God’s Good Design for Work

Devotional

Day 1: Work Is God’s Good Design, Not a Necessary Evil

From the very beginning, God created work as something good, not as a punishment or a burden, but as a purposeful part of being made in His image. Work is not just a means to an end or a way to earn a living; it is a way to partner with God in caring for and cultivating His creation. When we see our daily tasks—whether at home, in the office, or anywhere else—as opportunities to reflect God’s character and join in His ongoing creative work, our perspective shifts from drudgery to dignity. God calls both men and women to share in this meaningful work, giving us dominion and responsibility as His partners. [07:40]

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.”

Reflection: How would your attitude toward your work change if you truly believed it was a good gift from God and a way to partner with Him today?

Day 2: God’s Greatest Work Is in You

God is not just interested in what you accomplish for Him, but in the transformation He wants to do within you. It’s possible to go through the motions of religious activity or hard work and miss the heart of God’s calling—to let Him shape your character and identity as His beloved child. Before God wants to do something through you, He wants to do something in you. The good work He desires is not about earning His love, but about letting Him restore, heal, and form you from the inside out, so that your actions flow from who you are in Christ. [16:43]

Isaiah 1:11-13 (ESV)
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.”

Reflection: In what area of your life do you sense God inviting you to let Him do a deeper work in your heart, rather than just focusing on outward activity?

Day 3: All Work Matters to God

No matter how mundane or insignificant your job may feel, all work matters to God because He is the one who designed it and fills it with purpose. The world is full of God’s works, and every creature—including you—has a role to play in His creation. When you do your work faithfully, you are participating in God’s wisdom and design, and your labor becomes a way to honor Him. The context of your work may change, but its value comes from the “why” and the “who” behind it, not just the “what” or “where.” [19:27]

Psalm 104:23-24 (ESV)
Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Reflection: What is one small, everyday task you can approach today as an act of worship, knowing it matters to God?

Day 4: Work Becomes Worship When Done for God’s Glory

When you do your work for God’s glory—revealing His character, love, and excellence through your actions—your work becomes worship. It’s not about the type of job you have, but about doing it with the intention of making God visible to those around you. Whether you eat, drink, or do anything else, you have the opportunity to reflect God’s goodness and bring honor to His name in every setting. This is the calling to live with integrity and purpose, so that others see God at work in you. [26:40]

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Reflection: How can you intentionally reveal God’s character in the way you work or interact with others today?

Day 5: Your Work Is Part of God’s Mission

You have been invited into God’s family business—to join Him in His mission of seeking and saving the lost, making disciples, and bringing His kingdom wherever you are. Your work is not divided into “sacred” and “secular”; it is all sacred when done for Him. No matter your job or season of life, you are sent to reflect Jesus and participate in His redemptive work. The ultimate goal is not personal comfort or success, but that the name of Jesus would be glorified in and through you as you live out your calling. [32:43]

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (ESV)
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection: Where has God placed you right now to be part of His mission, and what is one way you can live “sent” in that place this week?

Sermon Summary

Work is often seen as a burden, a necessary evil that interrupts our rest and steals our joy. But from the very beginning, God saw work differently. Work is not just a means to an end or a way to earn a paycheck; it is woven into the fabric of creation and into our very identity as people made in God’s image. God Himself is the first worker, and He called work good. He created us to be partners in His ongoing work, giving us dominion and responsibility, not as a curse, but as a purpose-filled calling.

Too often, we fall into one of two traps: either we let our work define us, making it our identity and our idol, or we avoid it, treating it as something to escape. But the narrow path is to see work as a partnership with God, joining Him in His mission to seek and save the lost, to bring about His kingdom in our everyday lives. The true meaning of work is not found in what we do or where we do it, but in why we do it and who we do it for. When our work is done for God, it becomes worship, filled with joy, purpose, and eternal significance.

God’s greatest work is not what we accomplish for Him, but what He accomplishes in us. Before He works through us, He wants to work in us, transforming our hearts and restoring our identity as His beloved children. Our activity must flow from our identity in Christ, not the other way around. This is the heart of the gospel: we are not working to earn God’s love, but responding to the love and salvation He has already given us in Jesus.

All work matters to God, no matter how mundane or insignificant it may seem. Every job, every task, every act of service can be sacred when done for God’s glory. We are called to reflect God’s character in our work, revealing His goodness, creativity, and faithfulness in all we do. Our workplaces, homes, and communities become mission fields where we live out our calling as part of God’s family business—making disciples and bringing His kingdom wherever we are.

The invitation is to see Monday not as an interruption, but as an opportunity to join God in His good work. Whether you’re in a season of rest or in the thick of daily labor, God is inviting you to let Him do a good work in you and through you, for His glory and the good of the world.

