I listened to a sermon by one of Ashlea's elders this week on the theology of work, and I thought Ben made some excellent points about working in the image of God. Beginning in Genesis and throughout the Bible, God is described as a worker, and mankind was created in the image of God to be workers. When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to "tend and keep it," he was to live a life of rewarding labor in obedience to God's command. Work was not meant to be a curse, as we often think. On the contrary, work was meant to be an act of worship, no matter how menial the labor. But because of Adam's sin, the nature of work changed, and labor is often a distortion of God's image. Ben noted these areas of distortion:
1. Social welfare: When an able-bodied man is content to take social welfare, he is living off money for which someone else has worked, and that is not pleasing to God. The Apostle Paul addressed the problem of idleness with the church of the Thessalonians when he instructed, "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." (3:10) Paul uses even stronger language in his letter to Timothy: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." (I Tim. 5:8)
2. Retirement: How will we live out our retirement years to the glory of God? Do we view that time strictly as a time of selfish pleasure, as we enjoy the fruits of our labors? Or do we plan to use those years in service to others?
3. Work ethic: As we do our jobs, are we just "showing up," or do we put forth our best effort? Whatever we do, we are to do to the glory of God.
4. Workaholic: If we are taking advantage of every opportunity to work as a means of increasing our bank account, we are placing our trust in our own efforts, rather than relying on the Lord to provide for our needs.
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