“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Genesis 2:15NKJV
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis2:15 NIV
God expects us to work. He gives us talents and abilities and He requires that we work and use them. Work was not a curse of the fall. Even Adam worked in the Garden of Eden. Adam had to tend and keep the Garden—to work it and take care of it. In the Garden, his work was fruitful and productive.
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17-19 NIV
After the fall, the curse was that his work would be fruitless and frustrated. It would require much hard effort and yield negative results—thorns and thistles.
The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. Deuteronomy 28:12 NIV
Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 30:9-10 NIV
The blood of Jesus has redeemed us. If we will do things God’s way He will bless the work of our hands and make us exceedingly fruitful and prosperous. Whether we work in the ministry or in a secular occupation, providing for our families and supporting the ministry, God wants us to work and work wisely and well. Then He can bless us. If you do no work—God has nothing to bless! Some people think that being in the ministry and living by faith means sitting at home doing nothing. On the contrary, ministry is work and lots of it, but it sure is a joy and a blessing!
One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. Proverbs 18:9 NIV
If you are a sloppy worker, you are about as much good as a vandal. If you do not do a good job—the best you can do—then you are cheating your boss, cheating your customers and cheating yourself. An unfaithful person cannot be relied upon. Your work should be excellent in quality and quantity. As the saying goes, “God will bless the work of your hands, but He cannot bless the seat of your pants!”
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
Whatever you do—do it to the best of your ability. God does not expect you to do what you cannot do, but He does expect you to do what you can do. Your very best might not be the same as someone else’s best, but that is all that God asks for—your very best. God won’t even be mad at you if you fail at something, as long as you are trying as hard as you can and really doing everything you can.
Even if your paycheck comes from man at the end of the month, you should work as if God is your boss. You should work as if your reward comes from God, not man, because ultimately it does.