Well Done!

Religion

“How’s work?”

“One day closer to retirement.” Or, “A hundred years from now, nobody will know the difference.”
Is the only goal to endure the hours so we can pay the bills?

The Scriptures teach us that Adam was given the task – the privilege – of dressing the Garden of Eden and classifying the animals God created – before sin impacted his life. Eve was brought into Adam’s life, as a companion and as his helper in these tasks . During this period, God came and walked with Adam and Eve in the evenings. I’m sure the communion was pleasant as the Creator and His beloved assistants reviewed the plans and development of the world God created for his creatures’ enjoyment.

Much, of course, has happened since those idyllic – but busy and creative – days. But God is still at work in His creation, and God still calls individuals to participate with Him in his plan for His world. The work is more difficult because of the effects of our failure to readily do things God’s way – hindering and rejecting His presence and His ways in our world and in our individual lives. Nevertheless, God calls us individually and corporately to do things His way, to invite Him back into our lives, our culture, our world, where we can, in fact, enjoy His presence and participate in His plan and His work in our world.

The work God is doing in this world is not only – if at all – the ethereal “spiritual” work of calling individuals to believe in Him in order “to go to heaven when they die.” The work God is doing involves far more than preparing for our eventual departure from this world. His work includes everything that is necessary and good and beautiful for life in this world. And who better to do the necessary and good and beautiful things in this world than those who know Him as Creator, as Lord, as Enabler than those who profess Him as personal Savior.

We certainly – I hope – understand that we cannot improve or “save” this world God created apart from the wisdom and strength of God. But if we have experienced the salvation – the being-made-whole – offered us in Jesus Christ, neither should we desert or abandon either the people or the world God created. We should rather become His co-workers in accomplishing His work in this “fallen,” struggling world, offering help and hope as even creation waits for its restoration and fulfillment of God’s purpose.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Romans 8:20-22 ESV

Every good and honorable task can be – should be – a cooperation with God in accomplishing His good purpose in this world He made. The hours and years we spend at our work and in our jobs should be time we devote to purposefully accomplishing the tasks God has assigned us, done in concert and cooperation with other Believers for the benefit of all God’s creation, whether mineral, plant, or animal.

God didn’t put us on His good – but sin invaded – earth to waste time, only waiting to go to be with Him in some other world. He placed us here as His ambassadors, His co-laborers, His chosen, to bring Him and His rule and reign and purposes and goodness into this world.

“How’s work?”

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Mat 25:23

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