COLOSSIANS 3:1-25
JANUARY 30, 2011
“RULES FOR LIVING”
I “googled” (researched) these statistics on working. The average American will live 74.1 years and of those years will work an average of 45 years. This works out to be over 90,000 plus hours on the job. As a result we will spend a tremendous amount of our lifetime at work. So what is your opinion of working? For many people, including many Christians, work is viewed as only a place to get a paycheck. Does God have anything to say about work? Some of you may be surprised to know that God has provided a significant amount of scripture on hard work and on being lazy.
Did you know that work is a gift of God? In Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (NIV) “12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God.” However, our culture promotes the idea that work is a necessary evil, with the main purpose of receiving a paycheck and benefits from our employer. This view point of the world and of work ultimately leads many to a self centered focus. The individual is more concerned with what the company is going to do for “me”. In contrast God says that we should concentrate on glorifying God and that work is one of His Gifts to mankind. Again from Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 (NIV) “24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” It is necessary for a Christian to have the right perspective on all of life. Jesus understood His Father’s will for us. In Matthew 6:25, 33 (NIV) “25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Life is a matter of priorities, and God comes first.
Unfortunately most people do not understand the benefits of living life according to God’s rules. When a person follows the viewpoint of being more concerned only with themselves, the result for many is to become lazy. Scripture provides many warnings about individuals who do not value hard work. Proverbs 19:15 (NIV) 15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry. Proverbs 20:4 (NIV) 4 A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing. In his letter to the Thessalonians Paul warned the church in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." 11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.”
It is often interesting to listen to the excuses people will give for not working. The author of Proverbs lists some of the excuses given by a sluggard in his time. The dictionary defines a sluggard as a lazy person. Proverbs 22:13 (NIV) “13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!" When we make excuses for not wanting to work we will find many barriers, or anything that keep us from work. We will make up any excuse to hide the fact that we are lazy. Proverbs 15:19 (NIV) “19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.” I have already shared with you my struggle with self discipline. Before we jump onto “those people” who do not work for a living; we need to examine how often we love to be a couch potato at home. When we are honest with ourselves we should admit that there can be a lazy streak lurking in most of us.
When I was in college I worked one summer in Panama City Beach, FL at a construction site. I was down at the beach with several other college students participating in a Campus Crusade work project. We worked during the day and took Bible and campus leadership classes at night. One of my co-workers was a fellow believer. One day he approached me at work and shared his observation that I had begun to not work as hard. He thought I was becoming a slacker. Proverbs 18:9 (NIV) “9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.” After the initial shock of his reproach, I considered whether or not it was true. I came to the conclusion that he was correct and that I was not setting a good example for non- Christians. I have grown to appreciate my friend’s honesty and courage in speaking to me. I would like you to ponder how others may view your work habits and your attitude toward work.
What is your attitude toward work: do you always work hard or are there times when you coast and take it easy? Proverbs 14:23 (NIV) 23 “ Do we simply talk about working hard or is hard work a habit we have developed and maintained until it is a part of our character? Proverbs 21:5 (NIV) “5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” These troubled economic times have created a hardship for many people. Even as Christians we might be tempted to seek to live on credit for a while. We already talked last week about the problem of debt and of borrowing money. In a conversation with a person I admire she told me a hard truth that she had learned. “One can’t borrow money to get out of financial trouble, one must work your way out of your problems. It means working and saving every penny you can!”All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
God promises that He will bless us for doing what is right. Proverbs 13:4 (NIV) “4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” When we accept Christ we are not only forgiven, but we are called to live by new rules, to have a new attitude. Colossians 3:1-2, 22-25 from The Message, “So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ- that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’’ get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”
There was a young fellow who was helping his dad with the spring planting. He had the responsibility of planting the kernels of corn. He had started well. But one of his friends came by and invited him to go swimming. His father told him he could go when he was finished with his work. The young man sought to hurry up the planting. He dropped a few more kernels than he had been directed. He began to go faster and faster as he thought about his friends swimming. He eventually dug a hole and dropped the rest of his seed into it and covered it up. That night his father asked him if he had finished planting. He told his father that he did finish. The young man began to be more and more concerned as the days went by, but he pushed down his guilty feelings. Then one day his dad called him to the field to see his work. The first few rows were evenly spaced between the plants. Then the rows began to look more and more crowded as the plants were on top of each other. Then there was a complete jumble of plants from where he had dumped his bag. His father spoke to the boy and told him “that eventually your work will be seen for what it is”. Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) “23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” May each of us hear the Spirit speaking to us?
Let us pray.
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