Flourishing In Our Work

Let’s hear what God says about work. To get your mind going, let’s consider a definition of work, then I want you to answer a couple questions in your mind. First the definition of work that we’ll use today: “Activity that involves intensive effort.” So contrasted with rest, work involves intensive effort.

So with that definition of work, think about this question: “What kind of work do you do?” Just think to yourself, what kind of work do you do? When you hear that question, you might immediately think of your job, your profession, what you get paid to do—which is definitely a kind of work. Others of you might think about school. As a student, the primary work you do is schoolwork. So let’s combine these two into one category of work: professional/academic work.

Then think beyond that. We often do what we might call voluntary work. We just talked about some of the ways people serve in the church, who work on Sundays to care for children, or others who will go to camp over the coming weeks to serve teenagers. There might be a variety of ways you might work in the church or the community. Think about relational work. Parenting is work. Marriage involves work. All kinds of friendships take work. Or you might think about physical work that you do. Exercise, working out. In a similar way, think about spiritual work—spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, fasting. There’s a sense in which that’s activity that involves intensive effort. I’m not trying to distinguish between all these; there is certainly overlap between them. This is definitely not an exhaustive list.

The point is, when you stop and think about it, most of our life revolves around work. Which leads to the second question I want to ask you. “How would you describe your work life on a continuum of frustrating to flourishing?” So if frustrating is clear to the left and flourishing clear to the right, would you describe your professional or academic work as frustrating or flourishing, or somewhere in between? Where would it be in between? Add the work you do in the world, such as your parenting, marriage, friendships. Are they frustrating or flourishing? Add physical exercise, spiritual work or any other kind of work that comes to your mind. Obviously, the answer might be different for different areas. 

Then I want you to answer one more question in your mind This will deal primarily with the professional/academic side of work: “How would you describe who you work for?” If you work for a person or people or an organization or a company, how would you describe who you work for? Or if you’re a student, think about teachers you have had or might have in the future. How would you describe who you work for? Hopefully that gets a variety of thoughts in your mind about work.

Now let’s bring this into God’s Word. I want us to think about how, in this fallen world, the default for work in all these ways is frustration. I want us to hear from God today about how he’s designed us to flourish in our work. Remember, that’s the definition of wisdom that Mike gave us at the beginning of this series on Adulting in Real Life. Wisdom is knowing how to flourish in life according to God’s design. 

What I want to show you today is how to flourish in work according to God’s design—in all the ways you might think of work. In your job, school, work in the world, exercising your body, working to flourish in relationships with family or friends, and ultimately working to flourish in your relationship with God. I want to show you, specifically in the book of Proverbs, the answer to this question: how do we flourish in our work? 

Now, I need to apologize from the start, because last week I had a lot to cover in a little bit of time, which means if you’re taking notes, you’re going to have to do some work. We’re going to go super fast because I want to show 16 answers to this question from the book of Proverbs. Now that’s nervous laughter that I hear all across the room. 

Yes, we’re going to go fast. My goal is for you to walk away, just a few minutes from now, with a host of truths, principles and encouragement that you can reflect on in the days to come, discuss in your home with family, friends or with your church group. Then come back periodically to evaluate: am I flourishing in all the ways I’m working in the world? 

Some of the things on this list will be things we know in the world, by God’s common grace. But some of these things go completely against the grain of the way the world thinks about work. So listen closely, especially here at the start, then again at the end. So hang with me. I promise that God’s Word will totally transform the way you view work. So let’s go. How do you and I flourish in our work?

1. Enjoy your work as a reflection of God.

The first answer I want to show you in Proverbs is to enjoy your work as a reflection of God. I love this. Proverbs 8:22 personifies wisdom. So wisdom is speaking like a person, saying, “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.” This is wisdom saying, “The first act of God, before he even made the world, was to make me. I was his first work.” So God works. God is a worker. This sounds simple, but this is so significant. Just look at the language of how God created the world in Genesis 2:1, just two chapters into the Bible: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done.” We see all that God has done in the first chapter described as work. “And he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” Verse three says, “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” 

God works, and you and I are made in the image of God, which means that when we work, we are reflecting who God is. This is breathtaking. This is mind blowing if you really stop and think about it. Whenever you and I work, in any way—when we create, when we put forth effort at anything—we are reflecting God himself. That, in and of itself, gives dignity to our work. Simply working in any way—obviously in any way that’s not sinful—is a reflection of God. 

