The Word Before Work

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: 7 Ways God Worked “In the Beginning” Devotional: 7 of 7 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15) What God created “in the beginning” is remarkable. But what’s equally remarkable is what he did not create. He created animals but he didn’t give them names. He created the ocean but he didn’t build a boat. He created stars but he didn’t make a telescope for others to marvel at his glory. Of course, God could have created those things. But instead, he chose to invite us to do that work with him. Today’s passage helps us see this beautiful truth. Before God put humankind in the Garden to “work it and take care of it,” it says that “no shrub had yet appeared on the earth…for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground” (Genesis 2:5). God had no intention of working alone. He always intended for you and I to “work the ground”—to take the blank canvas he laid out “in the beginning” and fill it up. We see this explicitly in Genesis 1:27-28 which says that “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.’” Pastor Timothy Keller says this is a call to “civilization, not just procreation.” It’s a call to cultural creation. You see, “the sixth day” wasn’t the end of creation. It was only just the beginning! It’s when God passed the baton to you and me and called us to create plants, art, telescopes, businesses, s’mores, cities, and families that reflect his glory. When we understand that the call to create was God’s First Commission to humankind, we will view our work with God-ordained purpose, enthusiasm, and joy. On April 19, I’m releasing a children’s book to help the kids in your life grasp that truth—to see that “when you work or you make something new, you are doing what God has made you to do. You are showing the world what your Father is like—a God who creates to bring people delight. And when you show others the Creator in you, you bring joy to the world—and to your Father too.” Want your kids to embrace the call to create? Pick-up a copy of The Creator in You here.

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: 7 Ways God Worked “In the Beginning” Devotional: 6 of 7 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. (Genesis 2:9) Spain’s largest church, La Sagrada Familia, has been under construction for more than 135 years. Why? Because more than a century ago, the church’s architect, Antoni Gaudi, laid out intricate plans to create a house of worship that would be senselessly, gratuitously, over-the-top beautiful. Today, annual construction on the church costs roughly $60 million dollars—a price tag that has drawn sharp criticism from many who don’t see the purpose of such lavish art. If Gaudi were alive today, I bet he’d point his critics to today’s passage to remind us that the God his church worships values beauty in and of itself. Think about it: The trees of Eden didn’t need to be beautiful. They were “good for food.” Shouldn’t that have been enough? Evidently not, because “in the beginning” God created with both function and extravagant beauty. This is a theme we see throughout the rest of Scripture, from the impractically beautiful Tabernacle (see Exodus 25-31) to the eternal City of God (see Revelation 21). John tells us that the New Jerusalem’s gates are made of pearls, streets are paved with gold, and walls are “decorated with every kind of precious stone.” And we know that the width of the cubed city is roughly 1,400 miles (see Revelation 21:16). Multiply that by four and we’re talking about 5,600 miles of beautiful gems lining the foundation of the New Jerusalem. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the distance between Florida and Greece. What purpose do 5,600 miles of precious stones serve? My guess is none. But as theologian Gustavo Gutierrez reminds us, "Utility is not the primary reason for God's action." What does this all mean for you and me? It means that not everything we do has to be justified by some functional purpose. It’s OK to redesign a website even if it doesn’t lead to more conversions, or to paint a painting and not sell it, or to decorate your office for Christmas even if you can’t “prove the ROI” of the investment. To create for beauty’s sake is to create in the image of God. Hours before his death, Gaudi was leaving work at La Sagrada Familia when he turned to a member of his crew and said, “Come early tomorrow, Vincente, so we can make beautiful things.” Hear those words spoken to you, believer. Go and make beautiful things like your Heavenly Father today!

