The Blessings of Work

The quest for wisdom through Proverbs could be getting personal for you— or you may be tempted to begin reading these sayings and then thinking “oh- so and so needs to hear this!”— Be very careful how we read these proverbs— and resist the thought of applying these principles to some else’s life over your own. The Holy Spirit most often convicts you— He rarely will use you to convict someone else.. It’s possible, but be careful that you stay “teachable” while you are reading and listening for the wisdom in these passages.

(remember that humorous picture Jesus paints about the speck in one person’s eye over the plank in your own?)

Today’s topic is work.

40-50 hours per week

for 50 weeks per year

for 40 years of your life

You will have worked:

2500 hours a year

and a total of about 100,000 hours in 40 years.

And if you’re a mom of little children— you can double that!

If we were to sleep 8 hours per night also during that time, it would be a similar amount of time.

That’s on a daily basis, working and sleeping about 16 hours each day— that leaves another 8 hours for everything else!

Proverbs 10:4–5 (NIV)

4 Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. 5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Poverty and wealth, prudence and disgrace. All four of these factors come into focus when we consider the topic of “Work”.

Work is a tremendously important part of our life. We were created to have and fulfil a purpose. In fact, unfortunately, the second question we often either ask or get asked of us when we meet someone new— is (after What’s your name?)— “So what do you do?” It’s a significant aspect of our lives.

Tim Keller, a long-time pastor and author in the Presbyterian tradition once said that to fully understand work from a Christian perspective, we need to consider two key questions :that we must answer— and I want to help you answer today:

Does my work matter to God?

and

Does God matter to my work?

Keller goes on in a particular talk to quote Martin Luther’s perspective during the Protestant reformation - Luther and the other reformers observed a deep “dualism” in the church and in society— that the Priests and Religious leaders inside the church completed God’s work— and that everyone in the common life had nothing to do with God’s work— that these priests and bishops were set apart— much like the Jewish historical Pharisees and Rabbis. But Luther and these other reformers read scripture and began to teach that there is really no Sacred or Secular division for the Christian worker— all of it is Sacred! All of it is our expression of Worship to God, and it should be considered a blessing.

Proverbs 22:29 NIV

29 Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.

Proverbs 28:19 NIV

19 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

God blesses those who “work their land”. I love that phrase, because the metaphor is more broad than just a farmer tilling or working his land. “Working your land” can mean a multitude of things— I’m actually working my land right now— Sarah and Emily and Lee and Owen, all of you each day you are “working your land”. Its also a great play on words— Those who won’t work— chase fantasies, will “have their fill” of poverty. They will get all the poverty they can take.

Genesis 1:26 NIV

26 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.”

Genesis 2:15 NIV

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

the Hebrew word here for “work” is fairly obscure:

Genesis 2:15: the word “work”

ob-da: “till, toil, work, serve, accomplish, do”

It has this primary use in scripture— but it also is used in many incidents to describe worship. To serve God is to work for God, to allow Him to work through us, and actually allowing Him to work in us. Many times during the Moses/Pharaoh/God drama— Moses is instructed to tell Pharaoh that God says to let His people go so that they may “work” for me, “join me in my work”, that they may “worship me”, and “live for me”. You see the Israelites were slaves of Pharaoh— working for him. God says no— I’m their God, let my people go— and it was a tremendously hard thing for Pharaoh to do.

Perhaps to truly and authentically work “For” God-

We need to allow God to work on us and in us--

then we partner with God (through the Holy Spirit) to allow Him to work through us.

Martin Luther also added that when this is true— we have the blessing of being a method that God uses to bless and sustain and provide for someone else. Acting/Working on God’s behalf, with God’s gifting, within God’s plan, using God’s resources and doing all for God’s glory.

(And young Eli Miller thought he was just restocking the toilet paper rolls on the shelves at Giant Eagle, right?)

God giving us the skill to accomplish His will and way— what a Blessing of Work.

There is no work that is meaningless or menial. All work is dignity.

Our work matters to God, because we represent Him in all that we do.

But remember the other side of this equation is that God Matters to our work.

How, as followers of Christ, should we view our work, our efforts in this huge chunk of our existence?

If we are indeed Christians— followers of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords— How does God matter to my work? Have you ever considered this? The Kingdom of God is this hard concept to understand sometimes. We know that Jesus came to bring God’s Kingdom— but its a kingdom that is here, but not quite here. It’s present, but not fulfilled. We live in that tension, and our work is a critical opportunity to see God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Proverbs, as you might guess, has some very clear and compelling things to say about work— and not only working for the sake of work, but working in a way that is wise and leads us to a Godly understanding of ourselves and of those around us! It will help us in answering the question “How does God matter to my work”. Whatever you are doing!

