working for the king

Work for man has been God's plan from the beginning (Ge 2, especially v. 5). It is in work that man was created to be free. We are not free from work. The fall however added another dimension (Ge 3.17-19). Because of this, the work we were intended for has become futile and frustrating.

Now Christ has redeemed us from the curse (Ga 3.13) but we must still work hard to provide for our needs (Mt 6.25, 32-33; Mt 11.28; 1 Co 15.58). We see clearly that while we are not to be burdened with frustration and futility, we are still to work hard.

Why should we do this and do it joyfully? Because when we confirm to God's will, we demonstrate to the world an obedience that bring God honor and glory. In this we also remove the perception that we are here to depend on others.

Just as important if not more, we now have a different purpose for laboring - we now work for something that doesn't perish (Jn 6.27). Knowing that He now provides all that we need (Phil 4.19), we work to love people and to honor God. We are now free to think of ways that our work might bless others. We don't have to think about profitability and can focus on how our service or the thing we produce can benefit others; and where we do profit, we are free to use that to benefit those around us that are not as fortunate.

When we go to the workplace, in addition to looking for opportunities to witness or simply to let our diligence represent the excellence of our Lord, we can also look for way for our product/service/profit to be used to further His Kingdom.

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