Called to Work: Finding Purpose in Everyday Life

Human life finds its telos not in escaping the ordinary but in redeeming it. From the sweep of Genesis to Colossians and the pastoral epistles, the narrative shows that God made the world good and entrusted humanity with it: image‑bearers called to steward, fill, and shape creation. That calling is not a narrow invitation to a few spiritual tasks but a comprehensive summons over every hour and ordinary task—parenting, plumbing, nursing, farming, office work, and dishwashing alike. Vocational labor is not merely a means to money or prestige; it is a participation in God’s ongoing creational rule, a form of co‑creation that displays divine goodness and advances the flourishing of neighbors and the world.

Being made in God’s image reframes ordinary work as regal service. The biblical “creation mandate” pictures humanity as representatives of God, exercising dominion in ways that protect, cultivate, and bless the world. Work therefore can bear sacramental weight: the craftsman who shapes wood, the teacher who forms minds, the caregiver who sustains life—all are instruments through which God’s rule is enacted. This calling carries ethical and practical demands: work should be done unto the Lord with wholehearted devotion, pursued with excellence, and used to provide for family and community.

The fall damaged labor—introducing toil and frustration—but it did not nullify the original purpose. Christians are called to embody a countercultural valuation of ordinary tasks, resisting the tendency to reserve “spiritual” significance for a small percentage of life. Material blessings, when received, are to be channeled toward extravagant generosity that testifies to a heart freed from the love of money. Ultimately, vocation is present tense: God’s plan for life is enacted now, not postponed for some ideal future. When daily work is reoriented toward God, it becomes a means of abundant life and faithful reign with Christ, a participation in God’s mission to restore and renew all things.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Everyday work is divinely meaningful Ordinary tasks are not spiritual bystanders but venues of divine presence. When approached as stewardship of God’s gifts, even the mundane reveals God’s goodness and contributes to human flourishing. This perspective resists the false dichotomy between sacred moments and routine labor, insisting that faithfulness in small things participates in the kingdom. [48:24]
• 2. Made as God's image-bearers Humanity’s identity as God’s image reframes dignity and responsibility: every person is a visible expression of the invisible Creator. This status calls for ethical care of creation and mutual respect among people, undoing hierarchies that privilege some as more “royal” than others. Living as image‑bearers means acting as God’s representatives who cultivate, protect, and beautify the world. [41:03]
• 3. Vocation is participation in creation Work is not merely employment but co‑creative partnership with God to fill and steward the earth. Each trade and task helps move creation toward its telos by revealing God’s character in practical ways—order, beauty, care, and provision. This restores vocation to a theological category that shapes identity, ethics, and purpose in daily life. [45:53]
• 4. Work should be done for the Lord Labor gains eternal significance when offered to God rather than performed solely for human approval or profit. Doing all things heartily for the Lord cultivates excellence, integrity, and a posture of service that honors God and blesses others. This reorientation provides resilience under hardship and a faithful use of material rewards toward generous, kingdom‑focused ends. [52:09]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [33:26] - The Question of Purpose
• [34:08] - Calling and Meaning
• [35:34] - How We Spend Our Lives
• [37:39] - God's Call on the Whole Life
• [39:19] - Christ and Creation
• [41:03] - Image of God Explained
• [45:17] - Universal Royalty and Dominion
• [48:24] - Work as Vocation
• [52:09] - Working Unto the Lord
• [56:59] - Series Invitation and Next Steps
• [60:02] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Bible reading
Genesis 1:26-28 (ESV)
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Observation questions

1. According to Genesis 1:26-28, what specific tasks or responsibilities did God give to humanity at creation?
2. What does Colossians 3:23-24 say is the ultimate audience and reward for our work?
3. What was the first thing God did for humanity after creating them, and what did that blessing entail? [42:08]
4. How does the sermon describe the purpose of humanity being made as God's "image" or "idol" on earth? [41:46]

Interpretation questions

1. The "creation mandate" is described as a call to "actively partner with God in taking the world somewhere." [45:53] What does this partnership look like in the various jobs and tasks people do every day?
2. How does the concept that "your work is not a distraction from your calling, your work is your calling" [47:58] change the way one views routine or seemingly menial tasks?
3. The fall introduced toil and frustration into work, but it did not nullify work's original purpose. How does this truth help a Christian struggling with a difficult job or season of life?
4. If all people are equally God's image-bearers and "royalty on earth," [45:17] what implications does this have for how we view ourselves and others in different socioeconomic or vocational positions?

Application questions

1. Considering that a significant portion of life is spent on ordinary tasks like cleaning, eating, and commuting, [35:34] how can you intentionally reorient one of these routine activities this week to be done "as for the Lord"?
2. The litmus test for whether one struggles with the love of money is generosity. [56:31] How does your current approach to earning and spending money reflect a heart that is serving Christ in your vocation?
3. What is one specific, practical way you can "care for, protect, advance, grow, and bless" [46:21] your little corner of creation through your work this week, whether that's a paid job, homemaking, or volunteering?
4. How does the truth that "God's plan for your life is right now" [57:45] challenge the tendency to postpone purpose and meaning for some ideal future season or role?
5. Think about the most frustrating aspect of your current work. How can committing that specific thing to the Lord each day, as suggested in Proverbs 16:3, [53:10] change your perspective and approach to it?
6. In what area of your daily work do you find it most difficult to work "heartily" and with excellence? What would it look like to offer that area to God as an act of worship this week?