Giving It All Away…And Getting It All Back AgainSample

The Legacy of Work

The will of God for you and me, and your kids and my kids, is clearly stated in Ecclesiastes 9.10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

Whatever work we find ourselves doing in this life–I don’t care if it’s flipping burgers–we are called to do it well and to the glory of God. The Bible tells us that promotion comes from the God, not from human bosses. If you’re not doing your best at flipping burgers as you wait for something better, I doubt that you’ll ever find your dreams.

We dare not cheat our children out of the experience of work. We must expect that they give it their full energy. We cannot let our personal or corporate reserves undermine this crucial lesson. What might God want to do through the life and talents of your child or your grandchild? You probably won’t know if you short-circuit their experience in working.

Yes, I know the feeling of guilt that comes over us when we watch our children struggling financially. It’s hard not to jump in and ease the pain. If we do, though, we will stunt their development.

The wealth we create is like a bonfire. If controlled, it can warm our families. If allowed to spread wildly, it can devastate. This is what’s happening all too often within wealthy families around the world these days.

God didn’t put any of us on this earth merely to sit on a yacht. He put us here to tend the garden he assigned to us. If we want to impart a legacy of generosity, then we must never forget the value of work and its effect on our lives.

Application: Consider the power of work in your life and in the greater culture. What does work produce in a person? How does it shape a person?