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The PursueGOD Men's podcast helps guys apply God's Word to their lives to become full circle followers of Jesus. Join us for a new men's episode every other Thursday.

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Intro

Colossians 3:23-24 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

• In the immediate context of this verse, Paul is instructing slaves on how they should work for their masters. It is applicable for any working relationship. What does that look like? How do we work as though we were working for the Lord?
• I’m going to borrow heavily from scripture, but also from Tim Keller’s book, “Every Good Endeavor”

The Right Mindset Towards Work

It’s important that we start with the truth that we were created to work and be productive. Work isn’t a result of the fall. If work was not beneath the Almighty God of the universe, it shouldn’t be beneath us.

Genesis 2:1-3,15 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.

• Keller: The Bible begins talking about work as soon as it begins talking about anything that’s how important and basic it is. God also brought the animals to Adam to be named. From the beginning, God invited man into partnership with him to steward his creation.
• Keller: God worked for the sheer joy of it.Work could not have a more exalted inauguration. God not only works, he delights in it. He saw all that he made and it was good. I think of all of us can relate to that when we finish a project and look at it. We take delight in it. Something as simple as changing out the tail light and fixing a battery cable.
• Work is not a result of the fall, frustrating work is a result of the fall. We were created to work. It’s part of us being made in the image of God.
• Think about this: the Bible doesn’t say we should work one day and rest 6. It doesn’t even split it 50/50. The pattern was six days of work to one day of rest. How does this stack up to our modern dream of retirement?

Hard Work is Good

The Bible points out the sin of laziness in multiple places. There is something about hard work that resonates with a man because we were designed to be productive.

Proverbs 10:4-5 Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich. 5 A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

Proverbs 10:26 Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

Proverbs 28:19 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.

• Part of working unto the Lord is doing the best we can. It’s not taking shortcuts. It’s giving the same effort when no one is watching as when the boss is looking over our shoulder.

Keller - The commandments of God in the Bible are a means of liberation, because through them God calls us to be what he built us to be.

The Balance of Work and Rest

Although work is good, there is a balance of work and rest. There is a rhythm of leisure and toil. When balanced properly, each one enhances the enjoyment of the other.

Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

• Did God rest because he was tired? Did he need to recover from fatigue? No. Now, because of sin, we do need restoration and times of recovery. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally because work in a fallen world isn’t always fulfilling. It isn’t always productive.
• Being created in God’s image we can assume that rest is good and life giving for us in and of itself.