The Lord has called Bezalel… to work. Exodus 35:30-32.

Why work? A western businessman asked a sleeping African, ‘Why aren’t you working?’ The African: ‘I enjoy doing nothing: why should I work?’ The westerner replied, ‘To make money’. ‘And, sir, what should I do with the money?’ ‘Oh, you can buy a house, and a car and a boat and other things.’ ‘And,’ the African asked, ‘What do you do when you’ve got all that?’ ‘Oh…’ said the westerner, ‘I’d sit around and do nothing!’

Work, said a cynic, is whatever you’re doing when you’d rather be doing something else. Work, for a Christian, is essentially service to God. It’s a form of worship. We are created in the image of a working God. God works for creative, the devil for destructive, purposes.

The scriptures are full of praise for the work of human hands, hearts, and minds. Even God makes, forms, builds, and plants (Genesis 2:4,7,8,19,23). Work skills are gifts from God. Jesus was immersed in the life and problems of working people. The apostles sometimes returned to the jobs they left to follow Jesus. His parables refer to sowers, vineyard labourers, harvesters, house building, tending pigs, and women sweeping their home.

Lord, God, Creator, thank you for my ordained calling. May I put my whole heart into it, for your glory. Amen.