Will There Be Work in Heaven? Maybe the Better Question is What Is Our Work Now?

The question of work is, ironically, on my mind this Labor Day weekend. Thanks to the efforts (labor) of people who advocated for the fair treatment of American workers, I get Monday off. These advocates had their hands full, because during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s, work conditions for the average American worker were deplorable.

How deplorable? According to the History Channel, "The average American laborer worked 12-hour days, seven days a week, in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages." Labor Day 2026: Facts, Date & Founding | HISTORY. (You can watch an informative, just the facts episode of Drive Through History about Labor Day here https://youtu.be/n2IxchiVdS0?si=xPKsF-8pA6p43b0c)

These long days were typically in unsafe conditions. And the work force included children! Children as young as five or six years of age. Can you imagine?

Come to think of it, people who see problems and who advocate for solutions for the problems they see are usually the ones who get the most good done. I am thankful for people who care enough to speak up and to invest themselves in making a good difference. Right now, I am especially thankful for a day off from my labor, a day to rest and to rejuvenate. A day to reclaim a little peace.

What does the word "work" conjure up in your thinking and in your emotions? Is it satisfaction and a sense of purpose, or is it something altogether opposite?

One of our faith family at Clayvillage Baptist Church submitted a question for our summer sermon series, and it is a great question: Will we work in heaven?

I have long suspected that the garden God planted in the East in the opening chapters of Genesis was a micro-version of God's heavenly kingdom. The former was an earthly paradise, while the latter is the completed and whole heavenly paradise. Following along this line of thinking, it is natural to take the next step. "If man and woman were placed in the garden to nurture and tend God's creation, will man and woman in heaven have the work of nurturing and tending to God's kingdom there?"

It is a natural progression of thought. The only problem is that scripture does not specifically say this. And as we say at Clayvillage, we step back and allow scripture to interpret scripture, in context.

I would love it if scripture gave us an itinerary for our first day in heaven. "“Upon arrival, check in at the Golden Gate. Immediately meet Jesus and one disciple, followed by a brief reunion with your closest family. Check in at your room and settle in. This is followed by an orientation to Heaven, a golden chariot tour of the Holy City, a visit to the River of the Water of Life, and a heavenly buffet feast with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and your family.”

Wouldn't that be comforting, to know this kind of detail in advance?

While scripture doesn't give a great deal of detail about all that we will do in heaven, scripture is surprisingly detailed.

First, there will be worship in heaven. The worship in heaven will flow from the absolute union and communion we have with our Holy God! We will not be singing praise songs while silently carrying heavy hearts and burdens. No! We will be worshipping with no shadow of sin, death, or sorrow!

Revelation 22:3, NLT

"No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him."

Can you imagine worshipping once our entire thought process and heart desires are perfectly aligned with God?

Second, there will be awesome reunions in heaven! We will be with God, and we will be with all the believers – including those in our own families!

Revelation 21:3, NLT

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.”

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, TLB

“For what is it we live for, that gives us hope and joy and is our proud reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes back again. [20] For you are our trophy and joy.”

Here, Paul anticipates seeing and recognizing the believers from Thessalonica when Christ returns.

Further, Jesus told a parable about a rich man and a poor man who had both died. One went to Abraham at the heavenly banquet and one went to hades. The rich man looked into the place where the poor man sat, calling both Abraham and the dead man by name. They were recognizable! (Luke 16:19-31)

Third, there will be parties in heaven! On earth, faithful Jewish people worship and observe High Holy Feasts; this seems to be mirrored in heaven.

Revelation 19:9, NLT

“And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And he added, "These are true words that come from God."

Matthew 8:11, NLT

“And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world-from east and west-and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

In heaven, scripture shows us amazing worship, reunions with other believers and the ability to recognize them, and celebrations and feasts that cannot be matched in this world.

Other scriptures say that believers will reign with Christ and believers will participate in the final judgment with Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:2-3, Revelation 22:3-5)

If we are to reign with Christ and participate in the final judgment with Christ, doesn't it stand to reason we better learn how to do these things in this life? Let's consider what Paul says.

1 Corinthians 6:1-6, NLT

"When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! [2] Don't you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can't you decide even these little things among yourselves? [3] Don't you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. [4] If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? [5] I am saying this to shame you. Isn't there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? [6] But instead, one believer sues another-right in front of unbelievers!"