Whenever we wash dishes, we’re reflecting God. Whenever we clean up a mess, teach a child or student, do an assignment, perform a surgery, make a sales call, build a house, prepare and serve food—whatever work we do is a reflection of God. In a very real sense, whenever we work, we’re working with God, because he’s the one who’s causing everything to work in the world and he’s doing it through you and me.

Martin Luther said, “When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we ask God to ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’ and he does give us our daily bread. How does he do this? He does this by means of the farmer who planted and harvested the grain, the baker who made the flour into bread and the person who prepared our meal. God could easily give us grain and fruit without people plowing and planting, but he doesn’t want to do so. Instead, God works in us and through us.” This reality infuses beautiful meaning into what we might otherwise think is the most meaningless work, to realize that we’re working as a reflection of God, with God. 

I think about my kids, particularly when they’re young, just wanting to do whatever their Daddy or Mommy is doing—to be like us, to be with us. Last week, I was outside cooking smash-burgers for my crew. Mercy just wanted to be right there with me, doing what I was doing. Now, to be clear, I don’t always dress up this way when I’m cooking for my family, but I was totally fine to do it with Mercy. She was loving doing what I was doing. 

Don’t miss it, brothers and sisters in Christ. Get the picture. You’re a child of God and you’re designed to work and enjoy that work, simply because it’s what your Father in heaven does. God works, so you are reflecting him as you work. We’ll get to all the reasons why we’re robbed of that joy later, but the answer to number one from Proverbs is, “Flourish in your work by seeing your work as a reflection of God.”

I’ve told you, that’s totally different from the way a godless world views work; they see work  as something they have to do, something meaningless. Is that like Mercy, just going out there and being with her dad? Was the meaningless? No. She wanted to be out there, so there was meaning; not ultimately because of what she was doing, but because of who she was with. 

We work as a reflection of the One who made us, our Father, in whom we delight. This totally changes our perspective of work. So that’s number one.

2. See your work as a gift from God.

The second answer we see in Proverbs to how to flourish in our work is also totally countercultural: see your work as a gift from God. What if work is not a necessary evil you have to do in order to get paid, to live in this world, to feel good about yourself, as an obligation you have to do in your home or in your life? What if work is a good gift from God for us? Listen to Proverbs 12:14: “From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.” It’s good for him.

I love this one, too. Proverbs 16:26: “A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on.” Like it’s your good that urges you on to work. 

Proverbs 13:4: “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Did you hear that? The soul of a diligent person. This is talking about the depth of who you are. You will be richly supplied in your soul when you work diligently. 

This makes sense because work existed before sin ever even came into the world. Genesis 2:15, “The LORD God took the man”—right after God created him—“and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Work is a gift from God that’s foundational to humanity from the very beginning. We know this is true. 

Tim Keller writes, “If you ask people in nursing homes or hospitals how they’re doing, you will often hear that their main regret is that they wish they had something to do, some way to be useful to others.” I know there are some listening right now who would love to be working in some way, but for physical or other reasons in this fallen world are not able to do so. They would testify that work is absolutely a good gift from God for us. And not just for us, it’s a good gift from God for others. This is interesting. 

Look at Proverbs 10:5: “He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.” This Proverb is so fascinating because we’re so prone—particularly here in the West—to think about our lives individualistically, like we’re the center of the world. So you might expect this Proverb to say, “He who gathers in summer is prudent; he who sleeps in harvest is not wise.” But this Proverb is pointing out how a son’s work brings good to his family, but a son’s laziness brings shame to his family. This is not me trying to put pressure on my kids. This is about us seeing how God has designed our work to be a way we serve other people—our family, our society, our community—through the work we do, then through the money that we make as we work. Just jump into the New Testament, Ephesians 4:28, “…let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Work is a good gift from God for us, and for us to be able to give to others. 

Think about it. I sincerely hope that the work I’m doing right now is good for you, in the same way that I trust you work in all kinds of ways that are good for your family and for others. You might think, “Well, what I do is not that important.” But this is the point of what the Bible is saying: it’s all important. It would not be good for the world if we were all preachers. We’d all be talking about God’s Word all the time, but we wouldn’t have food to eat. There are so many different things that we do. 