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: 7 Ways God Worked “In the Beginning” Devotional: 5 of 7 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. (Genesis 2:1-2) It feels like there’s been a resurgence of Christians committing to rest in general and Sabbath specifically in recent years. As I wrote about last week, I’m all for this! But my fear is that we’ll swing the proverbial pendulum too far in the other direction, with some Christians taking the Biblical command to rest as a license for laziness. Thankfully, God hasn’t left us in the dark regarding the ideal balance between work and rest. He shows us in today’s passage where it says he worked six days and rested one. Talk about imbalance! God worked wholeheartedly, and then he commanded us to mimic his rhythm: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:9-10). This theme of hard work continues through the New Testament with Jesus himself working long hours (see Mark 3:20-21 and John 11:9) and Paul imitating his Savior by working “hard with [his] own hands” (1 Corinthians 4:12). Because, as Paul makes clear in Ephesians 2:8-10, while we have been saved not by works, we have been saved for “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” In other words, part of our response to the gospel is to work. Hard. Now there's an important nuance here that’s worth mentioning. Just because the gospel compels us to work hard doesn’t necessarily mean we should all spend six days at the office each week. Why? Because God doesn’t define work the way we often do, as “the thing we are paid to do.” His definition appears to be much broader, so much so that Exodus 20:10 says even animals work. The “work” that we’ll do in six days includes what we do for pay as well as doing laundry, mowing grass, preparing dinner, and doing homework. But even with that caveat, it’s clear that God created us not primarily for leisure and for rest, but for purpose and life-giving work. Why? Because as Jesus said, when others “see your good works” they will “glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We should be a people marked by uncommon rest. But we should also be a people marked by uncommon work ethic. Reflect God’s character this week by working hard for his glory and the good of others!

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: 7 Ways God Worked "In the Beginning" Devotional: 4 of 7 God set [the lights and stars] in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” (Genesis 1:17-20) God could have created everything in a single day. But instead, he paced himself, spreading the initial work of creation over six “days.” Take today’s passage as an example. On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars. Could he have also created “living creatures” that same day? Of course! But he chose not to. After finishing the work of creating the heavenly lights, God called it a day. He rested. And then of course, on the seventh day, he did no work at all, establishing for the first time the idea of Sabbath (see Genesis 2:1-3). God didn’t need to rest on the Sabbath. And he certainly had no need to pace himself as he worked those first six days. But he did. Why? I don’t think it’s farfetched to conclude that because God created work to be good, life-giving, and worshipful (see Genesis 2:15) he knew we would be tempted to work nonstop. And even though he doesn’t need rest, he knew that we would. So like any good father, he did something he didn’t need to do in order to teach his children a lesson. I think of this nearly every time I cross the road with my young kids. When I’m by myself, I can check for traffic in a split second by barely turning my head. But when my kids are watching, I dramatize the entire ritual. I slowly turn my head all the way to the left and say, “No cars this way,” and then do the same to my right. Of course, I don’t need to be this careful when crossing a street, but my kids do. So I model that behavior for their good. I have a feeling that’s one of the reasons why God paces himself as he works. Our heavenly Father didn’t create us to work like machines that never shut down. So he models a rhythm of work and rest that we are called to mimic. How can you imitate your Father’s pace this week? Maybe it’s scheduling a 15-minute walk in the middle of your workday. Or shutting down your laptop, leaving your unfinished work for tomorrow. Or accepting and enjoying the gift of Sabbath. Whatever it is, remember that you are created in the image of the God who paces himself. So pace yourself today.

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: 7 Ways God Worked "In the Beginning" Devotional: 3 of 7 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12) Today’s passage is just one example of a theme we see throughout Genesis 1: God calling the material world “good.” Why is this important? Because it helps us debunk the lie that “spiritual work” is more important to God than work that is more concrete and earthbound. Let me trace the logic here. Many Christians have grown up believing a misinterpretation of 2 Peter 3:10 which says the earth will be “destroyed by fire” in the end. If we take that literally, then we must assume that our ultimate existence will be disembodied souls floating on heavenly clouds for all eternity. And if that’s the case, the only thing that matters in the present are our evangelistic efforts to “save souls.” But the context of 2 Peter 3 is critical. Peter is comparing “the Day of the Lord” to Noah and the flood that once “destroyed” the earth. Of course, the flood didn’t eliminate the earth. It purified it and washed away what humans had distorted in God’s good creation. So it will be at the end of time. God deemed the material world “good” in Genesis 1 and, in the words of theologian Randy Alcorn, has “never once has he renounced his claim on what he made.” Yes, sin has distorted this world, but creation is still inherently “good.” And one day, God will make it like new again (see Revelation 21-22). This means that the work pastors, missionaries, and biblical scholars do in “the spiritual realm” is no higher a calling than the work you do making lattes, digging ditches, or building a business. In the words of one commentary, because “everything God created is good” (see 1 Timothy 4:4), “a Christian can dig wells, design computer chips, scrub toilets, walk on the moon, fix cell phones, plant crops, or harvest trees to the glory of God.” Amen. Because God has and always will deem the material world good, you can be confident that your work is far from “unspiritual.” It is ordained by God! So do it with joy, excellence, and in accordance with his commands today.

