What Makes Our Work Worthwhile?

At the dawn of creation, in humanity’s earliest days, God gave us work to do: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Although we now know the curse of toil (3:17–19), work itself is part of God’s good creative handiwork. He didn’t make us to sit around and do nothing. Fundamentally, we recognize in the human psyche a desire to produce. It’s why workers work—why painters paint, scientists think, gardeners prune, and builders build. While those who reject the biblical narrative may think they can explain how human beings came to be, they can’t really explain why we are driven to work and create. The Bible tells us: God labored in creating, and He made us in His image, as His creative handiwork, to be creative like Him. The New Testament is also clear about the good and godly nature of work. In Titus 3:14, Paul instructs the pastor of the church in Crete, “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.” This is a statement about not only good deeds but also productive work. It reveals what God intends for us in our labors. Learning and Devoted Work It’s easy ...