Key Takeaways

1. Work is a gift from God, not a curse. From the beginning, God modeled work as good and purposeful, inviting us to partner with Him in caring for creation and building His kingdom. Our jobs are not just about making a living, but about living out our God-given purpose in the world. [06:41]
2. Our identity is not found in what we do, but in who we are in Christ. When we let our work define us, we become restless and frustrated. True fulfillment comes when our activity flows from our restored identity as God’s beloved children, allowing Him to shape us through the work He gives us. [16:43]
3. All work can be worship when done for God’s glory. There is no sacred-secular divide in God’s eyes; every task, no matter how small, can reflect His character and reveal His presence. Our workplaces and daily routines are holy ground when we approach them as opportunities to serve and honor God. [26:03]
4. God’s greatest work is the transformation He does within us. Before we seek to accomplish things for God, we must allow Him to do His good work in our hearts—healing, shaping, and growing us into the likeness of Christ. Sometimes the most important work is letting God change us through our circumstances. [18:51]
5. The “why” and “who” of our work matter more than the “what” and “where.” We may not always get to choose our job or our circumstances, but we can always choose to work for God and with God. When we do, our work becomes meaningful, and we become agents of His kingdom wherever we are placed. [20:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:47] - Why We Struggle With Work
[02:25] - God’s Original Design for Work
[03:33] - The Two Ditches: Idolizing or Avoiding Work
[04:21] - Shifting Our Perspective on Work
[05:44] - The Longing for Identity, Belonging, and Purpose
[06:41] - God as the First Worker
[07:34] - Dominion: Our Shared Calling
[09:34] - Work as Purpose, Not Punishment
[12:50] - The Family Business of God
[13:49] - Mondays as Invitations, Not Interruptions
[16:43] - God’s Greatest Work: Transforming Us
[18:51] - Letting God Work in Us
[19:43] - All Work Matters to God
[21:01] - Work as Worship
[23:13] - Finding Fulfillment Beyond the Job
[24:55] - Zacchaeus: Transformed to Work Differently
[26:03] - No Sacred-Secular Divide
[26:40] - Doing All for God’s Glory
[29:14] - Reflecting the Creator in Our Work
[32:43] - Praying for God’s Good Work in Us
[34:39] - Next Steps: Baptism, Reflection, Living Sent
[36:05] - The BLESS Model for Mission
[37:06] - Closing Prayer and Response

Bible Study Guide

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.”

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) — > For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) — > So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Observation Questions

In Genesis 1:26-28, what specific responsibilities does God give to humans as part of their creation?
According to the sermon, how does God view work differently than most people do today? [[02:25]]
What does Ephesians 2:10 say about our identity and purpose in Christ?
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, what does Paul say should be the motivation behind everything we do, even ordinary things like eating and drinking?

Interpretation Questions

The sermon describes two “ditches” people fall into regarding work: idolizing it or avoiding it. Why do you think people are tempted to either make work their identity or see it as something to escape? [[03:33]]
How does understanding that God is the “first worker” and that He called work good change the way someone might approach their job or daily tasks? [[06:41]]
The sermon says, “God’s greatest work isn’t the stuff that we accomplish for him. It’s the transformation that he does within us.” What does this mean for how we measure success in our work or life? [[16:13]]
What does it look like practically to “do all to the glory of God” in a job that feels mundane or insignificant? [[26:40]]

Application Questions

The sermon challenges us to see Monday not as an interruption, but as an invitation to join God in His good work. How do you usually feel about starting a new work week? What would it look like to approach Monday as an opportunity instead of a burden? [[13:49]]
Think about your current job, schoolwork, or daily responsibilities. In what ways have you let your work define your identity, or tried to avoid it altogether? What would it look like to let your identity in Christ shape how you approach your work this week? [[16:43]]
The sermon says, “All work can be worship when done for God’s glory.” Can you think of a specific task or responsibility in your life that feels insignificant? How could you intentionally do that task as an act of worship this week? [[26:03]]
The story of Zacchaeus shows that Jesus didn’t ask him to quit his job, but to work differently after his heart was changed. Is there an area of your work or daily life where you sense God inviting you to “work differently”? What would that look like? [[24:55]]
The sermon mentions that God wants to do a good work in us before He does a good work through us. Is there a place in your life where you need to let God heal, shape, or grow you right now? How can you make space for God to work in you this week? [[18:51]]
The “why” and “who” of our work matter more than the “what” and “where.” If you can’t change your job or circumstances right now, what is one way you can shift your focus to working for God and with God where you are? [[20:26]]
The sermon ends with a call to see our workplaces, homes, and communities as mission fields. Who is one person in your daily life you could serve, encourage, or pray for this week as part of God’s “family business”? [[26:13]]

Sermon Clips

Some of us go like, man, I just want to change my job. I want to change my life. There's a place for that. God may be leading you to do that. But what if God is trying to change something in you? Through it. In your relationships. In your marriage. In your job. As you're living on mission, what if God's doing something in you too? What if there's good work there? [00:16:52] (21 seconds) #GrowthThroughWork

We think that it's all about, oh, do more good stuff. Do more good stuff. Be a good person. Then God will love me. Then I'll be adopted as his child. No. That's not good work. That's not good work. That's religion, okay? You cannot earn this. Religion is not an eternal paycheck where you earn God's love and earn, no. It starts by saying, God, would you do your work in me? [00:17:15] (23 seconds) #GraceNotWorks

Jesus looks at him and goes, salvation. This is what it looks like. This is what it looks like. God's good work in him led to him not to do different work, but to work differently. We think that God divides things into sacred and secular. Not true. Especially not when it comes to our work. It's all sacred when it's done for his glory. It's all sacred. So stop waiting for your real ministry to start. It has. You've been drafted into this family business. Go and make disciples. And as you work in it, wherever God has you, that's your mission field. The office, the classroom, the neighborhood, the home. It's all his. [00:25:46] (37 seconds) #WorkDifferentlyForGod

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What does it mean for work to be worship?

How does joining God's mission transform daily work?

Why is God's work in us more important than through us?