I love what one author said, who wrote on a theology of work: 

Look at the chair you’re lounging in. Could you have made it for yourself? How would you get the wood? Go and fell a tree? But only after first making the tools for that, putting together some kind of vehicle to haul the wood, constructing a mill to do the lumber and roads to drive on from place to place. In short, it would take you a lifetime or two to make a chair.

Praise God for all the people who do all kinds of things to serve society as it operates. Work, in all our lives and in all kinds of ways, is a good gift from God. 

And then the converse is true: lack of work, when you’re able to work, is not good for you. Proverbs 21:25 says, “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.” It kills him. Proverbs 19:15 says, “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” So lack of work, when we’re able to work, is not good for others. Look at Proverbs 18:9: “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” Then Proverbs 10:26: “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.” Who likes smoke in their eyes? That’s what someone who can work and doesn’t work is like to others. 

In the New Testament, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 warns about freeloaders who could work, but aren’t working, saying, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” In other words, see work and steward work as a good gift from God—for you and for others. 

Before we go on, let me point out that this includes all work, not just your employment or education. So, yes, the ability to work in a job is a gift from God, as well as school and the opportunity to be able to learn, to be taught. If you’re in school in any way, see the gift you’ve been given by God. I know it may not always feel like it, but view school as an opportunity to be equipped to provide for yourself and to serve others. What a gift!

Then think of work in your relationships. Marriage takes work, but what a good gift. So steward that gift and do the work of marriage. Parenting is work, but what a great gift. So see, even in the hard days of parenting, see the gift of God’s grace to you as a parent. Friendships take work, but what a good gift. Physical exercise is work, but what a good gift to be able to do that. Spiritual discipline takes work, but what a gift! Communion with God? Are you serious? Yes, sign me up for that intensive effort. Sign us up for work in all kinds of ways. Why? Because work is a gift from God.

3. Serve your neighbor as you work.

Which leads to number three on how to flourish in your work. Serve your neighbor as you work. This may sound similar to what we were just talking about—working for the good of others. The nuance I want to add here comes from Proverbs 21:25-26: “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.”

I love this picture. The righteous person, who instead of craving and craving all day long for things for himself, gives of himself, not holding back from others. So picture here a worker who flourishes by helping other people flourish. 

So think this week about how you can professionally or academically flourish. In your work this week, voluntarily in your work, relationally in your work, in any way, how can you help the people you’re working with and for flourish? I think of one example, marriage. Husbands, be the giver. Lay down your life for your wife. Don’t hold back in loving her by serving her. This is what we do, how we flourish in our work.

4. Savor and share the fruit of your work.

Then related to that, savor and share the fruit of your work. I love this Proverb. Listen to this one; it’s hilarious. Proverbs 19:24: “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.” Ha! Imagine somebody who does all the work to get the food to the table, puts his hand in the food, but he’s so lazy he won’t even bring it to his mouth. Bro, enjoy the food. All you have to do is bring from here to here. Enjoy it, man. Then pass it on to others. 

When you think about the work you do and you do something well, savor that. Savor the fruit of your work in all kinds of ways. Savor an empty in-box. Ah, feels so good. Enjoy it because it’s not going to last very long. Another email is coming so you’re just going to be mad at whoever sends it. 

Savor the fruit of your days in school. Savor the fruit of the days in your first job. Savor the fruit of the work you’re putting into relationships. Savor the simple joys of friendship. Don’t let the hard moments of parenting keep you from savoring the simple joys of parenting. Savor the work you do in marriage. We’ll keep this G-rated in light of all the ages in the room, but just read Song of Solomon, just a couple books after Proverbs. God is serious about you savoring the fruit of your work in marriage. So do it.

I want to add one other application here to spiritual work. So savor the fruit, the thrill and the joy of relationship with God, realizing that takes work. We read this in our church Bible reading last week, in Matthew 6:6. Jesus promises reward—but how do we get it? “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” So there’s reward waiting for you every day this week in time alone with your Father in heaven. But it takes the work of finding a place, getting alone with him and spending that time with him, in prayer and in his Word. Spiritual laziness means missing this reward. We say we don’t have time, but we’ve talked about this before. We spend an average of four and a half hours a day on our phones. No wonder our spiritual lives feel empty. Put down the phone, put in the work, and savor the reward of being with God and walking with God. Then share that with others.

