Work For God, Not For Man

Let me apologize for missing last week’s posting. Covid entered our home with a vengeance. I’m happy to say, we are much better now. I appreciate your prayers and your understanding as we dealt with this nasty virus.

Many things had to take a backseat, but we did our best to keep up with daily Bible reading. We’re nearing the end of Del Tackett’s The Truth Project. This week the focus was on Labor. I will admit, I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of talking about labor. Then I saw the subtitle–

CREATED TO CREATE

Now, that pulled me in.

Since I began writing seriously ten years ago, I’ve heard this said countless times—We were created by the Creator to be creative.

Wow! Honestly, I’d never even thought in those terms, though I knew them to be true when I first heard them.

Exodus 20:9 (ESV) says, Six days you shall labor, and do all your work. God created us to do His work here on earth. But He also gave us a day to rest, just as He rested on the seventh day.

But the other six days should be committed to work or labor. Work is important because it funds everything we need on this earth. And, God owns every grain of sand on this vast earth. In Psalm 50:10-11 (ESV) God says, For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.

Work For God, Not Man @DDuPreeWilliams #writing #work #WorkForGod'sGlory Share on X

7 PRINCIPLES of WORK/LABOR (according to Dr. Tackett)

1. All things belong to God.
2. Man is appointed by God to be the steward.
3. Theft of another’s gifts is wrong.
4. skills and abilities to work come from God.
5. Work is profitable, laziness is not.
6. Love God and not your goods.
7. Be compassionate with your goods to those in need.

WORK – A GLORIOUS PRIVILEGE

Dr. Tackett says the poor should not be victims but innovators. It is up to us to remove the shackles that hold them back. One way to do this is by creating jobs, as those come from us. He says work is a glorious privilege. And it is. I cannot think of anything I’d rather be doing than stringing words together to the glory of God. I pray He finds my work worthy.

 He shared a video of an interview with a Christian artist, Makoto Fujimura.  https://makotofujimura.com/   This is a quote that stood out: If I want to be an artist—I’ll go to church because that is where creativity thrives.

 Dr. Tackett ends with this: All creativity, all art, music, etc. belongs to God.  As Christian artists within any artistic discipline, I know we understand this.

 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men  (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV).

Blessings, y’all!

 

This was a favorite hymn when we were Presbyterians. I’ll have to say, they do have some fabulous hymns! Reared in the Methodist church, Hubby in the Baptist, so many of the hymns were new to us when we first married and joined the Presbyterian church in which I’d sung during my college days. Such fond memories. J says I have a song/hymn/anthem for anything. I agree!! One of the blessings of having been raised in the church.