What Was the First Work Assignment?
Have you ever thought about that? Where did this whole concept of work even come from?Look with me at Genesis 2:15- “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” It is in this verse that we see the first work assignment.
Why did God place Adam in the Garden of Eden? To work it. What does work mean? Work in this verse means to cultivate, to serve, to keep. So Adam was assigned to take care of and to keep the garden. This was the first job assignment.
What was the original workplace environment like? In the Garden of Eden, God provided everything for Adam. God planted a well-watered garden for Adam to work in. The Garden of Eden was full of water and trees and plants for Adam to enjoy. God had provided everything for man’s enjoyment. Genesis 2:8-9 says, “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” Earlier after creating Adam God said in Genesis 1:29-30 “Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” This means that Adam didn’t have to work for food. Food was provided to him by God.
These passages shows us three things, (1) When God gave Adam an assignment, when God gave Adam work to do, he provided Adam with everything he needed to do the work. God provided for Adam and met Adam’s basic needs; (2) As a result, in the original work environment, Adam was not working for food, clothing, and shelter. Adam was not working to get his basic needs met; his needs were met by God; and (3) God placed Adam in this environment. Adam was not born in Eden. He didn’t find Eden on his own; God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden.
So why should any of this matter to you? What does any of this have to do with you? From these passages, from these three statements, we start to learn God’s original purpose for work. We start to see what Adam was working for and what we should be working for. From these passages we can learn what our true motivation for work should be.
So what was Adam working for? If Adam wasn’t working to get his basic needs met, then what was he working for? Adam was working to serve God. Adam was not working for himself; he wasn’t working to fulfill his needs. Adam worked to serve God.
Adam worked for God in order to serve God and accomplish what God wanted done in the earth. Adam was not working to meet his own needs but to accomplish God’s will in the earth.
So the purpose of our work, the work that we complete here on Earth is to serve God by accomplishing the work that God want done on this earth. We are to work in a way that serves him and glorifies him by displaying his nature and character.
Article by Angela Carter, Christian Career Coach & Speaker. Her passion is to help every Christian finish the work that God has called them to do so they can hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Visit Angela online at http://www.canaancareercoaching.com/gods-purpose-for-work/
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