Picture the slice of toast you had for breakfast this morning. How did it get to your table? Farmers tilled the soil, companies produced fertilizers, and logistics teams transported the grain to mills and bakeries. Marketers created advertisements, distributors stocked shelves, and finally, you purchased it. As Pastor Anand Mahadevan pointed out during the Work Matters Conference, “How many people do you think were involved in God answering your prayer for your daily bread? Hundreds? Thousands? Maybe more.”

This single slice of toast reveals a profound truth: every vocation, no matter how ordinary, is part of God’s design for human flourishing. Yet, cultural narratives often distort our understanding of work. How can we correct this? By embracing the biblical narrative of work, a framework rooted in the 5-chapter story of the gospel.

Why We Misunderstand Work
Our misunderstanding of work often comes from elevating it to a status it was never meant to have. We look to work to provide the salvation our souls long for, making it an idol. Pastor Anand explained this through the lens of his own family’s experiences in Mumbai, where generational shifts have shaped how work is viewed. For his grandparents, work offered security—a path out of poverty and toward stability. For his parents, it became a gateway to respect and education, ways to achieve societal honour. In his generation, the pursuit of success took center stage, with career achievements defining self-worth. Now, Gen Z focuses on happiness, seeking work that aligns with personal passions and rejecting anything less.

“Each of these narratives contains a grain of truth,” Pastor Anand pointed out. “Security, success, and happiness are good things. But when they become ultimate, they fail us.” These false narratives elevate work into a kind of saviour, offering “pseudo-salvation” but leaving us empty and disillusioned when they inevitably fail to meet our expectations.

A Biblical View of Work: The 5-Chapter Gospel Framework
To think rightly about work, Pastor Anand suggests looking at it through the lens of the gospel’s five-chapter storyline: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Renewal, and Restoration. This framework helps us understand the true purpose of work and keeps us grounded in God’s redemptive plan.

1. Creation: Work as God’s Good Design
Work is not a result of the fall—it was part of God’s perfect creation. Genesis 2:15 tells us, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

God designed work as a means of human flourishing. Through it, we partner with Him to care for creation and bless others. Even God Himself delighted in His work, pausing after each act of creation to see that it was good. “Job satisfaction,” as Pastor Anand put it, “is a holy emotion.”

Work, at its best, reflects God’s character. Whether creating, managing, or serving, our labour allows us to mirror the Creator who made us in His image.

2. Fall: The Corruption of Work
Sin distorted work, making it toilsome and frustrating. Genesis 3:17-19 describes this reality: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” Even the toast we eat reflects this brokenness—people toil, and exploitation is often hidden within the process of producing the goods we consume.. The fall didn’t just bring thorns and thistles to our labour—it also introduced sin into our motivations. Pride, greed, and selfish ambition often distort our work, turning it into a means of self-glorification rather than a way to glorify God.

3. Redemption: Work Restored Through Christ
The good news is that Jesus came not only to redeem souls but to restore all of creation—including work. As Colossians 1:20 declares, “Through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.”

Through Christ’s redemptive work, we are no longer enslaved to the false narratives of work. Our identity is secure in Him, freeing us to approach work as an act of worship rather than a source of worth. Pastor Anand explained it this way: “Just as God reconciles the souls of believers to Himself, He also reconciles all things, including work, through the finished work of Christ on the cross.”

4. Renewal: Partnering with God in His Work
We live in the “already but not yet” of God’s kingdom. Christ has inaugurated the renewal of all things, but His work is not yet complete. In this fourth chapter, we are called to join Him in bringing glimpses of heaven to earth through our work.

As Pastor Anand put it, “In this fourth chapter, God is slowly renewing all of creation and using each of us to partner with Him in that renewal.” This means striving for excellence, justice, and beauty in whatever field we’re called to, whether it’s business, education, healthcare, or homemaking.

Your work matters because it is part of God’s plan to renew the world. The challenging boss, the stressful deadlines, the tedious tasks—they are all opportunities for sanctification and service.

5. Restoration: Work in the New Creation
The final chapter of the gospel is the hope of restoration. One day, Christ will return, and all things will be made new. Revelation 22:3-5 paints a picture of this future: “No longer will there be anything accursed… and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face… and they will reign forever and ever.”

In the new creation, work will no longer be marked by frustration or futility. It will be perfectly fulfilling, a joyful act of worship. Pastor Anand encouraged us to imagine what this might look like: “Work in some form will continue, glorifying God through the work of our hands.”

Work Matters
The five-chapter gospel framework reshapes how we view work. It reminds us that our labour, no matter how mundane or demanding, is part of God’s redemptive plan.

As Pastor Anand concluded, “The work of our hands will never cease to glorify God.” So, whether you’re a CEO or a security guard, your work matters. In Christ, it becomes an act of worship, a means of renewal, and a foretaste of the restoration to come.