DAY 20
工作
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網

耶和華神在東方的伊甸立了一個園子，把所造的人安置在那裏。
耶和華神使各樣的樹從地裏長出來，可以悅人的眼目，其上的果子好作食物。園子當中又有生命樹和分別善惡的樹。
耶和華神將那人安置在伊甸園，使他修理，看守。（創世記2:8, 9, 15）。

耶和華精心為人預備了完美的環境。祂創造了人，祂清楚知道什麼對人最好，人將享受什麼。祂還創造了人，讓人自己修理看守，而這需要工作。有些人錯誤地認為工作是詛咒的一部分，但人類在墮落之前就在花園裡工作了。工作不是詛咒的一部分；"勞苦 "才是詛咒的一部分。勞苦與工作不同。勞苦是指只有通過艱苦和痛苦的工作才能完成。勞苦意味著被造物抵擋而不是合作。

人被造是為了與神相交，也是為了耕耘大地。因此，人被造也是為了工作，有意義的工作對人的幸福和成就至關重要。這裡的關鍵字是 "有意義"。主打算讓我們從我們的工作中得到深深的滿足。如果我們的生活中沒有有意義的成就，就會出現另一種空虛，使我們空虛和迷失方向。每個人都能找到有意義的工作，這也是根本。

在本章中，有兩個希伯來語單詞被翻譯成修理看守 "cultivate"（修理）。它們是`bad（aw-bad'），意思是 "服務，耕種"，以及shaman（shaw-mar'），意思是 "圍住，守衛，保護"。這些都是人的固有屬性。我們之前在《創世記》2:5中讀到，"野地還沒有草木，田間的菜蔬還沒有長起來；因為耶和華神還沒有降雨在地上，也沒有人耕地。" 主甚至把祂創造計畫的一部分留給了人，讓人協助。

我們的屬性之一就是將主給我們的東西提供出來，並在其中加入我們自己的內容。這對某些人來說甚至可能是褻瀆，但當我們瞭解到主把這一切留給人去做，以便人能夠表達祂放在人身上的創造性。上帝希望人在花園裡的觸摸。祂想讓人在心裡擁有它，這樣人就會修理看守它。當然，這是要和上帝一起做的，但主希望人能夠有所貢獻。

我們的屬性是尋找方法為事物增添我們自己的色彩，改善它們，並保護我們被委託的領域。就像我們所有的天賦和特性一樣，如果不正確地使用它們，它們就會被錯誤地使用。如果沒有建設性地使用它們，它們就會被破壞性地使用。即便如此，人被創造出來就是要有創造力，這是我們被賦予的神的形象的一個基本部分。

人被稱為在神裡面安息，但我們也必須與神一起工作。在這種工作中，我們必須找到祂創造我們的目的。以弗所書1:4告訴我們："就如神從創立世界以前，在基督裏揀選了我們，使我們於愛裏在他面前成為聖潔，無可指摘"。在世界被造之前，我們就已經被神預知並撿選。那位如此特別和具體的神也知道祂創造我們的目的。我們每個人都有一個非常具體的工作要做，一個非常具體的呼召。除非我們在做我們的呼召，否則我們永遠不會知道我們心中真正的平安和滿足。

我們如何知道我們的呼召是什麼？這可能有點過於簡化，但我們在以弗所書1:4發現："於愛裏"。因為我們被創造的時候就考慮到了我們的目的，我們被呼召做的事情也將是我們最喜歡做的事情。約翰福音7:38告訴我們："信我的人就如聖經上所說：『從他腹中要流出活水的江河來。』"。活水只能來自我們的心，那是我們最深的愛。

神創造了我們，呼召我們去做我們內心深處的願望。然而，大多數人被其他人的期望和枷鎖所束縛，以至於需要完全更新他們的思想，才能開始辨別神呼喚他們所背負的枷鎖。即便如此，我們必須追求這一目標，不放棄，直到我們生活在平安和滿足之中，只有當我們知道我們在做我們被創造出來的事情時，才能得到平安和滿足。 

DAY 20
Labor
Rick Joyner

And the LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it (Genesis 2:8, 9, 15).

The Lord carefully and wonderfully prepared a perfect environment for man. He created man and He knew exactly what would be best for him, and what he would enjoy. He also created man to cultivate his own environment, and this required labor. Some have mistakenly believed that labor was a part of the curse, but man labored in the Garden before the fall. Labor was not a part of the curse; "toil" was the curse. Toil is different from labor. To toil is to accomplish only with hard and painful labor. Toil implies the opposition of the creation instead of its cooperation.

Man was created for fellowship with God, and for cultivating the earth. Therefore, man was also created to labor, and meaningful labor is essential for the well-being and fulfillment of man. The key word here is "meaningful." The Lord intended for us to receive a deep satisfaction from our labors. Without meaningful accomplishment in our lives, there will be another void that leaves us empty and disoriented. It is also fundamental that every person find meaningful labor.

There are two Hebrew words translated into the one English word "cultivate" in this chapter. They are `bad (aw-bad'), which means "to serve, till," and shaman (shaw-mar'), which means to "hedge about, guard, protect." These are both inherent characteristics of man. We read previously in Genesis 2:5, "Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground." The Lord had even left part of His planned creation for man to help bring forth.

It is a part of our very nature to take what the Lord has provided for us, and add our own touch to it. This may even seem sacrilegious to some, but not when we understand that the Lord left this for man to do so that man could express the creative nature that He had put in him. God wanted man's touch in the Garden. He wanted man to own it in his heart so that he would be compelled to keep and protect it. Of course, this was to be done with God, but the Lord wanted man to contribute.

Our nature is to look for ways to add our own touch to things, to improve them, and to be protective of domains with which we are entrusted. As with all of our gifts and characteristics, if they are not used rightly, they will be used wrongly. If they are not used constructively, they will be used destructively. Even so, man was created to be creative, which is a basic part of the image of God that we have been given.

Man is called to rest in God, but we must also labor with God. In this labor, we must find what He created us to do. We are told in Ephesians 1:4 that, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love." We were foreknown and chosen by God before the world was even created. The God who is so particular and specific also knew what He created us for. We each have a very specific job to do—a very specific calling. We will never know a true peace and fulfillment in our hearts until we are doing our callings.

How do we know what our calling is? This may be to oversimplify it a little, but we find out in the last two words of Ephesians 1:4 "In love." Because we were created with our purpose in mind, what we are called to do will also be what we love to do the most. We are told in John 7:38, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" Living waters can only come from our hearts, that which is our deepest love.

God has created us and called us to do the deepest desire of our hearts. However, most people are so burdened and bound by other people's expectations and yokes that it takes complete renewing of their minds before they begin to discern the yoke that God has called them to carry. Even so, we must pursue this quest and not give up until we are living in peace and fulfillment which can only come when we know we are doing what we were created to do.