Called by God: Adam and Eve
“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fulfill the earth and subdue it.’” Genesis 1:28
Everyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior has a calling from God. A calling is a unique assignment to serve others on God’s behalf to advance His purposes. He designed and equipped you to fulfill this unique task, and promised to be with you in your ministry.
There are a variety of calling scenarios throughout the Bible. In this series we will take a look at some of the callings God issued to various Bible characters, beginning with Adam and Eve.
Background
God created Adam first and placed him in the Garden of Eden, a beautiful place that was without sin. God first called Adam to work the Garden and to take care of it.
Recognizing that Adam was alone, God created Eve to be Adam’s wife. God created Adam and Eve as male and female in God’s own image. Immediately after God created them, He blessed them and issued a mutual calling with five components. They were to be fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over it. The only restriction God gave them was to not eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.
Response
Satan, in the form of a serpent, convinced Eve to eat an apple, and Eve persuaded Adam to do the same. After Adam and Eve sinned, the consequences related to work were severe. Eve would experience pain during childbirth and Adam would endure hardship in his work.
God also banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and they were no longer in God’s Presence. They were spiritually dead – completely separated from God. Thousands of years later, God’s Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth to die in our place of the cross. His sacrificial death made it possible for people to be reconciled to God by grace through faith.
Meaning
God is a worker, and created us in His image to be workers, too. Work is an innate part of who we are as human beings. By itself, work is noble, God-honoring, and part of community. But sin has tainted our work experience so that, at times, our work is personally unfulfilling.
Summary
God created you to work, and intended for your work to be meaningful, fulfilling, and rewarding. He designed you in such a way that there is a perfect place for you to work based on your uniqueness. He wants you to find your “sweet spot” – the work that is a perfect match for who He designed you to be. If you hate your job, it’s probably not a good match for your design. Life is too short to work in a job you hate. Find the place God intended you to work – where your strengths match the job requirements.
Prayer
O Lord, Thank You for creating me to work. I know that You want me to discover the perfect fit for the way You wired me up. Show me. Amen.
© 2013 Designed to Serve®
Dr. Steve Lake is a retired educator with over 30 years experience in the American public schools. He has served in a variety of position, including teacher, elementary school principal, junior high principal, Associate Superintendent, retired from public education as Superintendent of Schools in Lincolnwood, IL. He has his Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Education degrees from Northern Illinois University. For the past 25 years Steve has attended and been a member of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and Northfield, IL. At Willow Creek Steve has taught adult classes on spiritual gifts, life purpose, and spiritual disciplines. He has ministered overseas in Angola, Zambia, Honduras, Germany, and Russia. Steve is co-founder of Designed to Serve, a ministry that equips Christians to live out their unique God-given calling. Steve is married and has two adult children who are married.
