The average person will
spend 80,000 hours at work in their life. An article published in the Business Insider a few years ago detailed
some interesting facts about the workplace.
- 80% of people
are dissatisfied with their jobs.
- On average,
Americans work 8 different jobs before they are 30.
- 25% of employees
say work is their main source of stress and 40% say their job is "very or
extremely” stressful.
- More than 13
million working days are lost every year because of stress-related illnesses.
- The average
American spends 100 hours commuting each year.
- 64% of Americans
canceled vacations last year. One-third did it for work-related reasons even
though most felt they were more in need of a vacation than the year before.
- In the United
States, workers take an average of 57 percent of their vacation days. That
means most of us voluntarily give up about 50 percent of the time off we're
legally allowed so we can continue to work instead.
- 25% of people
check into work hourly while on vacation, via email and phone. 59% said they
check work during traditional holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Basically, work is everywhere.
Work
is everywhere. Everyone will be called to work in one way or another. Are we
all destined to be dissatisfied and stressed during our work life? How do we
approach our work? How should we understand the purpose of work? How can we
approach Monday morning with joy instead of dread? How should our faith impact
our work lives?
German
Sociologist and Economist Max Weber coined the term “Protestant Work Ethic” in
1905 in his seminal work, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.”
He argues in the book that the protestant work ethic traced back to Martin
Luther redefined worldly work as one’s Christian duty that benefits both the
individual and society as a whole. Since the Protestant Reformation, the church
has believed that one’s faith should be displayed as a sign of grace. So one’s
hard work and frugality became markers that one possessed a true faith in
Christ. One’s work was a picture of the grace one had received by Christ.
Work
has always been important in our culture. The Protestant Work Ethic built
America’s railroads, supplied factories, and harvested crops. America grew in
cultural dominance because of the people’s ability to work. Although there are
many who still value work, there are others who have given their work an
inordinate amount of power in their lives. Some work too much, while others do
not work enough. Solomon hoped to encourage and warn to young people to have
them see the importance of work while guarding against the dangers of poor work
habits. Before we dig into the practical exhortations, let us first build a
brief theology of work.
The
Theology of Work
What we believe shapes how we live.
If we want to live right, we must first believe right. Proverbs 9:10,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Work has always been part
of God’s world.
God
Designed Work
Work was established in the opening
two chapters of Genesis. After God created Adam and Ever he charged them to
work to care for his good world, Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them. And God
said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and
have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and
over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” Adam and Eve were called to
exercise dominion or to work to care for the garden. In the parallel account of
creation, in Genesis 2:5, “there was no man to work the ground,” so God formed
man and Genesis 2:15, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of
Eden to work it and keep it.” Work was created and designed by God. It is good.
God
Cursed Work
The world used to cooperate
alongside humanity to bring joy to a man’s hands while he worked the ground,
but after man’s sinful rebellion God cursed our work. Our work would no longer
be easy, but difficult. God cursed Adam’s work saying to him,
Because
you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which
I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of
you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles
it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the
sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out
of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (Genesis
3:17-19)
The
ground now works against humanity. The sweat that Adam experienced in the
garden is like stress we feel before walking into the office on Monday before a
presentation. The curse brought sweat and stress into our work.
God
Redeemed Work
God had pity on humanity. We were
under the curse of sin and death so God sent his Son to redeem us from the
curse by being cursed for us. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by
becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on
a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the
Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
(Galatians 3:13-14) Christ became a curse to reverse the curse. He came that we
may have life and life abundantly. He restored purpose in our work. He restored
promises from our work. We no longer live to serve ourselves in our work, but
now we live to serve him.
A key text on work is Colossians 3:22-24
where Paul redefines our work by redefining our master. He writes,
Bondservants,
obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of
eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that
from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving
the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:22-24)
Every
day we work, we are serving Jesus Christ. This should give us purpose in any
job we have whether if it is a ditch digger or a stay-at home mom, a sales rep
or a CEO, a janitor or a postman. Every job has value because it is done for
the honor of the Lord Christ. We get to serve Jesus through our jobs. Praise
God for his kindness to allow sinners to experience joy and eternal value in
our work.
The Bible never speaks about
retirement. Retirement is a modern construct. You may no longer need the money
for a paycheck, but that does not mean you are not called to work. The Bible
says whatever we do we are to work heartily unto the Lord. It is the Lord
Christ we are serving. Many of you no longer work for wages, but continue to
work diligently for the good of your family members who need care, for your
community, and for your church. Whatever stage of life we are in, we must view
it through the lens of Scripture. We should always live with an eye on eternity
whether we are 15 or 75 years old. (I would commend to you John Piper’s
Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of Christ.)
This
30,000 foot view of work should shape your 9-5. It should shape every minute of
every hour of every day of your life. We have been purchased with a price. We
are not our own, but belong, body and soul, life and death, to God, and to our
Savior Christ Jesus. We want to work wisely, not only for practical benefits,
but for the glory of the Lord Christ. It is from him we will receive our
inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. And Proverbs has much
to say about how the wise work. Although many of us will apply these principles
to our jobs, keep in mind that your job is only a small part of your work. How
we work encompasses our jobs, our home life, and our service.
