NIV Once-A-Day Bible for MenSample

GOOD WORK! Soon after creating the first man and woman, God put them in the garden and gave them a job to do. Adam was told to “work it and take care of it.” We don’t know what that entailed, exactly, but it was “work.” Notice that this happened before the fall, that is, before Eve and Adam disobeyed God and sin entered the world. In fact, a chapter later we read, “To Adam [God] said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field” (Genesis 3:17 – 18). Suddenly garden work became much tougher. Often we can see a job as a necessary evil. We need the money to support ourselves and the family, so we go to work. Or we might see it as merely a means to an end — ​a paycheck that allows us to buy what we need and want. And when considering our career paths, we often envision a time when we can finally (whew!) retire and enjoy a life of leisure. All these thoughts reveal an antiwork attitude. But God created the world, including Adam and Eve, gave them important tasks to do, and pronounced it “good.” Instead of dreading Monday when you have to head back to the office, shop, school, or other employment venue, thank God for giving you the opportunity to work. Try to see your job as a gift and as a calling.  Thank you, Lord, for my good job . . .