Genesis 3:17-19 “To Adam He said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree … cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it … it will produce thorns and thistles for you … by the sweat of your brow … until you return to the ground …’”

God proclaims that work is going to be hard, problematic and will last a lifetime. This is all part of the “curse.”

Principle: God’s assessment of work after the “fall” is that it is going to be difficult. You work hard, and then you die.

A realistic view of business or work includes the following principles: 1. it is a necessity, 2. it will usually take a lifetime, 3. at times it will be a pain in the neck, 4. it will not return as much as you put into it, 5. it is hard and you will not find true significance in the end product. Because all of this is true, realize that 1) there is more to life than work and business, and 2) you must seek a higher purpose than simply earning a living.

Since work is guaranteed to be problematic, maybe the best way to forget your own problems is to help someone else solve theirs. When you work for someone else, be a problem solver rather than a problem creator. Choose to have a different attitude. Consider work a ministry.

I read about a valet parking attendant at a cancer center who cheerfully greeted those coming in for chemotherapy. She was regarded as a bright spot in their day. She politely turned down job offers with benefits, less physical activity and more money because she saw her job as ministry. She came to work with joy and managed to spread that joy around. Her attitude was a choice.

Discussion:

1. What part of your work has been “hard” work?

2. Has that changed much over the course of years? What is hard for you today?

3. Do you plan to keep working until you die? If so, why? If not, why not?

4. In what ways do you consider your work a ministry?