# What does the Bible say about work? > What the Bible says about work — Scripture-cited verses on working as for the Lord, committing your labor, and honest effort, plus a next step you can take. Source: https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/work By Andrew Kittridge, Founder of Lumin · August 13, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026 Verses are chosen for the question being asked. Scripture on this site is quoted from the Lumin Translation, the same text as the public reader and the iPhone Bible tab: Lumin’s own translation, drafted with AI from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, checked verse by verse against them, and approved by Lumin. Glosses in answers are original summaries, not a second Bible. Open the named passage; AI is not the interpreter. [How we cite Scripture](https://www.lumin.faith/about#how-we-cite) Work in Scripture is older than the fall: people were made to cultivate, make, and keep. The Bible honors diligent labor and warns against both idleness and work that becomes a god. What you do with your hands and hours can be offered to God without being the source of your worth. - [Ask with Scripture you can open](https://www.lumin.faith/ask.md) - [Keep Sunday with you](https://www.lumin.faith/sermon-week.md) - [What does the Bible say about AI taking jobs?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-does-the-bible-say-about-ai-taking-jobs.md) ## Bible verses about work - **[Colossians 3:23](https://www.lumin.faith/read/colossians/3#23)** — Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord rather than for people. - **[Proverbs 16:3](https://www.lumin.faith/read/proverbs/16#3)** — Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. - **[Ecclesiastes 9:10](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ecclesiastes/9#10)** — Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. - **[2 Thessalonians 3:10](https://www.lumin.faith/read/2-thessalonians/3#10)** — The one unwilling to work should not eat — a warning against idle dependence, not against the unable. - **[Genesis 2:15](https://www.lumin.faith/read/genesis/2#15)** — God put the man in the garden to work it and keep it: work was part of creation before the fall. - **[Proverbs 14:23](https://www.lumin.faith/read/proverbs/14#23)** — All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. - **[1 Thessalonians 4:11-12](https://www.lumin.faith/read/1-thessalonians/4#11)** — Aim to live quietly, mind your own affairs, and work with your hands, so your life wins respect. - **[Ephesians 6:7](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ephesians/6#7)** — Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord and not people. ## Highlighted verse > Whatever you do, put your whole self into the work, as for the Lord and not for people, since you know that the Lord will repay you with the inheritance. The Lord Christ is the one you serve. > > — Colossians 3:23-24 (Lumin Translation) ## Reflection The Bible relocates the audience of your work. You still have a boss, a customer, or a classroom, but the deeper measure is whether the labor is honest, neighbor-loving, and offered to God. Rest belongs beside this: work that never stops has already become an idol. ## One next step Before your next task, pray Colossians 3:23 once, then do that one task without splitting attention — as if the Lord were the one receiving it. ## FAQ ### What is a key Bible verse about work? Colossians 3:23: whatever you do, put your whole self into the work, as for the Lord and not for people. Proverbs 16:3 and Ecclesiastes 9:10 add committing the labor to God and doing what your hand finds with might. ### How should Christians approach their job? Be honest, neighbor-loving, and offered to God — without letting the job become the source of your worth. Rest belongs beside this. Work that never stops has already become an idol. ### Does the Bible value ordinary work? Yes. Work is older than the fall: people were made to cultivate and keep. Diligence is honored; idleness and oppressive toil are warned against. The audience of your labor is finally the Lord. ## Related questions - [What does the Bible say about wisdom?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/wisdom.md) - [What does the Bible say about rest?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/rest.md) - [What does the Bible say about identity?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/identity.md) ## Related guides - [Ask with Scripture you can open](https://www.lumin.faith/ask.md) - [Keep Sunday with you](https://www.lumin.faith/sermon-week.md) - [What does the Bible say about AI taking jobs?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-does-the-bible-say-about-ai-taking-jobs.md) --- Ask, Bible Coach, Pray, and Sermon Week are the four jobs in Lumin. The app is for iPhone and iPad. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lumin-bible-ai-companion/id6754889412 Ask on the web: https://www.lumin.faith/app Browse answers: https://www.lumin.faith/answers.md