READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l Psalm 111 was meant to be memorised by God’s people. It repeatedly taught the reader that it was imperative to study God’s work. We are now less inclined to do so because we do not see the point, as what Richard Dawkins reflected, “the achievements of theologians do not do anything, do not affect anything, do not mean anything”. So, what makes our work worthwhile?
Our work is worthwhile when
- It reflects God’s work
How do we know if anything is worth doing? What we get is weighed against what we put in and hence we derive wisdom. An average person spends over 90,000 hours at work during his/her lifetime. Considering the significant amount of time spent, what do we get out of it?
• Does money make your work worth it? Money cannot buy relationships and health.
• Is your work worth it if you see it as a calling? Work as a calling may end unhappily for many as they overrate their talents and ignore well-meaning advice.
• Does achieving your goals make your work worth it? Many professionals at the pinnacle of their success look back at their achievements and concluded that it was not worth it.
• Is your work worth it if it gives you a sense of identity? Those who derived their sense of identity from their work performance eventually turned suicidal when they were not able to perform.
• Is your work worth it if you get to leave behind a legacy? If this is not realised, then we will think everything is meaningless.
In discerning whether our work is worth it, there are generally two approaches:
i. Individual centred – self-fulfilment, satisfaction, maximise potential and sense of identity
ii. Altruistic – socially valuable, betterment of humanity and leaving legacy for future generations
The problem with these approaches starts with human beings. By focusing on ourselves, we have forfeited the wisdom to determine if our work is worth it. To the contrary, the Psalmist tells us in v10 that wisdom begins by fearing the Lord. God’s people come to worship God and see Him for who He is and what He has done, they will find the wisdom and insight that is necessary to answer life’s most important question – what makes our work worth it. Our work is meant to reflect God’s royal work. This is also the mandate in Genesis 1, where he charges the humans to ‘subdue’ and ‘rule’ over his good creation.
- It is royal work
God’s work is glorious and majestic as described by the Psalmist from v3-v9. God hears His people’s cries and sees their misery. His Kingly works are to be remembered because:
• God’s work is Compassion and Justice – He rights what is wrong
• God’s work is Providential – He provides for His people’s needs
• God’s work is Creative – He uses His power to overcome chaos and brings flourishing to His people
• God’s work is Revelatory – He showed how His people live differently from others around them
• God’s work is Redemptive – He turns the story of Israel from slaves to being freed
Redemptive, creative, providential, justice, compassion and revelatory works are worth us pursuing regardless of our profession and employment status. - It is work that will last
Deep down, we want to know that our work has some effect on this world, and it does not become forgotten when we are gone. God’s eternal righteousness and remembrance sits parallel to our perpetual obedience and worship. God’s precepts are trustworthy forever. God’s action must beget our human response – that God’s work will be forever, and our work will be everlasting if it is God’s work. When Christ died on the cross, the world said it was worthless. To the contrary, Jesus accomplished the most worthwhile work on the cross. He redeemed humanity, brought about a new creation, fulfilled the justice required for our sins, bound up our wounds with compassion and revealed what God truly looks like. Jesus’ work on the cross accomplished His Father’s royal work, and it has outlasted any work the world has ever seen.
In everything that we do, are we seeking to reflect God’s royal work? Our labour will never be in vain as long as it echoes God’s righteous and royal work. May God instil within us a hope that our work counts for everything because of the finished work on the cross by Jesus.
(Sermon notes by Honey Vreugdewater)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How does reflecting on God’s work change the way in which you should work?
- Are there any specific things that you do in your work that reflects God’s own work?
- What part of your work will leave a lasting legacy?
