God Delights in Our Work
Psalm 100:2 encourages us to “serve the Lord with gladness” and Ecclesiastes 3:22 says to rejoice in our work. How do we get there? And how does our joy at work connect to God’s joy?
God hates dishonest scales (Proverbs 11:1), which would have been used in the market to cheat customers out of the full measure of grain or seed they deserved. On the flip side, God delights in weights that are accurate. This shouldn’t be surprising—after all, he is called “God of truth” several times (Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16). But this passage is more than just an expression of God’s commitment to truth.
God’s delight (or displeasure) in the scales used represents his feelings toward those who use them. God’s anger is really for the dishonest vendor who uses rigged scales to cheat people, not the scales themselves; but God takes pleasure in those who maintain accurate scales in order to treat people fairly. This reaffirms Psalm 37:23, which tells us that God delights in the path of a righteous person. God is pleased when our work is an expression of our faith—when we trust his provision rather than trusting in our own schemes, when we seek to live in a way consistent with his character.
Work that fully pleases God must be done by faith. Part of that faith includes our orientation as we work. We should seek to please our employers (Titus 2:9); but even more importantly, our aim should be to serve and please our Lord Jesus (Ephesians 6:5–8). When we are submitted to Christ and seeking to honor him in our work, we can be confident that he is glorified and pleased—even in the most mundane tasks (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Of course, if we are not working in a way that pleases God, we should repent and ask God for help to change. If we don’t delight in our work, odds are we aren’t serving Christ through faith. But if you show up at work aware of your need for Jesus, eager to please him and benefit others, trusting in his grace—if you work in that attitude, God is delighted by your work. And if God is delighted, you should be too.
God hates dishonest scales (Proverbs 11:1), which would have been used in the market to cheat customers out of the full measure of grain or seed they deserved. On the flip side, God delights in weights that are accurate. This shouldn’t be surprising—after all, he is called “God of truth” several times (Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16). But this passage is more than just an expression of God’s commitment to truth.
God’s delight (or displeasure) in the scales used represents his feelings toward those who use them. God’s anger is really for the dishonest vendor who uses rigged scales to cheat people, not the scales themselves; but God takes pleasure in those who maintain accurate scales in order to treat people fairly. This reaffirms Psalm 37:23, which tells us that God delights in the path of a righteous person. God is pleased when our work is an expression of our faith—when we trust his provision rather than trusting in our own schemes, when we seek to live in a way consistent with his character.
Work that fully pleases God must be done by faith. Part of that faith includes our orientation as we work. We should seek to please our employers (Titus 2:9); but even more importantly, our aim should be to serve and please our Lord Jesus (Ephesians 6:5–8). When we are submitted to Christ and seeking to honor him in our work, we can be confident that he is glorified and pleased—even in the most mundane tasks (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Of course, if we are not working in a way that pleases God, we should repent and ask God for help to change. If we don’t delight in our work, odds are we aren’t serving Christ through faith. But if you show up at work aware of your need for Jesus, eager to please him and benefit others, trusting in his grace—if you work in that attitude, God is delighted by your work. And if God is delighted, you should be too.
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