The Wise Works Diligently
All
of the exhortations to wise work can be summed up in one word: diligence.
Diligence is constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken;
persistent exertion of body or mind; careful and persistent effort. This is something
that desperately needs to be recovered in our society. We all have personal
stories of those who demonstrate diligence in their work and frustrations of
those who are slack in their work. According to God’s Word, the wise will work
hard. We have to recover a healthy, robust biblical view of work. Besides
honoring the Lord, there are practical benefits to working diligently.
They
Have Resources
It is easy to spiritualize work, but
we cannot avoid that we work to get money to pay our bills and put food on the
table. We do not work only for money, but we do work for money. Proverbs are
generally true, but not always true. There are people who work hard, but are
still in poverty. The majority of world is filled with people in this
situation, who for whatever the reason, be it systematic problems,
discrimination, or infrastructure, work hard, but have little to show for it.
Although it is true that some hard
workers are poor, often those who become wealthy are diligent. Proverbs 10:4,
“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
The diligent hand is careful and persistent. Wealth does not come over night,
but it takes long term faithfulness. My uncle worked as a HVAC repairman for
years. He lived a modest life, but retired a very wealthy man. His years of
diligence gave him riches. Proverbs 21:5, “The plans of the diligent lead
surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”
Proverbs 13:4 says, “The soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” A general
rule is those who work harder have more in the end. Slow and steady diligent
work is a picture of a wise worker.
Let us consider the ant. Let us learn
from her ways and be wise for, “Without
having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and
gathers her food in harvest.” (Proverbs 6:7) Work hard, work steady and you
will have the resources you need to live.
They
Have Rule
Not only will the wise worker have
resources, but he will also rule over people. Proverbs 12:24, “The hand of the
diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” Those who
work hard are often the ones promoted and trusted with the responsibility to
lead. It is always a poor move to promote someone who is lazy, but diligent
worker will eventually rule over those with little effort. 1 Timothy 5:25, “So
also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain
hidden.” Our good works will not remain hidden and we will be rewarded for
them.
They
Have Reputation
Proverbs
22:29, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.” Diligence will lead to skill which will
lead to influence. Frank Chodorov wrote how political figures were once
required to demonstrate reputation of skill in his work. He writes,
There
was a time, in these United States, when a candidate for public office could
qualify with the electorate only by fixing his birthplace in or near the “log
cabin”…In short, he had to be “self made.” The so-called Protestant Ethic then
prevalent held that man was a sturdy and responsible individual, responsible to
himself, his society, and his God. Anybody who could not measure up to that
standard could not qualify for public office or even popular respect.
You
do not work for the reputation. You work and you will get a reputation. A man
in our church, Olin McKee, has the reputation as one of the finest business men
in Rock Hill. He built half the city, because his work was such a high quality,
he received a reputation of excellence. His reputation kept in business for
over 30 years. The diligent will receive a reputation that is fitting for the
God they serve.
They
Have Righteousness
Christians are called to work hard,
but they are also called to work in righteousness. A shoemaker once asked
Martin Luther., “How should he make shoes for the glory of God?” Luther responded, “Make a good shoe and sell
it at a fair price.” Christian should operate in the public sphere with
kindness and equity. Proverbs 16:11, “A just balance and scales are
the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.” Proverbs 20:23,
“Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are
not good.” It is tempting to sell things above their value or to buy things
below their value. On the last day, a few dollars will not be worth it. We are
living for the Lord Christ. We should work for righteousness. We bear His name
so let us conduct our business in a way that fitting to the Lord.
They
Have Risk
There
are many blessings to work, but there also are some very potent pitfalls. Bob
Schultz writes in his book, Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men,
The
grand quality of diligence, which is essential when you begin working, turns a
man into a workaholic if not balanced. The freedoms that bless the industrious
become snares when given to selfish pleasure. The diligent are tempted to forget God, trust in riches, and look down
on the poor. What once was the reward of hard work quickly transforms resources
to fulfill the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Be on guard. God designs the diligent to collect resources and talents with
the goal to use them in an appropriate season for good. As always, Jesus leads
us by His example.
Diligence
turns into a snare when people do not fear the Lord. Diligence must be placed
under the protection of the fear of the Lord.
It
is very easy to have work become an idol. Our work becomes an idol when we give
it more importance than the Lord. Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert write in
God at Work: How Working
for King Jesus Gives Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs,
For many people today, their passion is their job
and all things their job and all of the things their job can provide for them –
money, status, identity, pleasure and purpose. Our jobs capture our hearts and
our devotion. We give ourselves to them day in and day out. They become the
primary object of our passions, our energy, and our love. We may not be willing
to admit it, but we worship our jobs.
