Your Work Matters

There are two common mistakes Christians often make when they assess the value and importance of one kind of work over another. The first is marking artificial distinctions between work that is "secular" and work that is "sacred". And the second is not marking distinctions between work that is "secular" and work that is "sacred". Don't worry, I'll explain what I mean.

The fact that we continue to bear the image of God today, long after the Fall, combined with the connection doing so has with our "ruling" over God's creation. means that ultimately all work is sacred. Every profession contributes somehow to the overall fulfillment of God's command to "rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground" (Genesis 1:26). If you haven't already read the blog from two days ago, I would suggest you do so now to see a summary of how creation scientist, Henry Morris, categorizes various professions in relation to the Dominion Mandate.

Understanding your profession in relation to God's command underscores both the significance of your work and the importance of doing what you do, not just for a paycheck or for intangible temporal rewards, but rather for glory of our Creator. 1 Corinthians 10:31 captures the spirit of this motivation in these words: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Working in this fashion means more than simply offering a verbal witness now and then of your faith in Christ. It means approaching what you do as a kind of forum in which to display ultimate truth and its impact on your life as an individual. It also means making decisions and implementing plans and strategies, not just with the company's bottom line in view, but also with a mind toward how you as a Christian can contribute to your company's or your profession's role in fulfilling God's design for humanity and creation. This is heavy stuff, but it means your work matters. It matters to God, and it definitely plays a role in his overall plan.

By the way, similar statements could be made about students as they prepare in various ways for the profession they will carry out someday. Some subjects may be more interesting than others; still, the overall purpose of education is to prepare for a lifetime of serving God in whatever way he sees fit to direct.

Some professions are unredeemable. In other words, the activity they feature involves disobedience to God's commands or principles for living. Nevertheless, the vast majority involve rendering some kind of service to God. All work is sacred in this sense. More tomorrow on the distinction between "secular" and "sacred"...