Okay, I’ve got to pick up the pace. Some of you are timing it out, thinking, “We’re not even close.” We’re through four, so we’re going to fly through these next ones, looking at a lot of wisdom that we know in this world, but they come from God’s Word.

5. Sharpen your skills in your work.

Proverbs 22:29: “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” Grow in skill through your work. That’s flourishing.

6. Work carefully.

Proverbs 24:30-32: “I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction.” Take care. Tend well to the details of your work. Work with excellence. Work carefully.

7. Work completely.

Proverbs 12:27. This is kind of like the guy who’s too lazy to put the food in his mouth. “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.” So here’s a guy who catches game, but then won’t even cook it. Have you ever been around somebody who does part of the work, but won’t complete the work in such a way that someone else is always having to come behind and finish what they started? Or have you ever been that person? Be diligent, Proverbs says to see work through to completion.

8. Don’t grow impatient amidst plodding work.

This one is so important. Listen closely. Don’t grow impatient amidst plodding work. This is one of the most well-known passages on work. Proverbs 6:6-8: “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” Or more concisely, Proverbs 12:11: “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,  but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

So working the land, day after day, just like an ant works day after day, may not seem glamorous, but don’t be distracted by worthless pursuits. Just do the work, day in and day out, trusting the reward will come in due time. Don’t we all need to hear this? Be patient as you work. 

Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” We are so wired to want instant gratification that we lose patience. We get anxious or distracted by what we think will be quicker. 

Hear the warning of Proverbs 20:4: “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.” Don’t underestimate the plowing you’re doing in autumn. Don’t underestimate the value of faithful work, day in and day out, in school, in a job, in a marriage, in parenting. And don’t expect a harvest every day. Just keep working the land as you trust the Lord of the harvest. Don’t grow impatient amidst plodding work.

9. Don’t make excuses for shoddy work.

Don’t be the person who comes up with all kinds of excuses for not working or not working well. Listen to Proverbs 22:13: “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” Again, Proverbs 26:13, “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!’” He’s thinking, “That’s why I can’t get work done. Those pesky lions.” Bro, stop making excuses. There aren’t lions in the streets. Even if there were, we need to do some work to deal with that. So either way, get to work. Stop making excuses for your lack of work or for your shoddy work. And related to this, stop complaining about your work. In the words of Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without complaining or arguing.” That’s number nine.

10. Beware of overtalking.

Proverbs 14:23: “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Stop talking about work and get to work. Surely this includes a warning for all of us against the proverbial ‘death by meetings.’ I dare you to start your Monday morning meeting with your boss tomorrow with a warning about overtalking, then let me know how that goes. Beware of overtalking

11. Beware of overworking.

At the same time, beware of overworking. Proverbs 23:4: “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.” Be discerning enough to stop, to put down the phone, shut the laptop, stop checking email, knowing that even a quick glance will send your minds racing in different directions. Stop thinking about your work and start paying attention to the people around you. Start looking your spouse in the eyes. Start playing with your kids. Talk with your parents. 

Don’t think, “Well, I’m single and I don’t have kids, so I’ll just overwork now.” That is a foolish pattern to establish for your life, especially when the God who created you, who loves you and who knows what is best for you has commanded you to rest. Overworking is always pride, period. Overworking, saying to others and to God, “I am that needed all the time,” but it’s not true. You far overestimate yourself. 

I love what John Piper says about sleep. He writes:

Sleep is a daily reminder from God that we are not God. Once a day God sends us to bed like patients with a sickness. The sickness is a chronic tendency to think that we are in control and that our work is indispensable. To cure us of this disease, God turns us into helpless sacks of sand once a day. How humiliating to the self-made corporate executive, that he has to give up all control and become as limp as a suckling infant every single day.

So sleep. Rest. Put your work down. Have a daily rhythm, a weekly rhythm, of ceasing completely from your work. Help each other to do this in your home. Help each other to do this in the place where you work. Help each other to do this in this culture we live in. 

You know what’s interesting? I mentioned earlier that we spend an average of four and a half hours a day on our phones. If you add that up, it’s basically a full day of the week spent on our phones. We’ve essentially replaced a Sabbath day every week with a social media day every week. What’s dangerous is we’ve convinced ourselves that looking at our phones is rest, while we’re stepping aside from work. In reality our brains are actually working overtime, on as many different levels as when we’re on our phones. It’s like we’re smoking and convinced ourselves we’re clearing our lungs. 