As important as it is for us to consider what heaven is going to be like, as we set our hearts and our thinking on heaven and on the Savior who has prepared it and with whom we will dwell, it is equally important to consider our part in working in the kingdom in which we presently reside.

If it hadn't been for the people who advocated for better work conditions, the plight of the American worker would never have independently righted itself. It took people who cared enough to speak up and to invest themselves in making our working conditions better.

Paul raises an important question for believers. If we are going to serve in God's heavenly kingdom in such weighty matters as participating in judging angels, ought we not learn to do better at righteous and merciful judgment this side of heaven? Shouldn't we be learning to resolve ordinary disputes in this life?

Practically speaking, brokenness and misunderstandings separate family members, friends, and co-workers. These situations can spring up out of nowhere, or as the result of long-harbored feelings or misunderstandings. And there you are. Face to face with hurt feelings, anger, and broken unity. Human relationships can be messy, and they are often stained by deep-seated feelings and hurt lurking under the surface. It can be difficult to learn to "resolve ordinary disputes," as Paul says.

Remember those people who invested themselves in making work conditions better? They took action, they spoke up, and they persisted. We need to cultivate our ability to do this very same thing, investing ourselves in making a practical, tangible difference in situations where people are suffering, lacking, and hurting.

It takes prayer, patience, humility, grace, and mercy. Look around! What are the situations and relationships around you needing you to begin practicing resurrection life right now?

And what does it even mean to practice resurrection? I found this phrase in something written by Wendell Berry. I think it is the perfect mirror of how life here and now can be broken and empty, while advocating for a better way of life now that more perfectly mirrors life in heaven.

It is called Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front. You can read it in its entirety here Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry

"Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

of everything ready-made. Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know."

Talk about life on a hamster wheel! I think of the words of Jesus, "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? [37] Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Mark 8:36-37)

Then Berry shows us a better way.

"So, friends, every day do something

that won’t compute. Love the Lord.

Love the world. Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor.

Love someone who does not deserve it ...

"Ask the questions that have no answers.

Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.

Say that your main crop is the forest

that you did not plant,

that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested

when they have rotted into the mold.

Call that profit. Prophesy such returns ...

Practice resurrection."

Ah, there it is. "Practice resurrection." Invest your life now in those things that last beyond the here and now.

Invest in those things that hold ultimate meaning.

Jesus puts it this way, "Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [35] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it." (Mark 8:34-35)

We practice resurrection by practicing life. I found this in an article, and it makes this point well. "We 'seek the things that are above' and despise death everywhere we see it (Col. 3:1). Therefore, we go on the offensive against death. Part of how we practice life is through our virtuous public deeds. Historically, Christians were instrumental in the growth of adoption and foster care. In the ancient world, it was common for unwanted children to be discarded or drowned. Children were viewed as property; therefore, parents could do what they wanted with them. Early Christians, however, advocated for rescuing these babies and often adopting them. For example, in the second century, there was a letter from an unknown Christian to a figure called Diognetus. In this letter, he defends Christians, saying, “They marry and have children, but they do not expose them.” To expose a child was to leave them outside to die. Early Christians would rescue these exposed children and thus spread life throughout society." 6 Ways to Live Out the Resurrection in Your Everyday Life | Crossway

This is just one example, of course, but can you imagine the change in our families, in our friendships, in our workplaces, and in our world if every believer began to live in ways that call life out of death!

What if every farmer and every corporation began to operate out of a resurrection mindset that put the highest needs of the earth, the environment, and the worker in view?

Consider these pearls of wisdom.

Proverbs 22:9, NLT

"Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor."

Generosity and caring for those in need is practicing resurrection!

Proverbs 22:22, NLT

"Don't rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court."

Being fair in our dealings, especially with those who lack the position or power we have is practicing resurrection!

Proverbs 22:28, NLT

"Don't cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations."

Being honest in our dealings and honoring commitments is practicing resurrection!

Psalm 82:3-4, NLT

"Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. [4] Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people."

Our world needs more people willing to speak up and invest themselves in making tangible differences on behalf of others.

I am thankful for those who advocated for better working conditions, and I am thankful for President Grover Cleveland who made Labor Day a federal holiday. I am thankful when people see a problem and invest themselves in finding solutions.

After a well-deserved rest this Labor Day weekend, let's go practice resurrection! This is our work now.