Is "Work" really a swear word?

     I was talking with an acquittance once and he asked how I was doing.  With a huge smile on my face I said I was loving life.  I asked him how he was doing and his response shocked me.  He said,"Brad, you are the only person I know who loves their job."  I thought to myself, "What a sad, sad statement."   
     It wasn't as if I could argue with him.  We live in a world that promotes the idea that the only time when you are really living is on the weekend, on vacation, or avoiding work in general.  We even have hilarious TV shows like "The Office" based upon how miserable people are at work.   
     Even Christians have this misconception that work is a part of God's punishment on the human race for Adam and Eve's sin.  The reality is that God gave Adam and Eve work to do before they ate the deadly fruit.  Genesis 2:15 (the Message) says, "God took the man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order."  Granted part of their punishment for breaking God's only law at that time was that their work would become more toilsome, but work was still a part of God's idea of a perfect world.         
     God also gives indications in his word that there will be work in heaven.     GASP . . . Work in heaven? Bite your tongue!  I know it sounds crazy.  Though if we are honest with ourselves, we will acknowledge that there is a deep satisfaction in a job well done.  Our culture has down played that God-given feeling of accomplishment and has over emphasized the monetary rewards that comes with hard work.   
     Here is what I found today in 1 Corinthians 15 (the Message) "It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it."  To those whose lives are surrendered to Christ, He gives us the joy of working, but will also give us the grace to accomplish it.  
     Paul also tells slaves in Ephesians 6:7 "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."  Your job may not be a walk in the park, but trust me you are far from a slave.   
     I challenge you to wrestle with these questions today:
        If I hate working, where does that attitude come from?
       How can I trust God today to give me the energy to accomplish the work he has given me?