Facing the Giant of Work and UnemploymentSýnishorn

When you hear the word ‘work’, what do you immediately feel? Does the thought of it make your heart leap or your stomach sink? 

Some of us love our work; others loathe it. Some of us feel stimulated by it, others bored out of our minds. Some of us always seem to have too much of it, others never quite enough. But whatever you feel about work, there’s one truth you can’t escape: work is part of your life’s purpose. 

When we meet somebody new, the first question we often ask is ‘What do you do?’ but the Bible asks ‘What is your life?’ (James 4:14 ESV). Your life is so much more than work and your purpose extends far beyond employment. 

As we were welcomed into God’s creation, work – as He intended it – was gifted to us as a good thing (see Genesis 2:15). But just a few verses later, everything changed. As a result of sin, it was not only our relationship with God that was damaged, but also our relationship with everything He had given us. No longer in harmony with creation, work stopped being a joy and became toil (see Genesis 3:17). 

Though we may have experienced reconciliation with God and a restored relationship with Him, many of us are still at odds with our work in one way or another. Yet the Bible says, ‘we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’ (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). 

This makes your purpose vital and your potential immeasurable! So wherever you’re at with work, don’t be discouraged. Instead, let us be reconciled to the true role of work in our lives and re-envisioned to live it out as God intended. 

The Facing Your Giants series is designed to help people like you find God’s help in dealing with the challenges that face us all. 

Contained in these little booklets are big truths from God’s Word, guidance on how to pray, and practical suggestions for change. There are 29 readings from Bob Gass, author of the UCB Word For Today, to help you practise new thought patterns and habits day by day for a month. As the Bible says, ‘he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4 ESV). With the help of our great God, you can face any giant in front of you. 

Every Blessing, 

David L’Herroux - Chief Executive, United Christian Broadcasters