The evidence is all around us. We desperately need true rest, for our health, for others’ health. We need rest from our work, from our phones, from all kinds of things in this world. Beware of overworking your body, including your brain.

12. Beware of oversleeping.

Proverbs 20:13: “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.” Or how about this one? Proverbs 26:14, “As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.” He just turns back and forth on his bed, like a hinge, but he never gets up. Remember, God worked for six days and rested for one—not, rested for six days and worked for one.

13. Remember that work is cursed in this world, but it will be redeemed in the world to come.

All right, let’s bring this down the home stretch. This is where I want to broaden things out more, from Proverbs to the whole of the Bible. Number 13, remember that work is cursed in this world, but it will be redeemed in the world to come. Think about the beginning and the end of the Bible. We’re right in the middle. In the beginning, Genesis 3, as a result of sin in the world, work in this world is cursed. Work is designed by God for us to flourish, but it often feels frustrating in this fallen world. So don’t be surprised when work in this world is hard, when it doesn’t feel enjoyable. It’s a fight to maintain a God-centered perspective on work that we’re seeing in Proverbs. But we know that one day, in the end, we’re going be in a new heaven and a new earth where work will be perfectly enjoyable. 

You might think, “Wait a minute. I thought we were going to rest when we get to heaven and won’t have to work anymore.” That just shows how tainted our view of work is by this world. Heaven is not a place where we won’t work anymore. Remember, this is foundational to our make-up as men and women made in the image of God. Heaven is a place where we will experience work as it’s designed to be—completely good, totally fulfilling and rewarding, enjoyable with God, flourishing with and for each other.

Listen to how our church’s Bible reading from this last week describes the new heaven and the new earth in Isaiah 65:21: “They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” Heaven is a place of eternal enjoyment of the work of our hands, as we work literally and perfectly with God himself. 

So how do we flourish in this world as we wait for that world? Well, in all the ways we’ve already mentioned, but hold on in particular to these last three.

14. Trust the hand of Jesus with your work.

I love Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” We looked at this a couple weeks ago. So day to day, with all your work—whatever kind of work it is—just commit to the Lord’s hands and trust him with it, knowing things will not always work the way you would like them to in this world, in school, in jobs, in marriage, in parenting, in all kinds of work in this world. Knowing people you work with and for will disappoint you. But the good news is your life is not in their hands and your work is not ultimately in their hands. Isn’t that good news? Your boss is not in control of your life. Your life and your work are in the hands of the God who loves you so much that he gave his only Son Jesus to do the ultimate work on your behalf. And Jesus completed that work.

He lived a sinless life, all the way to the end. He died on the cross to pay the price for the sins of anyone who trusts in him. Then his work was still not done. He rose from the grave in victory over sin and death, so that anyone can be redeemed. This is so beautiful. Christianity is not a list of things—works—you need to do in order to get to God. Christianity is trust in the work God has done to make it possible for you to be forgiven of your sin and restored to have eternal life in relationship with him.  

If you have never put your trust in Jesus and the work he has done on the cross for you, I invite you—God invites you—to do that today. He’s done the work for your salvation. He’s freed you from sin. What did we talk about last week? When you trust in Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life, you’re not just forgiven of your sin, you are filled with his Spirit. This totally transforms work because now you have the Spirit of Jesus inside of you, which means you don’t do any work in this world in your own strength.

15. Depend on the strength of Jesus as you work.

As a follower of Jesus, there is no work you’re called to do in your own strength. I’m not just talking about spiritual work here; I’m talking about any and all kinds of work because God’s Spirit is always dwelling in you, in your job, in your school, in your home, everything you do, everywhere you go.

Paul, right after he talks about the mystery of Christ living in us in Colossians 1:27, says in verse 29, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” Do you see this? As a follower of Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in you to enable you for all the work God calls you to in this world. So be encouraged. For anybody who feels tired in your work, remember the One who lives in you and depend on the strength of Jesus as you work. Rise out of your bed every day, get on your knees and say, “Jesus, I need you to live in and through me today in all the work I do.” Don’t distinguish spiritual work from secular work. No, it’s all work that you do by the power of the Spirit of Jesus inside of you.

