Whistle While You Work #2: Basic Provision

I delivered the “Whistle While You Work” sermon this morning. It went pretty well, I think. I know a few people were encouraged, one who was feeling discouraged in what he does and another who loves his job. In my last “work” post I talked about the fact that self-fulfillment in work is great for those who have jobs they love.

But this pleasure in our work need not be elusive for those who don’t love their jobs. The next several posts will talk about reasons our jobs are worthy of enjoying. Why we can “whistle while we work.” They all flow from the idea that our work is meaningful, even if not fun. The hope is that meaning becomes more important than “fun,” and we truly enjoy that what we are doing is valuable.

So the next couple posts (and the last one as well) are the self-interested side of work – how it benefits us. The point in the sermon was: Whistle! Your Work Matters for You! Self-fulfillment is the first sub-point (even though I used it as the introduction), that your “job” is more than a job, it is a calling. But on a more “material” level, your work also provides for your basic needs. That's the focus of this sub-point.

I know there are exceptions for those who are unable or without a job, but for the most part God provides through means. Means come, for most of us, through our jobs, our work. I know this isn’t rocket science, but shirts don’t make themselves. Someone worked to make them, and you work to purchase them – or whoever gave you that shirt for Christmas did.

Scripture is clear that work provides for the most basic needs. In 2 Thess. 3.10 Paul says if a man won’t work, he shouldn’t eat. So, while this isn’t the most romantic of reasons to love your work, you can love it because it paid for your dinner.

What basic provisions do you have to be thankful for that are a result of your work?