The last time we were in our “faith” category, we talked about the Gigantic Joy that God takes in his creation, the work of his hands.  Well, listen, God is not like the selfish kid who doesn’t want to share his toys with others… he graciously invites us to participate with him in this extraordinary joy of his! 

We specifically do so when we develop God’s creation, the work of his hands. 

The Bible teaches us that God works with his creation in two ways.  In other words, there are two ways in which God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven:

1.  God works with his creation DIRECTLY (with no mediation whatsoever).

2.  God works with his creation INDIRECTLY (by involving human responsibility).

Think of a human king who does some things himself, but he gives orders to his servants for the doing of other things… so it is with God!

God has placed the earth in its orbit… God summons the seasons to come and go at their appointed times… God makes the seeds to grow… God causes the animals of the world to reproduce themselves… these are things that God does directly, without our involvement.

But there are other tasks — tasks that are pointed toward the development of creation — that God has entrusted to his image–bearers.

It is the glory of humanity to take the potential that God has placed in the earth and create tools that we then use to produce things that are beautiful, useful, helpful, or enjoyable.  We take a stone, a stick, and a strip of animal skin.  From these things we create a crude hammer or a knife, and we slowly start making the world a better place.

With a little more practice, we find ourselves creating telephones, cameras, computers, and space shuttles.  With these tools, we produce things.  Things like art, scholarship, a just culture, and incredibly interesting blog posts.

As we do these things, we are living as “co–workers with God,” developing the works of his hands.  We are submitting to one of the first commands God gave us: to fill the earth and to subdue it and to exercise dominion over it (Genesis 1).

And you know what?  Your vocation… no matter what it is… (as long as it’s honest and lawful)… plays a part in the development of God’s creation.  Enter into that work with the Joy of God!  Take a godly view of your work.  Which is to say, delight in it.