What Does the Bible Say About Work? A Biblical View on Labor

What does the bible say about work? This sermon explores a biblical view on labor, sharing insights from my recent mission trip to Malawi and Uganda. Through firsthand stories, scriptural analysis, and spiritual reflection, the message unpacks what the Bible says about work, the spiritual causes of poverty, and how God created us to work as a form of worship and obedience. From Genesis to Ecclesiastes, we see that work is not a curse, but a God-given gift. The sermon contrasts the productivity seen in Scripture with the cultural issues faced in parts of Africa, highlighting how laziness, unbiblical marriage roles, and entitlement contribute to poverty. Most importantly, this sermon is a wake-up call to view work as a spiritual calling and a platform for Gospel witness. Whether you're asking “What does the Bible say about work?” or wondering how to find purpose and fulfillment in your labor, this message will challenge and equip you with biblical truth. https://youtu.be/Tc1kco1Spxw Table of contentsThe Poverty Problem Is Spiritual Versus PhysicalThree Consequences of Disobeying the BibleUgandans Are Poor Because They Disobey What the Bible Says About WorkFirst, people have no concept of saving or planning for the futureSecond, socialism is destroying the countryThird, there’s no shame about not workingWhat Does the Bible Say About Work?The Bible Says God Is a WorkerThe Bible Says God Created Us to WorkOur Motivations with WorkThe Fall Brought a Curse on WorkWe Work After the Curse Is RemovedThe Bible Says Enjoying Our Work Is Good and Fitting I was a business major in college. I’ve always enjoyed finance and economics. In 2024, I took a mission trip to Malawi, Africa, to teach at a Bible College and a Pastor's Conference. In 2025, I went to Malawi and Uganda to put on marriage conferences. I was very interested in the countries' economies on both trips, particularly why they are so poor. This is Afghanistan. Out of almost 200 countries, Afghanistan is the 10th poorest, and Malawi is 20th. There are two reasons Afghanistan is poor. First, all the military conflicts that have occurred within their borders. Second, as you can tell from the picture, nothing grows there. There’s little farmable land. Malawi is a beautiful and lush country. We ate well there because of the bananas and the largest avocados I’ve ever seen. We broke down in front of this restaurant in Malawi. I have been trying to get Katie to come to Africa with me. She kept refusing, so I sent her this picture and told her I would make us reservations if she would come with me. She’s still thinking about it. What surprised me about Malawi and Uganda is how similar they are in terms of beliefs, marriage problems, environments, and economies. This is a picture of the Nile I took from our hotel in Uganda. Again, you see how lush and green it is. This furniture store is right outside our hotel and might reveal part of Uganda's economic problems. It was raining incredibly hard at times, but the store owner kept the tarp over his bricks but left his couches exposed to the weather. When Ricky, Johnny, and I visited Robert Wafula, our missionary, in Uganda, we had to take a ferry back and forth among the islands. This is a picture from when we approached the port. Again, you can see how lush and beautiful it is. Can you see why I wondered why Malawi and Uganda are so poor? I am not going to say that either country has the resources to be wealthy, but I believe they have the resources to be in much better situations than they are in. The Poverty Problem Is Spiritual Versus Physical The more I traveled and spoke with people, the more convinced I became that poverty seems like a physical problem. However, while some physical factors exist, the problem is primarily spiritual. Much of Africa's poverty can be attributed to disobeying God’s word. That’s why the best way to help the people in Uganda and Malawi is to help them spiritually rather than physically or financially. If the spiritual condition of the countries improved, the physical and financial conditions would improve. https://youtu.be/8-oQ-gehWGc This short clip shows us driving through a Ugandan village with Robert and two team members. Notice that the homes are of lower quality than the homes in Malawi. They are not even made of brick; they are made of mud. Toward the end of the video, you can see a few men fishing and a woman in the water. I would guess she was about seven or eight months pregnant. I asked Robert about her, and he said she would have the baby in the village. I don’t think she could do anything if she had any problems. After delivering, she would probably go right back to work. This identifies one of the main spiritual problems in both countries. The women work very hard, but the men do not. During one of my marriage conferences, one of the men raised his hand and