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How does work fit into a man’s life? Young men in particular hear conflicting answers to this question. Is it a measuring stick for my self-worth? Is it the means to earn a good life for my family and me? Is it a way to actualize my interests and talents? Or is it just an unpleasant necessity in the pursuit of enjoying myself?

The question matters because our view of work affects both how we live and how we relate to God through it. If it’s a measuring stick, we’ll sacrifice anything for it and risk attending more to it than to God. If it’s an unpleasant necessity, we’ll work as little as possible and see work as a curse. If it’s for self-actualization, we’ll only really apply ourselves to things that seem compelling to us. Adopting a wrong vision for work will lead us away from God; but seeing God’s plan for it, especially when we’re young, will lead us to receive work as a gift and undertake it in a way that honors God and brings us joy.

Men especially need to see God’s vision for work because God made us cultivators from the beginning. In Genesis 2, “Man” (Heb. ‘adam) is named for the earth (‘adamah) from which he was made, while “woman” (ishah) is named for the man (ish) from whom she was made. Adam was specifically given the command to “work and keep” the garden (Gen. 2:15), which are words of service and protection. The curse assigned Adam in Genesis 3 deals with his relationship to the soil, emphasizing that cultivation was part of his calling before the fall.

This doesn’t in any way imply that women cannot or should not work; but it does mean that men have a special responsibility for cultivating the soil. The cultivator works the soils of his life that he might bless others with the fruit of his labor.

Just as we only understand love (or holiness or anything) from seeing it in God, so we only understand cultivation by seeing how God relates to the soils of the world.

1. God works the soil of creation to nourish life.

The Genesis 1 account shows God bringing form and fullness to tohu wabohu, “formless and void” (Gen. 1:2). He makes an ordered world that can support life. God values life, as his blessings on animals and humans show (1:22, 28). He subjected the creation to decay because of humankind’s sin (Gen. 3:17-18, Rom. 8:20-21); but decay isn’t his final will for the world. In general, God wills that the creation produce fruit to nourish physical life and human culture (e.g., Deut. 28:1-12, Rev. 22:1-2).

As cultivators, we are called to participate in bringing growth and health out of creation. As Tim Keller writes in Every Good Endeavor, in cultivation “we are continuing God’s work of forming, filling, and subduing. Whenever we bring order out of chaos, whenever we draw out creative potential, whenever we elaborate and ‘unfold’ creation beyond where it was when we found it, we are following God’s pattern of creative cultural development” (59). When we grow a garden, take care of an animal, or even develop our own physical or mental talents, we cultivate the creation in a way that potentially aligns with God’s will.

And while we can cultivate all kinds of soils, the most significant one we must learn to cultivate is gainful work—that which bears “fruit” for us to live on. Men are called to work in a way that lets us and our families eat if we are able to do so. It’s good to cultivate skills or talents we’re passionate about, but these things must be subject to the soil of gainful employment.

Our teens and 20s offer us great opportunities to discover and develop our talents and passions. It’s a blessing to get paid to do something you love, so use your years to cultivate your talents toward gainful work. Talk to people about jobs you’re interested in; study and practice to develop yourself. But watch out for things that absorb too much time or energy and lead nowhere: rest and recreation are important parts of life, but they’re not meant to govern it (Prov. 12:11).

These years are also time to begin cultivating a God-honoring approach to work. Since God has shaped you to work, begin looking for ways to enjoy what you do. You may start out loving work or hating it; but diligence is an acquired trait, and it is glorifying to God (Col. 3:23). We can also learn to work in a way that doesn’t defraud or dehumanize others: lying or taking credit for others’ work can grease the skids of our reputation, but God hates that kind of practice (Deut. 25:15-16).

2. God cultivates the earth to provide for others from it.

God has no need of anything in creation; rather, he uses it to provide for human and animal life (Ac. 17:25). He gives plants (Gen. 1:30) and animals (Gen. 9:3) for us to eat, showing his providential care for us (see also Psalm 104). Jesus assured his followers that God knows our physical needs and meets them (Matt. 6:25-33), not guaranteeing plenty (cf. Hab. 3:17-19) but illustrating God’s providing love.

Likewise, God calls the cultivator to work to bless others. Jesus assumes that earthly fathers provide for their children (Matt. 7:11). Paul decries someone who refuses to provide for his family as a denier of the faith “worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). If he has a family, the cultivator is responsible to work for their physical needs.

But God wills that we use the fruit of our labor to bless people beyond our family as well. He wired provision for the poor into the fabric of Israel’s life (Lev. 19:9-15, 25:8-55) and held them accountable for failing in it (Isa. 58:1-10). The New Testament community was marked from the beginning with provision for the poor among them (Ac. 2:45; cf. Eph. 4:28). Jesus’ parable of the “rich fool” denounces a man who hoards wealth for himself instead of sharing it with others (Lk. 12:13-21).

You may feel years away from being able to bless others with the fruit of your work—most of us start out with pretty crummy pay and may depend on others for our livelihood for a while. Indeed, we may have times where we are poor and rely on the mercy of others. But there are almost always people with greater needs, and the heart of giving is more important to God than the amount we give (Luke 21:1-4). We can tithe, help support missionaries, or give to meet others’ needs with even a few dollars a month.

3. God cultivates the souls of his people.

Both the Old Testament (Jer. 2:21) and also the New Testament (Jn. 15:1-11) use agricultural imagery to describe God’s relationship to his people. “Harvest” and “fruit” language in the New Testament apply almost exclusively to salvation (Matt. 13:1-30) or sanctification (Gal. 5:22-3). Salvation-cultivation the major work of God in the present age (Jn. 15:1, 1 Cor. 3:9).

We must carry out our work under the salvation-cultivating work of God. We can keep a Sabbath to prevent work from consuming our worship and becoming an idol. We can (and must) preach the gospel to ourselves as workers: our identity rests in Christ alone regardless of our job. The unemployed and poor also belong to God in Christ, and no job makes us more valuable to God.

Regarding others, we can share the gospel with nonbelieving co-workers, encourage Christian ones, and pray for both. We may prioritize family or friends over a better-paying job opportunity. We can look for ways to be salt and light in our workplaces and in the “soils” of our hobbies, sharing the love of God through work and play.

And finally, we can let the difficulties of work lead us to the cross. You will fail in some way in working, and it may be tempting to hide your difficulties in shame. Discuss these struggles with other men; pray for one another as workers. And look to Christ, who really has accomplished the most significant work in any of our lives. His death, resurrection, and ascension offer assurance that we are “perfected for all time” (Heb. 10:14) and will live in God’s new creation for eternity.

Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?

In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
But the Gospels are historically reliable. And the evidence for this is vast.
To learn about the evidence for the historical reliability of the four Gospels, click below to access a FREE eBook of Can We Trust the Gospels? written by New Testament scholar Peter J. Williams.

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