What Does the Gospel Have to Say About Your Work?

What Is Work? To see how the gospel informs our work, we begin with a definition of work. Then we can see how work connects to God’s nature and his gospel. David Miller defined work as “a sustained exercise of strength and skill that overcomes obstacles to produce or accomplish something.”1 We can put forth great effort, but by this definition, it is not work unless we persevere and work through obstacles to reach a goal. It also means work is a broader category than a job. Employed workers receive compensation, but all sustained, focused labor is work. That may include child-care, landscaping, gardening, and other volunteer activities. God Works Humans work because God works, and he made us in his image. We are creative because the Creator formed us in his likeness. Humans cannot create out of nothing, as God did, but we are creative when we discover and utilize the riches of the earth—its iron, silicon, wood, and soil. We follow the Lord whenever we develop, sustain, and protect his world. Likewise, our desire to fix what is broken and to redeem what could be lost echoes God's intention to redeem his fallen creation. When we make and accomplish plans, we follow the one who planne...