as What we do.

The work you and I do now isn’t just batting practice for the life to come. And we aren’t just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Doing a repetitive unending task like dishes may seem meaningless and of little consequence. But God sees and cares. Your work is necessary for the flourishing of those God has placed around you. You don’t have to be in prayer while you wash to make the task worthwhile or holy. The task itself is necessary & important. So wash those dishes as if you were directing a symphony of suds to the glory of God!