I want us to just consider some aspects of a wise and Godly worker— as they are described in the collection we call Proverbs.

What is God’s work ethic? If I were to describe godliness and wisdom regarding my work, what would that look like?

Work that reflects God is industrious.(20:13, 24:30-34)

God calls us to work hard. He asks us to work with intention and diligence. He calls us to plan accordingly and to work strategically.

That sometimes is a given here in our community, I know all of you work very hard.

We often overestimate how much we can do in a day, but underestimate how much we can do in a year.

Proverbs 20:13 NIV

13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.

Remember that the Proverbs speak to generalities, I realize there is a way to take this too far! Workaholics, even those who claim to work for God-- are not glorifying God by their 80 hour weeks with no reasonable rest or balance in life. Generally, this concept is speaking against being lazy or idle.

Proverbs 24:30–32 NIV

30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; 31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. 32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

Proverbs 24:33–34 NIV

33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Colossians 3:23 NIV

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Colossians 3:24 NIV

24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Work that reflects God is humble.(27:18, 22:4, 27:2)

God desires that we are teachable and humble in our work.

Proverbs 27:18 NIV

18 The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever protects their master will be honored.

There is an old saying that you must learn to be a good follower before you will ever be a good leader. Can you look to the best interest of someone else in your work?

Proverbs 22:4 NIV

4 Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.

Proverbs 27:2 NIV

2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.

There is a way to work hard with passion, yet never be haughty or expect recognition.

Work that reflects God is honest. (20:23, 10:9, 16:8, 28:8)

Proverbs 20:23 NIV

23 The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.

Proverbs 10:9 NIV

9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

Wise workers are honest and upright in their work, they don’t cut corners or cheat to get ahead.

They don’t cut corners or take short cuts that would be dishonest.

In fact, if you are convicted and feel like you have cheated or deceived someone— I challenge you to act like the man Zacchaeus did in Luke 19:1-10.

Luke 19:8 NIV

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Zacchaeus was convicted that it would be better not to have all this wealth, if it was gained through dishonest measures.

In this case— the END does NOT justify the means. The end result was more wealth for Zacchaeus, but the Lord wants you to live and work with integrity and with no guilt.

Proverbs 16:8 NIV

8 Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.

Proverbs 28:8 NIV

8 Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

“How” we accomplish our work does matter to God. Principles of wisdom and foolishness can have great impact upon our work. God despises a dishonest gain— cheating someone else to gain through our work is an abomination.

That is just a small start on thinking about “how” we work. We will be hardworking, giving more value than we take— we will be humble and teachable, willing to serve others with our work, and we will always have the highest integrity and honesty in the way we conduct ourselves.

Once again, it’s just a start, but how might God continue to improve and grow us in being a wise worker?

Do you struggle with not giving your best?

Do you struggle with taking instructions and doing what your supervisors want you to do?

Do you struggle with the temptation to cut corners or take short cuts, or even steal or cheat to get ahead in your work? It’s not just “good business” that is not the way God intends for us to work in this world. You are not like everyone else.

Proverbs 12:14 NIV

14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.

Proverbs 16:3 ESV

3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

“We are called to hard work, knowing that God is at work in us” N.T. Wright

If you remember that God is always at work in you— will that change the way we work with him and for him?

The word I want to end with is: Consecration.

Consecration is the act of setting something apart or dedicating it to a sacred or divine purpose. It involves the ritual or formal dedication of a person, object, place, or time to a higher purpose, often within a religious or spiritual context. Consecration signifies the sanctification or hallowing of something, designating it as special, holy, or devoted to a specific use in service to a deity or a sacred cause. The concept is found in various religious traditions and is often associated with rituals, prayers, or ceremonies that symbolize the separation and dedication of the consecrated entity for a sacred purpose.

When you get your head around the fact that you were bought with a price— the blood of Jesus— this will affect and change EVERYTHING — including your work. You will realize the Great BLESSING we receive in being God’s creation, set apart for His purpose, and functioning in humility, honesty, and

This closing song is a hymn of consecration. Take my Life and let it be consecrated Lord for thee. Everything I have, Everything you’ve given me Lord— I’m not a container, I’m a conduit. I’m not the final destination, I’m just the courier of your goodness and your love.