God has Work for ME to do

Hello Friends,

Welcome to May! I’m sure many of you are excited that the month of May has finally arrived! Some of you are in Spring sports and May is when you start playing games after having a lot of practices. Some of you are excited to be outside since May is typically the month when the weather begins getting warmer. Some of you are excited that May is here because May means that school is almost out and Summer vacation is just around the corner. May is a busy month filled with excitement and great adventures. Are you excited that May is finally here?

As I was sitting in my office the other day, I took a moment to think about the month of May. In May, we celebrate “May Day”, which is celebrated on the first of May and many people deliver “may baskets” filled with flowers and other goodies to people they know. A few days later, for those that enjoy Star Wars, May 4th is known as “Star Wars Day” because instead of saying “may the force be with you,” many people will say “may the fourth be with you.” And then, in May, we also celebrate our mom on Mother’s Day. Then a few weeks later, people all over the United States partake in Memorial Day–the unofficial-official start of Summer. Phew… May is certainly exciting, but it is also busy. May is filled with a lot of work.

Speaking of work, do any of you enjoy doing work? Helping out around the house, cleaning your room, putting your clothes away, picking up your toys, being out in the fields, etc.? I’m sure the answer is… “No way!” I totally understand. There are days when I don’t want to do any work. However, I don’t mind doing work. I was raised, like many of you, that work is important for character building, developing certain skills, and for being respectful and helpful toward those in my life. Work is needed and it has helped me become the person that I am today.

Did you know, that work is not just something your parents need you to do? Did you know that God also needs you to do some work? Let me explain. But first I need your help with something…. Do you think you could help me identify which of the following persons is doing work? Great! Listen carefully:

Person A is a construction worker. He spends his day helping to build a new office building on Main Street. It takes a lot of strength to do his job. Is Person A doing work?

Person B is a business executive at an advertising firm. In designing a new advertising campaign, she needs to answer many different emails between co-workers and the firm they are designing the campaign for. Is Person B doing work?

Person C is a student at Oblong Elementary School and on a local baseball team. He is trying to become a better player by practicing some drills. Is Person C doing work?

Person D is a mom who has 3 kids who busy and always on the move. She loves to garden and has many different plants that she takes great care of. She grows her own tomatoes and cucumbers. Is Person D doing work?

Which of these people is doing work? That’s right! They are all doing work even though what they are doing is not the same thing. The definition of work is “effort put in to produce or accomplish something.”

There are many different kinds of work. How many can you think of? And did you know that it’s not just adults that work–you can work too! Most kids go to school, work on homework, do chores, and play sports. What kind of work do you do?

In the Bible, the word “work” shows up 555 times! That shows how important work is and how much it matters to God. Work is a big part of all of our lives. We see the word “work” right from the very beginning of the Bible and before humans even exist, God is working. In Genesis 2:2 it says, “And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.” This isn’t the only spot where we hear God talking about work.

Genesis 1:26-30 shares, “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so.”

Work is an important part of how God made us. Although because of sin, work can be hard sometimes, it is also incredible that God would give us a part to play in his big plan. By giving us the ability to work, we get to make a difference in the world and help restore it with God’s help to what God originally designed.

It’s not just adults that work. Everyone, including you, has work to do! Sitting in class and learning, helping take care of your siblings, cleaning up at the dinner table, making a card, practicing and playing with your soccer team, baking cupcakes, playing piano, writing a song – all of these things are work.

The work you do is an ability given to you by God. Are you willing to do some work for God? I hope so, because God needs you to help him out with very special tasks. So, what do you say? Let’s get to work!

Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank you for the unique work you’ve given us all to do. There are so many ways that we work for you. Be with us in all our work this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have a Wonderful Week!

Your Friend, Holy Spirit!

Lesson Borrowed From: https://www.theologyofwork.org/small-group-studies/gods-story-of-work-for-kids/kids-lesson-6-ive-got-work-to-do/