Work is a part of life no matter what age you are. When we were kids, we were taught to do house chores. As employees, we work to earn a living. Even managers and CEOs have such huge responsibilities their minds work 24 hours, seven days a week.

Depending on your attitude, you will either love work or hate it. But why do we work?

Why we work?

The Bible shows that God was the first to do work on the earth. Yes, the sovereign Creator of the universe worked for six days and rested on the seventh day. Genesis 2:2-3 says, “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. . . all His work which God had created and made.”

After he finished creation, God observed the quality of His work, and when He determined that He had done a good job, He took pleasure in the result calling it “very good.”

From the creation story in Genesis, we learn that even before Adam fell into sin, God intended for him to participate in his work.“Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.” – Genesis 2:15

Unfortunately, there are people who view work as a curse, or at least as part of the curse of living in a fallen world. In his book titled “Purpose Driven Life”, Rick Warren wrote that, “Work becomes worship when you dedicate it to God and perform it with an awareness of his presence.” To have the correct attitude about work, we need to consider that as believers we actually work for God Himself!

We work for three reasons: to provide money or resources to supply our needs; to have a personal sense of fulfillment and significance; and to serve the Lord.

If you’re the head of your family or a responsible adult, God expects you to provide for your family and loved ones. He says that, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8).”

Happy to serve

Only when we have a biblical perspective of work, can we work with joy and a positive attitude. The Bible says in Colossians 3:22, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”

The best way to show our love for God is by obeying Him. Work proves our obedience and should be done with excellence. If you know your real boss is Jesus Christ, you will be a good employee even when the boss isn’t looking. And if you’re the owner or manager of a company, you are to treat your workers with respect and fairness.

Apostle Paul told the believers in Ephesus, “Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:6-8The Message)

Aside from making sure we provide quality work, we’re also responsible for our faithfulness to God in the way we pursue work, and our character while working. This will determine how we will be judged and rewarded.

Excellence at work opens the door to evangelism

Work provides an opportunity to share our testimony and witness for Christ. The places we work in are full of people who probably haven’t been reached with the gospel. When people see you do good work and have a good heart doing it, you will earn their respect and this will allow you to speak to them about your faith because of your integrity.

When you use the gifts and abilities God has given to you, it won’t only benefit you but others as well. The way you do your work is a powerful message. The world today needs this genuine witness to the reality of Christ and the impact that He makes to people who believe Him. (Matthew 5:16)

Light has a power to transform a dark room. The light of the good news can change people and the work culture as a whole. If you perform with excellence and with accountability at work, in a distinctively Christian manner, you will surely have a profound effect on the world around you.

Glorify God by working diligently, representing Him by serving others and meeting their needs. In serving others, we serve God. When we see work with an eternal perspective, it will change our lives.