29: Choose work that serves God (Joel 2:28–29)
Devotional / Produced by TOW Project
Scripture Reading: Joel 2:28–29
As the prophets in the Bible see it, justice is not merely a secular issue. Good work arises directly from faithfulness to God’s covenant, and conversely, evil work takes us away from the presence of God.
Many otherwise legitimate ways of making a living may become unjust by the way they are performed. Should a photographer take pictures of anything a client asks, without regard for its effect on its subject and viewers? Should a surgeon perform any kind of elective surgery a patient might be willing to pay for? Is a mortgage broker responsible to ensure the ability of a borrower to repay the loan without undue hardship? If our work is a form of service under God, we cannot ignore such questions.
This is a reminder that the world of work does not exist in a vacuum, separated from the rest of life. If we do not ground our values and priorities in God’s covenant, then our lives and work will be ethically and spiritually incoherent. If we do not please God in our work, we cannot please him in our worship.
Prayer: Jesus, I hope to do my work in a way that serves you. May your love ground my values, priorities, and decisions today. Amen.
For Further Exploration: Read Working Unjustly (Hosea 4:1-10; Joel 2:28-29) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.
Author: Theology of Work Project.
Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org
You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.
© 2014 by the Theology of Work Project, Inc.
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.