said, “When I come home, I sit down, put my feet up, my wife goes to the other room to get a bowl of water, and then she returns and washes my feet.” Three Consequences of Disobeying the Bible When you drive down the road, men ride on bikes, scooters, or motorcycles. Women walk with huge loads on their heads and shoulders, often carrying babies on their backs. Why is it this way? When a man marries a woman, he pays the dowry or bride price for her. This is unbiblical, and whenever we go against Scripture, there are consequences, and here are three of them. Wives are often viewed as possessions. They were purchased and are owned by the men who bought them. Men don’t feel like they need to work. They already did their part. They earned their lives of ease because they saved money to buy their wives. Women must then work hard to pay back the dowry or bride price. If you visit any nursery in Africa, it is filled with male babies. Nobody gives up female babies because they will make a family money, and they are the workhorses. But males are worthless and useless. Instead of working, men play Bao. We broke down multiple times. Once, when we broke down, I took Ricky and Johnny to walk around a local village with me. That’s my thing: if we’re broke down, let’s mingle. They watched people playing Bao, probably the most popular game in the country because it requires little more than a board and some rocks. When you drive through the areas of Malawi that have businesses and shops, you’ll see the men sitting in front playing Bao for hours while their wives are working. This is one reason for the poverty in Uganda and Malawi. Hopefully, you see how the problem looks physical or financial, but it’s spiritual. There is an unbiblical view of marriage and work. If even these two things could be fixed, I can’t imagine how much better these countries would be. Here’s a picture from when Ricky, Johnny, and I spent the day with Robert Wafula and saw his ministry in Uganda. Robert is next to me in the light blue shirt. Ronnie, in the purple shirt, is on the other end. He is the family pastor for SHIM, and his position is very important because of the poor biblical understanding of marriage and family. I told Ronnie how thankful I am for what he’s doing, and I only wish his voice could be magnified for the whole country. Ugandans Are Poor Because They Disobey What the Bible Says About Work Let’s be honest: we don’t enjoy talking with everyone. There are some people we enjoy talking with more than others. Ronnie was one of those people I thoroughly enjoyed talking with. I felt like I could have listened to him all day. At the beginning of the sermon, I told you that I like finance and economics, and that’s what he’s studying. I was very impressed with him. Like Robert, he is articulate and intelligent. I said, “Tell me why you think the people in Uganda are so poor.” His answer described people’s disobedience to biblical financial principles. Here are three highlights of what he said. First, people have no concept of saving or planning for the future As soon as they get money, they spend it. In their minds, it’s like, “I get money for one reason: to spend it. I’ll do that as soon as I can.” But you could also argue that when you have so little money, you must spend it to survive. So, I don’t want to sound insensitive to their positions or act like I think it would be easy to save. Second, socialism is destroying the country As you can imagine, most family members don’t move away from each other. Villages are filled with generations that have lived together. One of the worst causes of laziness is a family member receiving money. Then, the rest of the family feels no obligation to work because they feel entitled to that money. There’s a strong sense of entitlement. You see it with the youngest children. They will approach you and say, “Give me money.” In America, a capitalistic country, the idea is, “I want money, so I better work hard.” You might not view America that way, but if you spend little time in Africa, you will notice the different mentalities. In Africa, the idea is, “You have money, so you should give it to me.” Third, there’s no shame about not working In America, it's shameful not to work, but in Malawi and Uganda, it is the norm. This contributes to the purposelessness that characterizes many people’s lives. People wander around with little to do, and many of them spend their time being incredibly unproductive. This is why time has no value. Nobody shows up on time. Nothing starts when it’s supposed to start. And nobody thinks anything about it. Every day, when my marriage conferences were supposed to begin, only a fraction of the people were there. Then, everyone trickled in over the following two hours. At the end of the first day of my marriage conference in Malawi, the man organizing the conference told the group, “We will start at 8 AM tomorrow.” Then,