Healthy Work Habits from Wise Words – Wise Words to Live By, part 2
What if work is in God’s plan to guide us in living a balanced life? What if, in God’s wisdom, he knew the act of work would produce in us the diligence to be steadfast in faith? This message reveals how healthy work and spiritual habits, and a healthy family life all start with following the wise words found in scripture.
To be good at anything we need to work and put Jesus first in our hearts and lives. Being the person of God that he desires you to be takes work. It takes diligence. It takes perseverance. It takes listening to the wise words of God found in scripture and applying them to your heart.
Reading God’s words will feed your soul. The Bible is a spiritual guide with principles and truths that, when lived by, will give you joy and spiritual success all the days of your life. The Bible is filled with examples and words of wisdom to live by. God’s words impart true knowledge and understanding. The truth and wisdom of God are all you need to live a spiritually victorious life.
Today we will be looking at wise words concerning work. From the beginning of creation, we see that God worked six days and rested on the seventh. After God created man in his own image, we find that God gave Adam a job. Adam was also to work. Adam was to name all animals in the garden, and Adam was to work the land.
‘Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:26-27, NIV).
Understand, you are created in the image of God. Without a doubt you are loved by God, and he desires the best for you. The best for you must also include work of some kind. We will see that work has a purpose in life.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:1-3).
God’s work example provides structure for mankind. Work six days and rest one.
“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground” (Genesis 2:4-5).
Adam—mankind—was not created to stand around and do nothing. Work is a part of creation and work is also a part of life.
but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:6-9).
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).
Adam was to be tasked by God to care and work his creation, the garden of Eden. So, work has been a part of man’s life from the beginning of time as we know it. James tells us to be a doer of the word (see James 1:25).
Adam was to first name the animals and, later, to keep the garden. God has given us structure regarding work as well by his example. Work six days and rest on the seventh. Life was good in the garden of Eden. Work, and working was a normal lifestyle in the garden of Eden.
We are given some structure regarding work. Work six days and rest on the seventh. God being our example, it is most likely that Adam would follow God’s work schedule as his example. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve were put outside the garden because of sin and their rebellion to God’s command. Work suddenly became much harder outside the garden of Eden where it took painful toil, hard work, and sweat to cultivate food (see Genesis 3:17-19).
We, much like Adam, have learned that work can be hard and difficult at times. Difficulties arise like weeds in a garden. They spring up out of nowhere. If you do any kind of gardening, you will find weeds grow and will choke other plants. Weeds will take over the garden if allowed.
Work can be stressful. Work is often demanding. But never allow the work of a job to overtake your life.
Work for some is a seven-day work week. A seven-day work week may be normal for some. For others a normal workday may be 10, 12 plus hours a day. Employers can be demanding and require more and more from the employee. However, for some, working seven days a week is a choice. But that is not by God’s design. God included a Sabbath day of rest in a seven-day week.
Work was not to be a burden or punishment from God, but when sin entered the picture, everything changed, and work became harder and maybe something to dread, rather than a pattern for life. All creation was cursed, and work was no longer a pleasure or way of life. It became one of life’s necessities.
For some people, work became more important than God and family. For some people, work is all they do. Their life and relationship with family and God suffer. They never have enough money in the bank. They never have enough toys. They never have enough. Period. If a person is not careful, work can be taken to the extreme of overworking. Other people choose to avoid working altogether. Neither were in the mind of God.
Like many things, a person must develop a healthy balance in life. Both a spiritually balanced life and a balanced work plan.
The Bible speaks to both. The book of Proverbs can clearly speak to a balanced working lifestyle.
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth (Proverbs 10:4).
Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor (Proverbs 12:24)
The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied (Proverbs 13:4).
A sluggard does not plow in season; so, at harvest time he looks but finds nothing (Proverbs 20:4).
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty (Proverbs 21:5).
I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins (Proverbs 24:30-31).
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest (Proverbs 6:6-8).
It appears that laziness or being a sluggard is contrasted with having a working or diligent lifestyle. Diligence can be defined as “careful or persistent work or effort.” Diligence can be said to be an effort to do what one should do all the while remaining faithful to God and for work to be a persistent endeavor. Laziness or being a sluggard, on the other hand, can be said to be the opposite of being a good worker or of having a diligent and productive lifestyle. Laziness or being a sluggard is unproductive and rebellious to God’s example that he has given us in his word. In other words, the wise words of Proverbs tell us that working diligently is good, but to be lazy or sluggard is foolish and unproductive.
