Title
It Is Good To Work
Scripture
“Is there not a time of hard service for man on the earth?”
(Job 7:1)
Devotional
When man was expulsed from the garden, labor and toil became his domain. God told Adam, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground.”(1) In the New Testament we are told, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”(2) Work itself is not an evil thing; it is a very good thing.
Work is what God calls the things that He does. We are expected to work. God directs it. Work is good. It is how we meet the needs of our families. The Bible has harsh words for those who refuse to work and meet the needs of their families. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”(3)
Never despise working. Do it diligently and faithfully. By it you will prosper, and through it you will obey God.
(1) Genesis 3:19, (2) 2 Thessalonians 3:10, (3) 1 Timothy 5:8
Text For The Day
Job 7:1: “Is there not a time of hard service for man on the earth?”
Thought For The Day
“You can do more through a handful of totally devoted believers than through a churchful of halfhearted ones.” Bill Hybels, Senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church.
Questions To Ponder
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How does God look at work—all work?
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How do you look at work: physical work, the work of life, and the work of the Lord?
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Are you a good worker?
Morning Study Guide
Defining: Many people work without ever accomplishing much. There ought to be another name for that. Work is a good thing when it accomplishes that which it is set out to achieve. It ought to be more than activity, it ought to be graced effort that accomplishes its goal.
Referencing: “In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty,” Proverbs 14:23.
Applying: Work; for the night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4).