Lesson 1. Work is Godly

Part One: Business Management

Lesson 1. Work is Godly Lesson 2. Doing business properly Lesson 3. Preparing your product Lesson 4. Decide your pricing Lesson 5. Customer care Lesson 6. Dealing with uncertainties

Lesson 1: Work is Godly

Anchor Scripture:

• Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. • Galatians 6:4-5 (NLT) Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Specific training objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: • View work as part of God’s design for man • Communicate to others the value of working • Understand the reward of work

Ask the trainees to define Work. How do they view working? Is it positive or negative? Do they enjoy their work or only tolerate it?

Why do we WORK?

• We work because God designed us to work. We are designed in God’s image. God worked hard at creating the earth as shown in the scripture in Genesis – and we are created in his image to also be creative and hard working. • In the story of creation, God assigned work to humans before sin entered the world. He placed man in the garden to work in it. And this was not a curse! Humans are created to work.

Why should we work?

Ask the trainees to speak with one other person about what the purpose is of work. After a minute or two, ask for some examples to share with the group. Accept all responses, then emphasize:

We work for many reasons. The key reasons:

1. Work is what God gives us to earn income to provide for ourselves and our families

2. Work is a means to provide goods and services to the community, our customers, our employers 3. Working develops the capabilities God has given us

What is the reward of working or consequences of not working?

• By working, we receive many benefits: * Building confidence by investing our time and talents into hard work * Providing for our families * Having more opportunities in life. • What happens if we do not work? * Lack of providing for ourselves or our family * Vulnerability to bad habits to cope with not working (addictions, dependency on others, etc.) * Vulnerability to making money in bad ways (immoral or illegal business, stealing from others, etc.)

ROLE PLAY:

Ask the trainees to form small groups of 2-3. Have them imagine a situation when a friend or family member might criticize them for working hard or treating their work as a blessing from God. One person should pretend to be this critical friend, and another person practice explaining why work is good. Have participants recall key points together about why work is a blessing.

Key learning points

• Work is part of God’s design and was part of the initial creation, even before sin • Work has many benefits which one can only achieve through working • We can share with others the value of work, even when they criticize us for working hard.