A Gracious Perspective on WorkChikamu

Intrinsic Value

Our work was ordained by God from the very beginning of creation and was given as a blessing and a privilege to His creation. As such, our work has Instrumental Value, meaning that it has value beyond the work itself. But we have also seen the danger of this being the only perspective, that we will not see the value of the work itself: the Intrinsic Value. The question arises, “Does the work of business have value in and of itself, or only as a means to accomplish something deeper—like ministry work?”

The Scriptures present work as valuable to God. Work has value in and of itself, it is intrinsically a good thing, and when work is done with excellence, it reflects God. Therefore, we can say that God works through the representatives of Christ and their occupations to accomplish His work in the world. He does this through the intrinsic nature of their work and the excellence with which such work is done. 

There are a number of reasons why the intrinsic value of work is the correct primary view of your work. Work was ordained before Adam’s fall. The little Hebrew word “parah,” that we translate as fruitful, has at its root the meaning, “productive.” Work is seen in high value throughout the Old and New Testaments, and it was a part of the first thirty years of Jesus’ life. In fact, He said that He came to do the work that the Father gave Him to do. 

Work was never meant to be “a necessary evil,” or to be done just to get by. In fact, we see that work will still be a part of creation when Christ returns and brings in the fullness of God’s Kingdom. The prophet Isaiah speaks of turning swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. The instruments of war will become the implements of work. The Bible tells us that our work accomplishes God’s work and purpose in the Kingdom.

Work has an inherent dignity because it is the way God arranged for humans to fulfill part of their destiny on earth. The privilege of work is a partnership with God and that gives intrinsic value to our work. 

Do you look at your work differently now?