Field guide · Terrain · “He leads me in paths of righteousness”
Us with Godand Work
Forecast: busy skies through Friday, with God present in the thick of it.
Four tired ways to walk
Each has some truth in it. None of them is the whole story.
Under GodSheep that hide from the Shepherd
If I work hard enough, God won’t let me fail.
Over GodSheep that know the way
Follow the playbook. The outcomes are up to me.
From GodSheep that follow the grass
God, bless my career and make it go well.
For GodSheep trying to be the sheepdog
My job only counts if it’s ministry.
Work is a place to tend his world alongside him.
Before anything went wrong, God put Adam in the garden to work it and take care of it (Gen 2:15). Work is part of the good life, shared with the Gardener. Whatever we do, we can work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord (Col 3:23). Food, drink, and satisfaction in our toil come from his hand (Eccl 2:24–25). The spreadsheet, the classroom, and the job site are all places he shows up.
Where the Shepherd isJesus spent most of his years working with his hands. His neighbors knew him as “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3).
Before you start work tomorrow, invite Jesus into the first task on your list.
Lord, what are you doing in my work that I haven’t noticed?
Fellow travelers
People in Scripture who walked this ground before us.
- Joseph kept doing faithful work in a prison, and the Lord was with him there (Gen 39:20–23).
- Lydia traded in purple cloth and opened her home to the young church (Acts 16:14–15).
Keep walking
- With God: Sheep that know his voicethe posture every entry points to
- Which Way Are You Walking?a short self-check
- The Field Guideevery entry, by terrain, weather and crossing