Our attitude towards work
Our attitude towards work Romans 12:11 “Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.” Good News Bible Extra Reading: Romans 12:9-21
Someone once said this to me that “what we are is more important than what we do, for the doing will come from the being.” I believed every word of what he told me. But this does not mean we fold our arms, look up the skies, twiddle our fingers and do nothing! Work is important. God was at work when He created the heavens, earth, animals, and everything that we see with our naked eyes. Of course He rested on the seventh day. From the Scripture we have just read, Paul exhorts Roman believers to work hard and not be lazy. R. Tagore once said, “God respects me when I work, but He loves me when I sing.” Paul again rebuked the Thessalonians and he said, “For we hear that some of you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and earn their living” (2 Thessalonians 3:11, 12). After receiving the Gospel they thought that they would rather not do anything related to work, just lazy around and wait for the Lord’s Second Coming. We all know that was wrong since idleness breeds sin. Some people ended up being criminals and jailed for many years due to idleness. One evangelist taught in his sermon many years ago that “an idle mind is the workshop of the devil.” So, sisters and brothers, let’s get working! Idleness causes trouble and division in the church. Paul urged Thessalonian believers to earn their bread and eat it quietly causing no disruption. Paul’s cure for gossip is simply handwork. One young lady once told me that she cannot do anything and hates work. I rebuked her.
Do your work with diligence and commit the rest to God in prayer. The psalmist in Psalm 19:1 reminds us of one of the most important things God did. He says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” You see, God is at work all the time. The work ‘handiwork’ refers to creation. Jeremiah states a most important factor here, “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness…” (Jeremiah 48:10). This means that when we do God’s work we have to do it with urgency, determination and not with laziness. Paul again encourages us to do God’s work with a great amount of commitment. He says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men’ (Colossians 3:23). There is a great missionary of old I love very much. Hudson Taylor once said, “God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” Evangelists, missionaries, church planters and pastors are all at work when they choose to serve God. There is also a saying that ‘God is more concerned about the worker, than He is about the work. When we do what we can, God will do what we can’t. Exodus 23:12 states, “For six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.” God planned it that way that we should have time to rest after working hard for six days. Ecclesiastes 9:10 states, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. Idleness is out of the picture here. Please show me the grave of a person who died out of handwork! None.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to do the work I need to do. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