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: 7 Ways God Worked "In the Beginning" Devotional: 2 of 7 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3-4) I finished writing my last book on a Friday and started writing the next one the following Monday. I took almost no time to stop, see, and appreciate the goodness of what I had finished before moving on to the next thing. What a contrast to the way we see God working in today’s passage. In the first chapter of Genesis, we are told seven times that God “saw that [his work] was good.” The language here suggests more than just a passing glance. You can envision God taking a step back, breathing deeply, and exhaling in delight as he gazed and marveled at the good work of his hands. He didn’t rush on to the next thing. He took the time to see and delight in what he had already made. Again, what a contrast to the way we work today. You and I are always looking towards the next thing—the next deal, the next promotion, the next project, the next phase of parenting. In the words of President Bartlet, we are always asking, “What’s next?” Some of this is good and unavoidable. God made us in his creative image, and thus, we will always have some level of vision for what’s around the corner for our work and lives. But if we want to work as God works, we will ask “What’s good?” before we ask “What’s next?” We will pause long enough to celebrate what God has already done through our work before we move on to the next thing. So before you ask “What’s next?” on your to-do list or calendar today, take a moment to ask “What’s good?” Reflect on what God has been doing in and through your work as of late and praise him for his good gifts of grace!

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: 7 Ways God Worked "In the Beginning" Devotional: 1 of 7 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3) The bookends of today’s passage are familiar to us. Countless children’s books and sermons have repeated the words, “In the beginning God created” and “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” But it’s been a while since I’ve heard someone preach on the fact that “the earth was formless and empty.” What’s going on here? Well, according to Moses (the author of Genesis), “in the beginning” the world was amorphous and chaotic, wild and unwieldy. And the rest of Genesis 1 shows God bringing form to the formless void. Establishing order where there was once chaos. But pay attention to how God brought order to the world: Through his words. As soon as Yahweh said, “Let there be light,” creation began to take shape. Of course, when sin entered the world, chaos returned, creating the need for order to be restored once again. And how would the world be put back into order the second time around? Yet again, through the word of God, or more specifically through Jesus Christ, “the Word [who] became flesh.” In a way, the entirety of Jesus’s ministry was about the Word restoring order to creation. He brought hope to the poor, calmed an untameable storm, and raised the dead to life. But of course, the work of restoring creation is not yet finished, because Jesus said he would continue to restore creation through you and me (see John 14:5-12). The Apostle Paul said that “the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” (Romans 8:19). Creation is groaning, longing for God’s people to bring order to the world. As Tim Keller says, “Just like God, as image-bearers of God, humans are commissioned to bring order out of chaos.” How will we do this? The same way that order has been brought about since the beginning: through God’s Word—by each of us being not just hearers of the Word, but doers of it, allowing God’s Word to order our lives, our work, and our world once again.

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: A Gospel Perspective in a Post-Pandemic World Devotional: 4 of 4 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the Lord—the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.” (2 Kings 22:3-7) The pandemic has ratcheted up the pressure to do our work honorably and with excellence even when our bosses aren’t watching. Because now more than ever, they’re not. With more of us working from home or in hybrid environments, there are fewer people looking over our shoulders than ever before. And while this may lead some of our co-workers to slack off, it should lead us as Christians to strive to earn an unprecedented level of trust from our employers, modeled beautifully by the temple workers in today’s passage from 2 Kings. King Josiah trusted these workers so much that he said, “they need not account for the money entrusted to them.” That would be the equivalent of your boss giving you the company credit card and not asking for receipts. Can your bosses, business partners, investors, or customers trust you that much? They should, for at least three reasons. First, Scripture commands it. The Apostle Paul said, “obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart” (Ephesians 6:5-6). Second, we’re promised that “the Lord will reward each one” who obeys that command (see Ephesians 6:8)! Sure, you could steal some short-term rewards for yourself by fudging your timesheets or scheduling emails after hours to give the false impression you’re working late. But those rewards won by sin will fade away, while the eternal rewards tied to your obedience will last forever. Finally, when we “show that [we] can be fully trusted” at work, Scripture says we “will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” (Titus 2:10). As we transition into this new era of work post-pandemic, we will be more tempted than ever to work dishonorably. May we be those who are set apart—the ones our superiors and partners can trust 100% of the time—for God’s glory, our eternal rewards, and the advancement of the gospel!

