Scripture:

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

 

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:7-15 (NIV)

 

Perspective:

When God created the world, God saw in necessary to create a man who would have dominion over the earth.  He planted the man in the Garden of Eden.  However, this man was not charged with relaxing and sitting around all day. He was commissioned to work and care for God’s creation. In Genesis 2:19 (NIV), it says, “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” God could have named all of the animals himself. If He had the creative power to create the animals, then He had more than enough creativity to name all of them. However, God saw something good in having the man, Adam, engage in the process by working. Adam, created in the image of God, spoke the names of animals in to existence. God ordained the work for Adam to do, and there was great worth in his work in the garden. 

 

Many people dread their work and associate work with the sin curse that occurred in the Garden of Eden. However, God assigned Adam to do work before sin entered the world. This truth changes the whole paradigm about how we approach work. God saw something good in the participation of humanity in the world He created through work. There was value in the work; it wasn’t a curse. God can give you the wisdom, creativity, and strength to do the work to which He has called you. Some may object by saying that they are not sitting in a Garden of Eden but a very undesirable work situation. God doesn’t give worth to work only in one context. We find the worth of our work when we understand that we can honor God through our diligence no matter our employer or environment. Instead of dreading Monday through Friday this week, let’s find the blessing in the work, as we honor God through activating our creativity, innovation, and diligence in our work.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

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