Work was created by God and is ultimately good, but it has been corrupted from God’s original design. This corruptions leads us to seek escape in one of two ways: escaping into work or from work, both motivated by proud unbelief and selfishness. Either direction leads to destruction as we seek significance or comfort instead of seeking God. We should use the energy that God has uniquely given to us to work in such a way to accomplish the responsibilities He has given us. We all have work to do in many areas of our lives, so we must focus on keeping the things in our “work bucket” equally glorifying to God and ultimately trust Him rather than ourselves.

Scripture References

Genesis 11:4
Genesis 30:1
2 Samuel 11:1
1 Timothy 5:11-15

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1. Bill describes the responsibilities in our lives as our “work bucket.” Everyone’s bucket holds different things, so we must first identify what our bucket carries. What types of work fills your work bucket? In what ways could each of these types of work become corrupted?
2. Because our impulse for work is so powerful, we can escape either into work or from work. When we escape into work, we make too much out of it. If we escape from work, we avoid it. Are you more likely to escape into work or to escape from work? Think through some examples of how this has happened in your life recently.
3. In Genesis 30, we see how Rachel escapes into work to manipulate her situation and gain significance for herself. She finds her value in the role of a mother and attempts to take the situation into her own hands to get what she wants. On the other hand, in 2 Samuel 11, David delegates his responsibility to someone else, escaping from it, and finds himself in a vulnerable situation where his energy is expended in corrupted ways. In what ways do you identify with Rachel or David?
4. Everyone’s work bucket consists of different things, making it easy for us to neglect certain areas. Are you valuing one area of work more than others? What is causing you to prioritize that work ahead of other areas? Is it to seek significance or seek comfort?
5. When our energy exceeds our responsibilities, we are tempted to withdraw into unproductive things. Bill mentioned the escape into social media as one temptation, but there are many other areas (sports, hobbies, gossip, etc.). How has this shown up in your life and how does it corrupt the work that God has given you?
6. Whether we escape into work or from work, identifying whether we are motivated by selfishness or proud unbelief is what draws us to repentance. What patterns of escape in your work do you need to repent and turn from? In what areas of your life do you need to trust that Christ will give you significance? In what areas of your life do you need to trust that Jesus is your comfort?

Thoughts to Consider

Are you primarily characterized by seeking significance (escaping into work) or seeking comfort (escaping from work)?

For those seeking significance:
-We should be aware of our tendency to put too much stock in our own power and abilities (Genesis 11:4).
-We escape into the areas where we feel most significant, and withdraw from areas where we are more vulnerable.
-We often fall into self-reliance, enslaving us to the opinions of others and not free to love or serve.

For those seeking comfort:
-God has given us strength and energy for work, and we have some baseline of responsibility we need to meet for that. When our energy exceeds our responsibilities, it leads to corruption. We have to ask ourselves if our responsibilities meet the energy God has entrusted to us.
-When men are not expending energy in responsibilities to protect and provide, their excess is often expended in corrupted pursuing energy. For example, excessive television, gaming, sports, or hobbies, or pornography. (2 Samuel 11).
-When women do not intentionally employ their energy in responsibilities, they may turn to false or corrupted work that wastes their energy. For example, excessive social media, gossip, or focusig on a cause that is not their responsibility. (1 Timothy 5:11).

Repentance:
-Whichever side of the escaping spectrum you are on, repentance begins with identifying where you struggle with pride unbelief and selfishness.
-We trust ourselves because we don’t trust God. The fear that God will not provide significance or comfort drives us to seek it ourselves.
-We have to trust that Jesus is going to give us a life that matters. We have to believe that if Jesus died and conquered death for us, He has a purpose for us. Jesus saw the hope of resurrection and victory in the future; we have to let this hope free us up to love and live out what God has called us to.