The Gift of Work | Genesis 2:4-17

Scripture: Genesis 2:4-17 Key Takeaways: + Work is a good gift from God. "Let the Church remember this: that every maker and worker is called to serve God in his profession or trade—not outside it. The Apostles complained rightly when they said it was not meet they should leave the word of God and serve tables; their vocation was to preach the word. But the person whose vocation it is to prepare the meals beautifully might with equal justice protest: It is not meet for us to leave the service of our tables to preach the word." – Dorothy Sayers, "Why Work?" + Work is to be done for God and for his glory. Ephesians 6:5–8 + Good work that glorifies God is ethical work. + Good work that glorifies God is excellent work. "The Church's approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables. Church by all means, and decent forms of amusement, certainly – but what use is all that if in the very center of his life and occupation he is insulting God with bad carpentry?" – Dorothy Sayers, "Why Work?"  "The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship." – Martin Luther Exodus 31:1–5 Proverbs 22:29 + Work is how we partner with God in his care of the world.  "God Himself will milk the cows through him whose vocation that is." – Martin Luther + Our identity is to be found in Jesus and his work, not ours. "If our identity is in our work, rather than Christ, success will go to our heads, and failure will go to our hearts." – Tim Keller