The Bible is a complete book. It is the only book that can boast of such. From it, we get instructions on how to live our lives on Earth and how to prepare for eternity. One thing that people ironically overlook or water down today although it was strongly emphasized in the bible is the place of work…hard work.
Choosing not to work is a direct violation of what God has intended. When God made man, He placed him in the garden to work and tend it (Gen. 2:15). Working is a God-designed concept and even God worked (Gen. 2:3). The Bible tells us that a man who does not work has no business eating (2 Thess. 3:10). What if the obstacle to your blessing was not an enemy but just your laziness? Contrary to what many people think, you cannot confess or profess your way into riches. You must work.
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 14:23 NIV
To back up their laziness, some people have quoted John 6:27 wrongly, saying that they would rather work for the bread that does not perish. This is wrong. The Bible tells us that Jesus was a carpenter, like His father (Matt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3). Peter was a fisherman before God called him. The same as John. Paul worked as a tent maker for some time. These are all great people in the Bible who had an honest means of livelihood. Jesus knew He was the Messiah yet He worked. This tells us that working is not a carnal thing to do. You are not more spiritual if you are not working.
There is no profit in idleness. Let your hands find something to do. You cannot commit an idle hand to God. It is the works of your hands that you can commit to God for a blessing (Prov. 16:3). The parable of the talents gives us an illustration of this. A master was about to travel and gave three of his servants talents, each accordingly. Two of the servants found good use of their talents and doubled what they had. The master was well pleased and prospered them. The last servant did absolutely nothing with his talent, his master was very upset about this and punished him for that. To the ones who did something and got to work, they received blessings. To the one who did nothing, even that which he had was collected. We all have been given “talents” in terms of time, resources, money, or abilities. Those who put it to good use will be prospered but those who choose to lazy around will reap the reward of their laziness. (Matt. 25:14-30)
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
Psalm 90:17 ESV
There is another class of Christians that really and truly do not believe in idleness but these people do not believe in hard work either. They are just as wrong as the other class. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 9:10 and Colossians 3:23 that whatever your hands find doing, do with all your might as unto the Lord. As Christians, our service is to the Lord, be you a teacher, nurse, civil servant, businessman, or cleaning staff. The scripture tells us to take it that we are working for the Lord. A believer is not meant to be caught slacking off. One of the fruit of the spirit is faithfulness (Gal. 5:22). In whatever little or large we are doing, let us do it faithfully as unto the Lord.
Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.
Proverbs 18:9 ESV
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
The importance of working in this kingdom is to be a blessing to others. Ephesians 4:28 “…but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need”. Tabitha greatly impacted many people’s lives because she put her hand to work. Now imagine she was the only believer in her environment. She would have been witnessing to the love of Christ in her own “little” way. By working hard, we help those who are weak (Acts 20:35).
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
1 Tim. 5:8 ESV
Despite being saved by grace, we still have works expected of us. Lazy believers say they believe and that alone is enough. The truth is that although works do not save us, we are expected to show forth good works. We are God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10). Certain works are expected of a believer. To not do them would be laziness. If you must read books on anger management or study your bible judiciously to understand the concept of diligence, then do it. Just don’t be lazy about your walk with God. That being said, don’t be lazy to tell someone about Jesus. Refusing to support the gospel and its spread is just like doing what the servant with one talent did.
Moreover, we must remember to work for the bread that does not perish. Let us not become so occupied with work on earth that we forget the work of the Father. As we are diligent with our earthly work, we ought to be much more diligent with the kingdom work because the night is coming when no man can work (Jhn. 9:4).
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