工作

Leader's Notes: 目的：找出正確的對工作的態度。有些人太注重工作，有些人太不注重工作。這個查經資料希望從聖經中讓我們對工作有新的認識。

NOTE: Questions in ‘*’ are for Christians only

【打開話閘子】

1. 你滿意你的工作／學科嗎？為什麼？你認為人為什麼要工作／學習？

Leader's Notes: The following table is a survey in Australia regarding how people receive their job satisfaction. Things to note are: 1. Money may not be what brings job satisfaction, although it is quite important. 2. The top two are good working relationship and flexible working arrangements. 3. The rating difference between the top two and the next two is quite significant: 85 and 81 vs. 52 and 51. 組長可以將前十項列一個表，請組員照著重要性來排列，然後和以下的數據相比較。

Table 5.5: Job Satisfaction–employees’ most important workplace factors: Source: http://www.apsc.gov.au/stateoftheservice/0304/chapter5e.htm
Workplace factor	Employees that nominated factor as important to them (%)	Employees that nominated factor as important who were ‘satisfied’ (%) (a)
Good working relationships	55	85
Flexible working arrangements	47	81
Regular feedback/recognition for effort	45	52
Salary	45	51
Good manager	43	64
Opportunities to develop my skills	42	58
Opportunities to utilise my skills	41	61
Interesting work provided	39	66
Seeing tangible results from my work	38	70
Duties/expectations made clear	38	70
Opportunities for career development	34	32
Chance to make a useful contribution to society	32	69
Chance to be creative/innovative	31	57
Appropriate workload	28	40
Safe and healthy work environment	21	71
Other conditions of employment (e.g. superannuation, paid maternity leave)	19	83

2. 如果請你列一張表，列出五樣你生命中最重要的事情？工作／學習會排第幾位？為什麼它那麼重要／不重要？

3. 你認為工作本來應該是快樂的，還是痛苦的？為什麼？

【觀察討論】

4. 請閱讀創世紀1:26-28，上帝創造人，給人的工作為何？這和人是按照神的形像造的有何關聯？

Leader's Notes: God also works. He created the world and sustains it. Christians are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). Work is a basic dimension of human existence. Adam’s descendants are pictured as various workers (Genesis 4:17ff). God is the worker, together with man the worker, who shared God’s image and dominion.

5. 如果工作是神在創造人的時候已經賦予人的使命和計畫，這使你對工作的看法有何影響？你認為你現在所做的工作和神的計畫有沒有關係，為什麼？

6. 請閱讀創世紀3:17-19，這裡提到人們工作的原因為何？

Leader's Notes: There is a huge contrast between the reason why people work before and after sin. Before, work is purely positive, to manage the created world under God’s authority. Now, work has also a negative connotation – the curse of God due to sin urges man to work hard in order to survive. It used to be good (Genesis 1:31) but now it becomes a curse.

7.辛苦的工作是因為神的咒詛，我們要如何脫離這種咒詛(約翰福音6:35)？為什麼相信耶穌能夠幫助我們脫離這種咒詛？

Leader's Notes: If sin is the cause of curse, faith is the remedy. Faith allows us to have a good relationship with God and by trusting in God for our daily provision. However, due to sin we can’t have a good relationship with God. Therefore, the only way to break this curse is to have relationship with God again through Jesus Christ. After having good relationship with God, by trusting Him you know He will always provide (Matthew 6), which allows us to be satisfied in our material needs. Moreover, Jesus depicts a spiritual food. By believing in Him believers can have eternal life, which is more significant than any earthly needs.

8. 請閱讀傳道書3:22，這裡告訴我們工作有什麼目的？你有沒有達到這個目的？

Leader's Notes: Here although the preacher in Ecclesiastics is normally quite pessimistic, he does see something positive about work.

9. 請閱讀以弗所書4:28，這裡告訴我們工作還有什麼目的？你有沒有達到這個目的？

Leader's Notes: Work is not only for self-satisfaction, but also to serve others.

10. 請閱讀哥林多前書10:31，這裡告訴我們工作還有什麼目的？你有沒有達到這個目的？

Leader's Notes: John Stott wrote: “Work is the expenditure of energy (manual or mental or both) in the service of others, which brings fulfillment to the worker, benefit to the community, and glory to God.” … “Certainly self-fulfilment cannot be isolated from service. For job satisfaction is nor primarily attained by a fair wage, decent conditions, security and a measure of participation in profits, important as these are. It arises from the job itself, and especially from that elusive thing, ‘significance’. Moreover, the main component of significance in relationship to our job is not even the combination of skill, effort and achievement, but the sense that through it we are contributing to the service of community and of God himself. It is service which brings satisfaction, discovering ourselves on our own work, but, if we are employers or managers, to do our utmost to develop it in our workforce.” (John Stott, New Issues Facing Christians Today, pp.196-197)

【生活應用】

11. 從以上的經文中，在聖經裡工作有正面的（神的計畫）和負面的涵義（神的咒詛）。你目前的工作態度是屬於正面的還是負面的多？你願意讓神來掌管你的工作態度嗎？

12. 工作的目的（自我的滿足，服事他人，榮耀神）如何幫助我們在工作上更有意義和方向？你在哪一方面有缺乏，你應當如何更加強那方面？