Working Without IdolatryShembull

We’ve seen a few helpful definitions of idolatry throughout this plan. Let me offer my own: An idol is anything you can’t live without. It’s anything other than God that functions as your deepest source of joy.

And so, if we want to keep our work from becoming an idol, we would be wise to voluntarily practice self-denial—resting from the good gift of work as a means of proving to ourselves that God is the only thing we ultimately need.

Pastor Joe Rigney, whose book Strangely Bright inspired me to write this reading plan, says this about self-denial: “Biblical self-denial is the voluntary giving up of good things for the sake of better things…[it] keeps our legitimate love of earthly things [like work] in check. We enjoy them when we have them. But we don't covet and crave them….We can voluntarily give them up for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That brings us to our fourth and final principle for enjoying our work without turning it into an idol. Principle #4: Limit your labor regularly.

How? Here are two ideas for practicing this principle.

First, take a full day off once a week, AKA Sabbath. While this ancient rhythm is not commanded under the New Covenant, it still stands as wisdom. Sabbath is one way to declare once a week that you have joy apart from the gift of work—a way of loving and worshiping God apart from your vocation.

Second, choose the Word before work rather than work before the Word. According to a 2016 study from Deloitte, more than half of Americans check their phones within five minutes of waking up. Be counter-cultural here. Before you check email or the day’s news, commit to time in God’s Word. Limiting your labor in this way is a powerful way of saying, “As good as your gift of work is, Lord, I choose You before all things.”

My goal with this plan has been to provide us with a biblical and practical framework for enjoying our work without turning it into an idol. Here’s a summary of the four principles we explored (which just so happen to spell out IDOL for those who love memorable acronyms):

1. Insist that Jesus is better than your work or any other created thing
2. Delight in your work freely and fully as a means of better appreciating the “betterness” of Jesus
3. Offer your talents generously in service of others
4. Limit your labor regularly via self-denying rhythms of rest

Your work is a good thing, believer. But only God is the ultimate good. Enjoy his good gifts today, and as you do, I pray you will delight in the Gift-Giver all the more!

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