AUTHOR OF EMPLOYMENT

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… You probably recognize this line taken from the book of Genesis. There are two powerful lessons we can take away from this sentence.

The first is that God employed Himself and the second is that God “worked”. God, in all His power, omnipotence and majesty saw it fit to put himself to work. The remarkable realization that God is the original employer and originator of employment should humble all of us who will not get our hands dirty. In reality, we all have an inescapable responsibility to imitate the creator.

Employment is built into nature. There is no creature on earth that gets a free ride. In this regard, the second lesson then becomes a brutally ethical issue. Who do you work for? yourself, your employer or God? If you work for yourself, I’d say you are simply doing the basics of survival. If you only work for your employer, I’d say that is what most people do.

However, if you work for God, then it is no longer a chore, but a question of destiny, purpose, dignity, aspiration and ultimate accountability. A lot of people work to meet the basic needs of life in order not burden others with their upkeep. Employers do us proud by providing opportunities for others to engage in a meaningful occupation. But how many of us see our work as honouring our creator – the ultimate employer!