Your Work Has a Better Story

At the close of every Sunday gathering, we send you with these words,

"Now as we scatter as God’s people, to renew our city in the places, we live, work, and play, let us remember three precious truths: God loves you, Jesus died for you, and the Holy Spirit is with you."

Through this commission we intend to send you as agents of gospel-renewal into all of life, and yes, that includes your work.

Some estimate you will spend 100,000 hours of your life in some sort of paid or unpaid work. That rounds out to roughly 11 ½ years of non-stop labor, more than four times the amount of time you will spend in school. Imagine giving over more than a decade of your life to directionless wandering. No one would intentionally do this, and yet, how many of us enter Monday morning without a clear sense of purpose. I talk to many followers of Jesus who are unsure how to think about the connection between faith and work. They don’t grasp how to connect what they hear proclaimed on Sunday to their vocation. Pastor Tom Nelson refers to this phenomenon as the “Sunday-to-Monday gap—a disconnect between our Sunday worship and the rest of our work lives” [1].

Over the last several years, we have periodically administered a survey called Scatter (please consider taking it by clicking the link if you haven’t done so already) which asks questions about vocation. One of the survey prompts reads, “I clearly see how my work matters to God.” Over half said they “Somewhat Agree.” On the one hand, this is very encouraging. However, I also see a growth opportunity here. That a majority could not mark “Generally Agree” or “Strongly Agree,” indicates a need for further development and discipleship in this major aspect of life.

In several of his letters, the Apostle Paul addresses how the gospel informs one’s work in a section of his letters known as household codes. These codes are Paul’s outworking of the gospel in daily life. Consider his letter to the church in ancient Colossae. To the “bondservants” living in this ancient city he says,

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV).

Paul doesn’t say, “Put in the minimum requirements,” he says, “work heartily.” The NIV renders it, “work at it with all your heart.” How is this possible, especially when work is often painful, toilsome, or boring? He goes on, “You are serving the Lord Christ.” In other words, Jesus’ Lordship writes a compelling “new story for work” [2].

This story is more robust, comprehensive, and beautiful than any other story [3]. Consider naturalism, the belief that the physical world is all there is. Someone with this worldview can affirm that work is subjectively good, all the while knowing that it is objectively meaningless. Others view work as a necessary evil to a greater good. Only Christianity proclaims the goodness, brokenness, and redemption of creation. And this storyline gives us the framework to make sense of both the dignity and drudgery of our work.

We can think of work as following the contours of the biblical narrative:

Work is Good

The Bible affirms that work is good. Labor is not a result of the fall, but it is impacted by the fall. Because God is a worker (John 5:17) and God created work, we can affirm that work is inherently good (Genesis 2:15).

Work is Toilsome

While work is inherently good, we don’t always experience it this way. That is because work is tainted by the fall; “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread” (Gen. 3:19). Work is not just hard, it is toilsome and often painful,

Work is Purposeful

Your work has purpose; it is an opportunity to love your neighbor. By this, I don’t mean loving your neighbor at your work (although of course we should love our co-workers), I mean loving your neighbor through your work. Tom Nelson says it this way, “Work is not first and foremost about economic exchange, financial remuneration, or a pathway to wish fulfillment; rather, it is about God-honoring creativity and loving contribution” [4]. As he does in Colossians, Paul likewise instructs bondservants and masters at Ephesus to work, “doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6). But he adds, “whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord” (Eph. 6:8). Notice that Paul says that work is an opportunity to do “good,” to make a loving contribution.

Work is Enduring

Work will exist in the new creation. But in the renewed creation, there will be no more toil, no more curse. In Isaiah 65, the prophet paints a glorious picture of the “new heavens and new earth” (v. 17). As you read through the chapter, you will notice that much of his vision contains images of work. For example, he says that the redeemed “shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit” (v. 21). He goes on to say “They shall not labor in vain” (v. 23). In other words in the new creation, there will be labor without toil.

Consider your own work through the lens of this storyline. As you do, reflect on the following questions:

• How is your work good? In what ways does it contribute to human flourishing (Jer. 29:7) and the good of your neighbor?

• Where do you experience the toil and burden of work? To put it bluntly, where is your work broken, painful, or even contributing to the fracture of society and creation?

• How does Jesus give you a new purpose for your work? How can you love your neighbor and worship God through your vocation?

• How does the vision of the new creation give you new motivation for your work? It is speculative to suggest that certain occupations will exist in the new creation. But from the text in Isaiah, it is clear that vocations will be present. As you reflect on how you can worship God and love your neighbor through your work, how does the reward that you will “receive back from the Lord” motivate you in your work now?

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As we seek to build trusted relationships as part of our Woven Together Vision in the mission field of everyday life, your work is going to play a critical role. Not only is your work a context to build relationships, it is an avenue to repair the fraying fabric of our city when we see our work as an opportunity to worship God and love our neighbor. Imagine a church that does excellent work, not just on Sunday, but everyday of the week, “doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph. 6:6). God can use your work, he can use you, for the good of others and the glory of Christ.

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Works Cited

[1] Tom Nelson, Why Your Work Matters: How God Uses Our Everyday Vocations to Transform Us, Our Neighbors, and the World (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2025), 93.

[2] Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work (New York: Dutton, 2012), 155.

[3] Keller, 162.

[4] Nelson, 16.

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