Work: Our Lord places a premium on hard work. On the cautionary side, we who might be called “driven” people must be careful not to make an idol out of work. There is more to life than work. And we must not give work more credit than it deserves. Hard work does not give us all good things to enjoy – God does. Nevertheless, work is not part of the curse, as the Lord put people to work immediately after creating them. In Proverbs the “sluggard” and the “slothful” person is spoken of negatively at least 17 times. And the Lord has woven the necessity for work into the very fabric of life (16:26). God intends for our necessities to be met by us going to work, therefore those who refuse to work are going against the grain of the universe as God designed it. Some might lament working as a waste of time when we could spend more time directly serving the Lord if we do not work. Yet God has chosen that most people are to glorify Him through working at a “secular” job. But Proverbs identifies certain marks of a worker approved by God.
1. They do their best (22:29).
2. They take their work seriously (21:5).
3. They are known for their integrity (13:11).
4. They are generous (11:25) Our goal should not be riches but to be the kind of people the Lord can trust with riches – because we use it unselfishly.
It is noteworthy that the Prodigal’s first request was, “Father, give me!” But when he returned home his request was, “Make me one of your servants” (Luke 15:12, 19). His lifestyle change had to begin with an attitude adjustment.
