Work--that dreaded 6:00 alarm every weekday morning. Work--that aggravating person who sits beside you in class/the office every day. Work--why did God give us this curse? Of everything He could have cursed us with....work?
Sadly, the statements above define a generic modern view of labor. It is seen as a painful, little rewarding, aggravating,means to an end (of pleasure or prosperity), yet work is not the curse our culture portrays it to be. Similar to many other blessings, it is twisted by our fallen world to seem a negative aspect of life as opposed to the way Clement depicts it-- beautiful.
In pt. 36, Clement paints a picture of what work was meant to look like when he says, " Even the Architect and Lord of the Universe Himself takes a delight in working." God Himself works...for FUN! For joy, for glory. He created the universe, joyfully, with "delight" as Clement says.
So, what are the implications? One, work ethic and the joy found in one's work cannot truly reach their fullest potential and power, separated from their true origin--God. Two, Christians have no reason to not pursue good works, once "saved" as we Baptists so often say, for work is not a necessary evil but a good (And he who knows what is right and does not do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17). So, we should work-- both in our faith and in practice-- with joy and without hesitation or whining. This is massive! It affects how one studies, pursues their career, serves their community, practices hobbies and skills, and even relationships. We are called to joy in work, found in seeking the truest form of work seen in our Creator.
P.S. I commented on Abigail Brock and Darby Callicut's posts.
So good! This was the topic for discussion last night in our grow groups and I could not agree more with your statement. Called to joy in our work affects everything.
ReplyDeleteI find its easier to serve the Lord when we see the result of it immediately. This is a prideful stance that I think we all have dealt with once in our lives. Our work should be to its best ability, with a happy heart and a loving spirit. Without love, it means nothing.
ReplyDeleteI love how you said "work is not a necessary evil, but a good" because work is often viewed as just that, an unpleasant thing that we unfortunately have to partake in out of necessity alone. But that is definitely not how God intended it! and when we start to view everything we do in our daily lives as if we were doing them FOR God (which we are, it just doesn't seem like it because it's indirect) our work habits and attitude change drastically. If people consistently remembered that everything they do is or at least should be for Christ, the standard of work would change drastically.
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