The headlines are often full of reports about job gains and loses and unemployment statistics and the likelyhood as to whether or not our current economic situation is nearing an end. One thing is for sure, it will come to an end and employers will again start hiring. When they do, how should we as Christians conduct ourselves?
The Bible has a lot to say about how a person should perform on the job. Here, I will cover a few that I believe will give us an idea of what God expects of us.
Proverbs 14:23..... "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty". Contrary to popular belief among some today, there is nothing wrong with making a profit as long as you work hard to achieve and do so honestly. Whether that hard work takes place on the front end by spending time in college educating yourself or on the back end doing the manual labor, you have to, as the saying goes, "walk the walk and not just talk the talk." If you know what to do, do it. Don't just stand around and wait for someone else to do it for you.
Proverbs 18:9.... "One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys". When a worker doesn't put their all into their job, they are stealing productivity away from the person who employed them. that steals money from the employers pocket which inhibits his ability for future growth destroying that company's future potential and future jobs that company could have created had it's potential been met.
Proverbs 28:19.... "Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty". I don't believe that the Bible is saying here that we shouldn't have dreams and persue them, rather do so through a logical progression of hard work. You first have to be educated, then develop a plan, surround yourself with people who can help you achieve your goal and then emplement the plan diligently.
2 Thessalonians 3:10..."For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat' ". In our countries "War on poverty", we have implemented a welfare system that is completely contrary to what Paul taught and we are seeing the logical result of it today. People are given food and shelter without doing anything to earn it. That encourages laziness and has created a culture, that extends beyond any racial or ethnic boundaries, entitlement and government dependence that is detrimental to everyone it touches. Read again what the apostle Paul wrote, if you don't work, you don't eat. Pretty simple, if you want to sit at the table then you have to earn it. That does not mean that we shouldn't have pitty on those who have fallen on hard times. We do need to help those any way we can, but it is the responsiblilty of the Church and individual Christians to do so, not the government. You will never read where Paul or any other apostle complained that the government wasn't taking care of the people. They viewed it as an opportunity to show Christ's love through them and then share the gospel of that love and it's manifestation.
The last and most important verse that I will use in this piece is this, Colosians 3:23...."Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man". I have often heard people murmur "I will not start my time no sooner than eight a.m. and I'm not working a minute past four P.M"., and "don't even consider asking me to work through my lunch or break, that's my time." Is that the attitude you would have if Jesus himself were standing in front of you and asked you to do something? Or, would you say "yes, Lord, your will be done? This verse makes it pretty clear that if you wouldn't be satisfied presenting your work to Jesus, then you're not done with your work.
Work hard everyday and make God proud of his creation. In that way, we will lead others to Christ, because after all, that's what we're here for!
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