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: A Gospel Perspective on Work in a Post-Pandemic World Devotional: 3 of 4 Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. (Proverbs 28:27) It didn’t take long after our lockdown two years ago to realize that the pandemic was going to be a massive boon for some businesses—especially tech-centric businesses like Zoom, Uber Eats, and streaming entertaining services mostly staffed by high-wage workers. Conversely, other sectors of the economy such as restaurants and hotels, which are mostly staffed by lower-wage workers, took a massive hit and continue to suffer to this day. Once again, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. How are you and I called to respond to that sobering reality? The way the Church has always been called to respond! As today’s proverb makes clear, we are commanded to give generously to the poor. What could that look like practically in this cultural moment? First, if you’re one whom this economy has blessed financially, it could look like being generous with your money. That could mean overtipping at restaurants, or choosing to donate not just to organizations meeting spiritual needs in your community, but also organizations meeting the material needs of the poor. Second, it could look like being generous with your time. Do you know a single mom who doesn’t enjoy a flexible work schedule like you do? Offer to pick up her kids after school! Are you a talented entrepreneur? Spend some time launching a new business with the explicit intent of creating jobs for those hit hardest by this pandemic. Finally, if you’re a leader of an organization, consider how you can be generous to the poor via your organization’s policies. That could mean choosing to pay your workers every other day instead of every other week to make it easier for them to make ends meet, or raising the question of whether your work from home policies are working for everyone from the top to the bottom of your org. chart. Those are just a few ideas to get you thinking about how you can obey Scripture’s frequent command to be generous to the poor. As you explore your own personal response, remember these words from Proverbs 19:17: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” May that promise and the pain of the poor around you compel you to loving action today!

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: A Gospel Perspective on Work in a Post-Pandemic World Devotional: 2 of 4 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9) Since Disney’s Encanto was released just a few weeks ago, the movie has been played an embarrassing number of times in the Raynor household. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the gist. Encanto is the story of the Madrigal family who live in an enchanted house that magically blesses each member of the family with a unique and extraordinary talent. But as the family’s matriarch frequently points out, the purpose of those gifts aren’t just to serve the individual or even the family—they are meant to serve the broader community outside the family’s magical home. You see it, right? It’s essentially a story about spiritual gifts. And every time I watch the beautiful film, I’m reminded of today’s passage from 1 Peter 2:9. Here’s the connection. Prior to Christ, there were rooms in the Temple devoted to storing gifts that the Israelites brought in (see Nehemiah 10:37-39). The people would come into the Temple and the priest would distribute physical and spiritual blessings to them. But today, “you yourselves are God’s temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16), and all of us are members of the “royal priesthood” called to carry the gifts the Spirit has given us out into the world to be a blessing to others. The gifts God has given us are not meant to be stored away. They are meant to be shared with the world. That truth should radically transform our perspective on “The Great Resignation” and the unprecedented rate at which people are quitting their jobs in the wake of this pandemic. To be sure, many people are handing in their resignations in order to focus on a better opportunity. Others, especially lower-wage workers, are leaving the workforce temporarily for reasonable concerns for their health on the job. But millions of people are not resigning for these reasons. Many are opting not to work at all or to take early retirement. Believer, I pray that’s not you. Our world is more broken than ever before. Businesses are struggling to survive. The poor are getting poorer. And every day, thousands of people are dying separated from Christ. Now’s not the time to call it quits and sit on the vocational gifts God has given you. Now’s the time to roll up your sleeves and use your gifts to make the world look more like the kingdom of God.