Have you given your work too much importance in your life? Does you work
give you ultimate satisfaction? Or does it give you a sense of meaning or
value? Work is a terrible god because it can never satisfy. It always wants
more: more to be done and more to be achieved. Satisfaction will always be
elusive. We cannot be defined by our jobs, but by our King. The most important
title in our lives is not Senior Pastor or Senior Vice President, but
Christian.
Another danger to the diligent is
compartmentalization. There are many who are diligent at work, but may be a
sluggard at home. Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for
the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the
inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” We serve Christ
at the office and in caring for the home. Diligence at work can also lead
people to become spiritual sluggards. God has given the Sabbath to protect us
from the snares of diligence. We rest from our labors on Sunday as a reminder
to live for the eternal Sabbath rest for the people of God in heaven. What does
it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul? Regularly
practicing the Sabbath will guard our hearts from the idolatry of work.
The Sluggard
Works Lazily
If the main attribute of wise work is
diligence, than the main attribute of foolish work is sloth. The Proverbs
contrast the diligent and sluggard frequently. The sluggard is wise in his own
eyes and allows pleasure and ease to dominate his life. The main problem of a
sluggard is that he does not see the value of work. He does not serve others,
but wants others to serve him. There are great dangers for the sluggard.
They
Have Hunger
If the diligent are satisfied, the
sluggards are hungry. Proverbs 12:27, “Whoever is slothful will not roast his
game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.” Proverbs 13:4, “The soul
of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent
is richly supplied.” Proverbs 20:4, “The sluggard does not
plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.” In an agrarian
society, one’s food had to be cultivated from the land. A sluggard who refuses
to work the land did not eat. The modern advancements in our society may mask
sloth by not allowing the sluggards to experience the consequences for their
slack hand.
They
Have Hem-Haws
Sluggards are full of excuses for
not doing the work. They hem and haw
when asked to work. Proverbs 26:13-14, “The sluggard says, “There is
a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets! As a door turns on its
hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.” A sluggard can always find a
reason not to complete a task. They put off until tomorrow what should be done
today. Sluggards may do the work, but they give excuses why mediocre work is
ok. When I was 16 years old, I worked in maintenance for an outdoor mall. My
job one Saturday was to weed the little decorative pebble islands throughout
the parking lot. The work was tedious and boring. I decided that it was easier
to shift the pebbles over the weeds rather than pull them. I excused my lazy,
slack work because “no one” could tell the difference. Be on guard for the
excuses in your work. Serve gladly and with a cheerful heart whether at work,
at home or in the church. Remember you are serving the Lord Christ.
They
Have Hatred
Sluggards
do not love their neighbors. Our work is an expression of our love for God and
our love for our neighbor. Sloth does not serve others and should be taken
seriously. We cannot minimize the sin of sloth. Proverbs 10:26, “Like vinegar
to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to
those who send him.” Proverbs 18:9, “Whoever is slack in his work is a
brother to him who destroys.” If you have ever sat around a fire and had smoke
get in your eyes, you know how frustrating it can be. The smoke stifles the
pleasure and enjoyment of the fire. A sluggard stifles pleasure and enjoyment
of others. They serve themselves and do not serve others.
Paul writes to the Ephesians how the new
life in Christ should change our work habits, “Let the thief no longer steal,
but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may
have something to share with anyone in need.” (Ephesians 4:28) How one worked
in and for the community was a sign of their faith. Do you view your work as a
way to love your neighbor and community?
They
Have Helpers
Sluggards are fools. Foolishness is
bound up in the heart of a child. Sloth is bound up in all of our hearts. We
all have tendencies to live as sluggards in different areas, but we cannot
accommodate for sluggards. There seems to be an epidemic among young people who
have an aversion to hard work. The problem is not with the young people, but
with the people who enable and accept that behavior. If you serve the flesh,
the flesh will grow. It does not serve our children or Christian brothers and
sisters to enable their laziness. Paul warns the Thessalonians how to handle
idleness,
For
even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not
willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among 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 to earn their
own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone
does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have
nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy,
but warn him as a brother. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-15)
We
are obligated to warn people of the dangers of idleness and if necessary allow
them to experience the consequences of laziness.
The world may tolerate sloth, but Christ
does not. Sluggards do not love the community, but love themselves. Those who
love themselves do not love God and are in danger. It is not loving ignore
laziness, but we most admonish the idle.
The Gospel at
Work
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Beloved, God has redeemed our work
through the gospel. Who we work for is far more important than what we do. We
serve King Jesus through our work. We should approach our work as way to adorn
the doctrine of God our Savior. We should allow God to use our work to sanctify
us and to serve our neighbors. We should approach our jobs not as a means to an
end, but as an expression of our Christian discipleship for the glory of God. Paul
tells Titus that Jesus Christ, “gave himself for us to redeem us from all
lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are
zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14) Jesus Christ laid down his life so that
we could work diligently for his glory. God’s people should care about their
jobs. Our jobs matter to God. He died and rose again to purify us to work to
display God’s glory. Our work does not save us, but is a sign of God’s grace in
our lives. God allows us to work so let us work for good of our neighbors and the
glory of God.
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