MESSAGES OF FAITH: Persevere when the going gets tough

Work is Good

In the opening chapter of the Bible, God gave the first two humans a job to do:

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28)

To subdue [the earth] means to use and develop the earth’s resources, to take what God has given us through creation itself and to make something good or useful or beautiful out of it.

That’s what Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden and that’s what you and I do every day when we go to work. We take what is there, and through our energy, imagination, intelligence and love, make something good out of it.

For some it means using a stethoscope and scalpel to bring healing. For others it means taking a hammer and nails to build beautiful buildings. For others it means taking spreadsheets and laptops and running businesses that provide goods and services.

Whether you work in education or agriculture, business or medicine, finance or government, you are helping to fulfill the creation mandate, subduing the earth, through your God given work.

Work is so very good. And yet, just because it’s good doesn’t mean it will be easy. Which brings us to the second thing the Bible tells us about work. And that is,

Work is Hard

You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but work is often hard. There are days when a shipment is late, a meeting is unproductive, the internet is slow, a customer is angry, the list, as you know, goes on and on.

As the song goes, “Mama said there’d be days like this.” Truth is, when it comes to our work, God did too.

As a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin, God warned them how their sin would not only have far reaching consequences when it came to their relationship with God and one another, but also in their work.

And so, God said to them,

cursed is the ground because of you;


  in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;


thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;


  and you shall eat the plants of the field. (Genesis 3:17-18)

When we remember that our work is good we can approach our work with our heads held high and with the dignity it deserves. And when we remember that our work is hard, we can persevere when the going gets tough.

Finally, you and I are called to Work for One.

Have you ever felt like you were invisible and unappreciated after a hard day of work? Of course you have!

In these moments, and in every moment for that matter, we must remember the one who we as Christians truly work for.

The Apostle Paul says it like this,

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)

None of this is to say that we shouldn’t strive to serve our customers or care for our employees. Not at all.

It’s simply to say that when you feel like no one cares, like no one’s watching, like your work doesn’t really matter, to remember we ultimately work for one. Truth is, we’ll love and serve our neighbors best when we’re seeking to please God most.

So friends, next time you go to work, remember: Work is Good. Work is Hard. Work for One. Glory be to God.

Daniel Triller is Pastor of Ellensburg Presbyterian Church.