Teaching Tuesday: Walking in Wisdom - Proverbs - Wisdom for Work

Series: Walking in Wisdom
Sermon: Wisdom for Work - Proverbs 24:30-34, 14:23, 12:24, 12:11; Genesis 2:5-8, 15, 19-20 (11.16.25)
Watch the messages HERE. 

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all heaven and earth will pause to say, 'here lived a great street sweeper that did his job well.'" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Work is a Command
Before sin fractured the world, work was already part of God’s good design. In Genesis 2, we find God placing Adam in the garden “to work it and take care of it” (v. 15). Work is not a burden introduced after the fall—it is a command woven into humanity’s purpose. When Proverbs 24 warns about the sluggard’s field overgrown with thorns and walls broken down, it echoes the seriousness of that calling. God’s command to work is not merely about productivity; it is about obedience. He calls us to steward what he entrusts - our gifts, responsibilities, opportunities, and influence - with intention, effort, and faithfulness. To work is to respond to God’s voice when he says “I’ve created this for you. Not go and do something with it.” If we treat work casually, we neglect not just tasks but the God who assigns them.

Work is an Invitation
Yet God’s command is also an invitation. In Genesis 2:5–8, God prepares the garden with lushness and beauty - and then invites Adam into it. Adam is not tasked with creating Eden; he is invited to join God in enjoying and expanding it. Our work today carries that same grace-filled invitation. God asks us not to generate meaning from our work but to enter into the meaning he already provides. He invites us into his ongoing creativity, order, provision, and care for the world. Every spreadsheet, classroom, blueprint, email, diaper change, and meeting becomes a place where we join God in bringing structure, flourishing, and blessing. Work is not simply demanded of us - it is offered to us. We are invited to experience the joy of reflecting God’s image as we create, shape, solve, and serve.

Work is Ministry
When Adam names the animals (Genesis 2:19–20), he is exercising discernment, authority, and responsibility—functions that mirror God’s own work. Ministry is not confined to sanctuaries or sermons. Our workplace becomes a place of ministry when we recognize God’s presence and purpose there. Ministry happens when we treat coworkers with dignity, pursue excellence as worship, make ethical decisions, and bring peace into tense situations. Ministry happens when we listen well, encourage intentionally, or carry out our responsibilities faithfully even when no one notices. Work becomes ministry not because of the task but because of the heart behind it. Wherever God places us, he places us there as his servants.

Work is a Witness
Proverbs 24, and several other passages in Proverbs, paints a vivid contrast between diligence and laziness. The neglected field becomes a testimony - just not the kind anyone wants. Our work, too, preaches a message. Diligence, integrity, and faithfulness bear witness to the God who equips us and the gospel that transforms us. Excellence whispers that we serve Someone greater than ourselves. Patience and humility in difficult environments reveal a power not our own. Our work ethic becomes a quiet but compelling declaration of the character of Christ. And, if we live like that, we may then actually have the opportunity to share the gospel with people who will listen to our words because we have already spoken to them with our lives. People may never read a Bible, but they can read our work. When we honor God with our labor - whatever it looks like - we display his love and wisdom to a watching world.

May we receive work not as a burden, but as a sacred calling, a daily invitation to partner with God, minister to others, and bear witness to his goodness.

TO KNOW HIM AND MAKE HIM KNOWN!

- Pastor Brady