Gary Underwood, pastor of the Grace Brethren Church in Delaware, Ohio, recently tackled the topic of work in the opinion section of the Delaware Gazette. A portion of the article appears below. Click here for the complete story.
Does God care about my job?
“Work” is a powerful force in life. Most people spend a third of their lives (at least eight hours a day) on the job. And LinkedIn reminds us that our jobs become our identities.
“I’m Gary, and I’m a pastor.”
“I’m Samantha, and I’m an accountant.”
“I’m Nick, and I train Clydesdale horses.” (See you Sunday, Nick!)
Some people work out of a deep passion, like the math teacher who loves to sharpen and equip young minds for action. Others work with urgency to provide for their families. Some are driven to impact the lives of others – like the first responders, firefighters, emergency medical teams, and law enforcement officials that deserve our prayers and love on Sept. 11 — and every other day.
No matter what your job or passion is, I believe your work matters.
In the Bible, we find that God is always “at work.” He’s not just the “Boss”; He creates, designs, teaches, provides, sustains, judges, redeems, heals, directs, disciplines. … God is the ultimate “worker.”
God gives life and meaning to the way people work. In Genesis, he assigns man and woman the task of ruling, gardening, farming and populating the earth. In the Old Testament, God is at work in the lives of shepherds, musicians, craftsmen, teachers, stay-at-home moms, leaders, servants, students and warriors.
As one historian observed, “The Bible is a book written by a Worker, through and to human workers, about and for their works.” Or, as Ephesians 2:10 describes, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”
Your work matters to God. Whether your boss loves you or not. Whether you like your co-workers or not. Whether you’re facing job loss or a job change. Whether you feel totally defeated or totally fulfilled.