A Balanced Christian Life

Is It Possible ?

GOD

FAMILY

CHURCH

WORK

GOD

FAMILY

CHURCH

WORK

Attitudes to Work

Make a living

Meaningless

Means to other ends

“Manual and menial”

Definition of Work

“Work is the expenditure of energy (manual or mental or both) in the

service of others, which bring fulfillment to the worker, benefit to the

community and glory to God”

John Stott

Definition of Workk

“Work is defined as purposeful activity involving mental, emotional or

physical energy, or all three, whether remunerated or not”

R. Paul Stevens

Exd 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Exd 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Exd 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.

Exd 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

God Works

Gen 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he

had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Gen 2:3And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,

because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Jesus is working

John 5:17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working

God's satisfaction in work

Gen 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

“good” in verses 9, 12, 18, 21, 25.

In the image of God

Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Man works

Gen 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Gen 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Gen 2:18 The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Sin and work

Gen 3:17 "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

Gen 3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Sin and work

 Westminster Dictionary of the Bible article 'BAAL'

"... Baal worship apparently had its origin in the belief that every tract of ground owed its productivity to a supernatural being, or baal, that dwelt there. The farmers probably thought that from the Baalim, or fertility gods, of various regions came the increase of crops, fruit and cattle ... The worship of Baal ........

Ecclesiastes

Vanity of vanities- Wealth

- Pleasure

- Wisdom

Ecclesiastes

Ecc 2:24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,

Ecc 2:25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

Ecc 3:22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Serving Christ

Colossian 3: 17, 23 and 24

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Resting from work

Gen 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

Time with God

Dan 6:10Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

1. Work is ordained by God.

- Choose wisely

- Work is for eternity

2. Rest is also ordained by God. Rest before work

3. Time with God. Be creative.

A Balanced Christian Life

Is It Possible ?