10 Bible Verses That Celebrate Purpose in Everyday Labor

Work is part of God’s good design: “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)

After creating our world, God placed the first human, Adam, in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it.” God designed us to work, not to be idle, so working hard is good. From the very beginning of creation, God trusted us with the important responsibility of taking care of his creation. Originally – in Eden, before the world’s fall – the work Adam and his wife Eve did was enjoyable and fulfilling for them. Their labor served a clear purpose, which was to care for the garden’s beautiful life. Then after sin corrupted our world, our experience with work changed. Genesis 3:17-19 records that after Adam and Eve sinned, God said work would become “painful toil” (verse 17). So now, work can be stressful for us. But the underlying dignity of work still exists. God’s original plan for work as a way for us to care for his world is still important. Every time we do any kind of work, we’re participating in that original calling from God. 

Jesus is our ultimate boss: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

It’s easy to see our boss, clients, or customers as the people we ultimately work for. But the Bible reminds us that while we may have earthly supervisors, our ultimate boss is Jesus Christ. When we work wholeheartedly, we’re working as an act of service to God. It doesn’t matter whether or not our human supervisors notice or appreciate our efforts, because God does. Even if we’re working in environments where we’re not being recognized or are being criticized, we can still work faithfully because we’re motivated by our love for Jesus. When we focus on our ultimate boss, we can be inspired to work as a way to worship. Every task we do in our everyday labor can be an offering to God, regardless of how important the people who supervise us think it is.

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