Joel Ruddy
Joel Ruddy introduced his message entitled "Work and Worship" by reading Genesis 2:7-8: "The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man He had formed." The importance of this verse is that God doesn't give us gifts to hoard for ourselves; He gives us gifts to take to other places, just like he did with Adam in Genesis. The original word for "work" in Hebrews (Avodah) is to work and worship God while doing the same thing. As we work, we can worship God and we can serve God as we work. God has uniquely designed us for work. His intent for us in work is to serve Him. It's easy to feel God's delight in a worship setting, but it's often difficult for us to see that in a corporate workplace. Joel mentioned that we have something inside of us that is completely unique to ourselves. God equips us to handle the issues that we face, even as it takes others to partner with us. Joel concluded his message by explaining that there are two main things in our work that our holding us back: the fear of man, and the desire for worldly possessions. The reality is that we spend more time with our coworkers than most anyone else in our lives. These relationships all matter and God has uniquely designed us for relationships, including those in the workplace.
