Reflections: Dr. Pratt answers the question, "Why work?"

Last Friday, Dr. Richard Pratt, spoke at Momentum (Summit Church's monthly men's event). Some behind the scenes info may be of interest to you...when Richard showed up about 10 minutes before our start time, we walked to the tech area to get his mic set up. As he was getting wired he asked me, "So what am I supposed to talk about?!" Thinking he was putting me on, I did my best Isaac Hunter impression and asked, "REALLY?" He calmly and matter of factly said, "Yes. Really. What would you like me to speak about?"

60 minutes later, I heard from many people, how much they enjoyed hearing him reflect on the Scriptures for what God had in mind for work.

For me, I enjoyed hearing some of the things Dr. Pratt covered in a Bible study I was a part of over two years ago. He taught us that in the times of Moses, cultures of the day embraced the idea of image bearers of god. However, it was used exclusively for kings and monarchs. They alone were recognized as image bearers and as a result, reserved the right to discover the will of god (or the gods), and then to decide how to best bring that will to the earth.

When Moses wrote that God declared all men and women (no matter what their social standing) are image bearers of God, it was scandalous to the surrounding cultures.

If we can really see ourselves as God does, as image bearers, our lives take on incredible meaning. It also gives clarity to the purpose of our lives and to our work. As image bearers, we have the role of discovering God's will in heaven, and in helping to bring that to the earth..."Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Richard suggested that God made His will known to His new image bearers in the garden and it hasn't changed throughout history. In the garden he told Adam and Eve to "exercise dominion over the earth" and the "be fruitful and multiply". In other words, bring God's will to this earth and multiply image bearers of God. As we reflect on the mission of the church, we can see that God's will is still the same.

Recognizing this helps us do our work for God and unto God. We can look past the mundane, the inter-personal challenges, the various frustrations that arise and seek to help bring God's will to the places of our work. God is working in the lives of people at the places of our employment And as His image bearers, He wants us to look for ways to bring His Kingdom to those places. Purpose. Meaning. Significance. All because we bear the image of the One who created us and continually cares for us.

I hope to see you at the next Momentum, planned for January 16. The topic: Maturing Through Relationships...connecting with other men in Christ-centered community.