16. Live for the glory of Jesus through your work.

As you live like that, how will you flourish in your work? Ultimately, live for the glory of Jesus through your work. I asked you at the beginning what word or words would you use to describe who you work for? I obviously don’t know who your teachers are, who your employer is, nor what they’re like. But I do know this. They’re not actually who you’re working for. 

Look at Colossians 3:23-24, “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.” Ah, do you realize this? You’re not ultimately working for anybody in this world, not for men. You’re working ultimately for the Lord. You are serving Jesus himself. 

So do you want to know what the One you work for is like? I’ll tell you what he’s like. He loves you so much. The One you work for is perfectly kind. He is infinitely gracious, infinitely wise and infinitely good. Watch this, let it all come together. Do you want to know how much he wants your good? He wants your good so much that he is actually working day in and day out for your good. He is working for you. So keep your eyes fixed on him. This is the key to flourishing in your work. Keep your eyes fixed on the One who loves you and who greets you every single morning with new mercy, who promises to give you and serve you with everything you need all day long, until you lay your head down on your pillow at night. He will serve you when you’re not even conscious, until there is new mercy the next morning. He will work for you day after day after day, until one day you open your eyes and see his face. You who have trusted in his work for you will experience and savor the fruit of relationship with God.

I want to close today by giving you, right where you’re sitting, a moment with him. Just reflect on this question with Jesus: are there any ways Jesus is leading you to view or do work differently in your life as a result of what he has said today through his Word? In any of these areas of work—professional, academic, voluntary, relational, physical, spiritual —what is Jesus saying to you today about work in your life?

Observation (What does the passage say?)

• What type of writing is this text?
  _{(Law? Poetry or Wisdom? History? A letter? Narrative? Gospels? Apocalyptic?)}
• Are there any clues about the circumstances under which this text was originally written?
• Are there any major sub-sections or breaks in the text that might help the reader understand the focus of the passage?
• Who is involved in the passage and what do you notice about the specific participants?
• What actions and events are taking place? What words or themes stand out to you and why?
• Was there anything about the passage/message that didn’t make sense to you?

Interpretation (What does the passage mean?)

• How does this text relate to other parts of the Scriptures
  _{(e.g., the surrounding chapters, book, Testament, or Bible)?}
• What does this passage teach us about God? About Jesus?
• How does this passage relate to the gospel?
• How can we sum up the main truth of this passage in our own words?
• How did this truth impact the hearers in their day?

Application (How can I apply this to passage to my life?)

• What challenged you the most from this week’s passage? What encouraged you the most?
• Head: How does this passage change my understanding of the Lord? (How does this impact what I think?)
• Heart: How does this passage correct my understanding of who I am to the Lord? (How should this impact my affections and what I feel?)
• Hands: How should this change the way I view and relate to others and the world? (How does this impact what I should do?)
• What is one action I can take this week to respond in surrender and obedience to the Lord?

[Note: some questions have been adapted from One to One Bible Reading by David Helm]

Sermon Recap

#1. Enjoy your work as a reflection of God.

Proverbs 8:22 The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.

Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

#2. See your work as a gift from God.

Proverbs 12:14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

Proverbs 16:26 A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on.

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Genesis 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

See also: Proverbs 10:5; Ephesians 4:28; Proverbs 19:15; Proverbs 10:26; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

#3. Serve your neighbor as you work.

Proverbs 21:25-26 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. 26 All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.

#4. Savor (and share!) the fruit of your work.

Proverbs 19:24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

#5. Sharpen your skills in your work. 

Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

#6. Work carefully. 

Proverbs 24:30-34 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction.

#7. Work completely. 

Proverbs 12:27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

#8. Don’t grow impatient amidst plodding work. 

Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

#9. Don’t make excuses for shoddy work. 

Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining or arguing…

#10. Beware overtalking.

Proverbs 14:23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

#11. Beware overworking. 

Proverbs 23:4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.

#12. Beware oversleeping. 

Proverbs 20:13 Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

#13. Remember that work is cursed in this world, but it will be redeemed in the world to come. 

Isaiah 65:21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

#14. Trust the hand of Jesus with your work. 

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

#15. Depend on the strength of Jesus as you work. 

Colossians 1:29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

#16. Live for the glory of Jesus through your work. 

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