If you have time off from work or school, maybe you aren’t too eager to return. You sigh as you take a shower and swing by Starbucks on the way to your fully furnished office. I feel your First World pain. 

Instead of working for the weekend or hanging on until the next vacation, what if there were a better way?

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23). 

The late Pastor Timothy Keller left behind a treasure trove of teachings on the gift of work. Chew on this quote from one of his sermons: “Work is a gracious expression of creative energy in the service of others.”*

When you hear gracious expression, think of a spring-fed river. The love God has shown to us through Jesus bubbles out of this spring and overflows to feed plants and bring forth life. We’re not designed to be reservoirs; our work gives us an outlet for the geyser of grace we have received.

Because we were created in the image of our Creator-God, we have an abundance of creative energy. Work is an outlet for this creative energy. 

Finally, our work is to be in the service of others. Far from a four-letter word, work has been redeemed and elevated as we serve the Lord instead of ourselves. 

* Timothy Keller, “Work and Calling,” July 7, 1996, Gospel in Life and Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New York, https://podcast.gospelinlife.com/e/work-and-calling/.