Today’s Verse

Genesis 2:15

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (NIV)

“What do you do for a living?”

You’ve probably been asked this question a hundred times over. Whether you work at a traditionally paid 9-5, run your own business, take care of your family, or do something else with your time, something occupies most of your days in a manner generally allotted as “work.” 

Maybe you answer enthusiastically because you love your job—and maybe you cringe every time someone asks the question because you’d really rather be doing something completely different. Maybe you wish deep down that you didn’t have to work at all, but you know you must. 

So, why should we work, especially if the work feels unimportant in the grand scheme of things? Why do we have to accomplish tasks to get food on the table, have a roof over our heads, and support the needs of our families?

In Genesis 2:15, God placed Adam, the first human being, in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it.” Now, this was before sin entered the world (see Genesis 3). That means one really important thing: God actually designed us to work.

The Hebrew ʿāḇaḏ from Genesis 2:15 can be translated in several different ways: to work, to serve, to labor, to make oneself a servant, even to worship. This week, I want to challenge you to think differently about your job. God invites us to use the works of our hands to bring Him glory by loving God and loving people, no matter what it is that occupies our waking hours!

REFLECTION

Today, take some time to process through how you can work to the glory of God. How does viewing your work as an offering to the Creator change your perspective on what day-to-day living looks like?