A person must be careful not to be so focused on working or other things that will cause work to replace God in their lives. Work is a reality from the very beginning of creation, both in the garden, and later outside the garden. In both cases work must be balanced. It is impossible to accomplish any goals without a balanced diligent effort and work.
Integrity, honesty, righteousness, faith all require work. Being a good father, mother, or friend takes work at times as well. Being a person of faith, living a life set apart to the Lord takes work. It takes diligence and persistence regarding the things of God. Persistence can be defined as continuance on a course of action or thought no matter the difficulty or opposition.
God told Adam and Eve in the garden. “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground” (Genesis 31;19). In other words, work became a harder part of Adam’s and Eve’s life once outside the garden, but it was never to override or disregard God’s lifestyle pattern for life of work six days and rest on the seventh. If Adam and Eve were to survive, they would need to work and be productive to survive. However, the command of God was to work only six days.
Work would not be as easy as the work was before Adam and Eve sinned and were put outside the Garden of Eden. Truth is work is not often fun. It is often hard and difficult work. And the temptation we all have is to rebel against God’s example of work and do as we please.
Now I enjoy my work as pastor of Faith Chapel. Truthfully it doesn’t seem like work, most of the time. But like anything there can be days that the load is heavier than others. Working on the sprinklers, cutting the field, dealing with goats that break through the fence can be trying at times. In the summer when it’s hot, I can relate to working by the sweat on my brow. Dealing with building problems, pump house issues and sump pump issues can be a lot of work, but anyone can get past the problem issue if they will be diligent and push through to the end.
To some people work is no fun. I can understand that kind of thinking at times. It might be like a bad four-letter word to some; the kind of word that your parents use to wash your mouth out with soap. Work for some is something to avoid, like the plague.
But what if God viewed work not as a burden but a pleasure? What if in the wisdom of God, God knew mankind needed to work, otherwise the person would become lazy and do nothing? What if work is in the plan of God to guide us in how we should live a balanced life, both spiritually and in the world. You remember the old saying “idle hands are the devil’s workplace” or something like that?
In scripture we can see that God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit were each involved in the work of creation. You, being created in the image of God, may include the act of working and diligently completing tasks and all the work we are to do in life. I have noticed that if I have nothing to do, I may simply sit all day and do nothing. I do not believe that God created us to do nothing. Remember Proverbs 20:4? A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
What if, in God’s wisdom, he knew the act of work would produce in us the diligence to be steadfast in faith?
Why is it that when Jesus did all the work of salvation, the Bible tells us in Philippians 2:12 to work out our salvation?
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).
Truthfully, we are called to be diligent and persevere in doing good and in the work of the kingdom. In fact, it is God who works both in us and through us to accomplish his will.
“Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord” (Numbers 8:11).
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Recalling our teaching from last week we learned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, understanding that God knows all things. Knowing that God is omniscience, God created mankind knowing man needed to work. God was not going to just give Abraham the land of Canaan. Abraham needed to step out and travel to Canaan. He walked through it.
Joshua needed to cross over the Jordan and fight the battles to possess the land, but it was God who gave them the victory. Joshua needed to be strong and courageous and move forward to possess the promised land. Possessing the land took faith, obedience, and work.
Joseph needed to trust God all the while being a slave in Egypt. Joseph was diligent in his faith. he did not waver spiritually.
In Matthew we find the great commission for the disciples, but it is a commission also for you today. Go and make disciples teaching them to obey God’s commands. Quite possibly even the command to work six days and rest on the seventh.
‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”’ (Matthew 28:18-20).
To be a good student you need to study and do homework. I worked for my grades. Some subjects did not come easy to me. But doing the work, being diligent in studying, helped me learn and grow. The same is true spiritually.
To be a good disciple; to be a good believer; to be a good parent, a good employee, husband, wife, college student, or child we need to work at it and put Jesus first in our hearts and lives.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Work to show yourself approved. It begins with putting God first in your life. You will be that person when you make Jesus first in your heart.
Being the person of God that he desires you to be takes work. It takes diligence. It takes perseverance. It takes listening to the wise words of God found in scripture and applying them to your heart.
Let me close with this last scripture.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
Whatever task God has laid on your heart, do it with all diligence and perseverance because he is the one who will give you the strength.
The Bible is full of wisdom. Allow the word of God to direct your life and know he is with you every step of the way as you work; work as unto the Lord.
Healthy work habits, healthy spiritual habits, a healthy family life all start with following the wise words found in scripture.
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