Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs
Text: Proverbs 12:24. Theme: Wisdom
concerning Work.
“The hand
of the diligent will rules, but the lazy man will be put to forced labour.”
Jesus
said in Matthew 6:33: “But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall
be added to you.”
It
sounds so easy to expect God to supply all our needs, and we do nothing but
expect receive them. Well, our “needs” are for bread and water, and a shelter
to lay our heads. But our “wants” are for fine food, fashionable clothes,
detached houses and fast cars, and holidays all over the world. God will take
care of our needs, but we must work to gain the wants of our lives.
When
I was pastoring, I would preach about tithing of our income to the Lord. I
believe God blesses us with the skills to labour for a wage, and of that wage
we have 90% to spend on our own needs and wants, and the tithe of 10% we give
to our local place of worship.
I
have spent most of my Christian life in attending independent financed churches,
supported only by the tithes and offerings of its members and attenders, who
pay the bills for the buildings and lands, heating and lighting, seating, sound
system, piano etc. musical instruments, projectors, computers, camera, and
video equipment etc. and support the ministry/pastor of the church.
Well,
some would say it is God’s House, so God should pay the bills, fair enough. God
is Spirit, so does not need a building, a seat, the heating, or the sound
system, but we do! So, it is only fair that we pay for what we need and want.
When I was in Israel (in June) I stood where Jesus preached the sermon on the
mount, but I would not want to stand in the open air on a November day in the
UK, so hear it preached.
I
expect a warm building, a nice seat, a good sound system etc. so it is only
fair that I help to pay the costs of this service to myself and the family.
I
left school age 15 (we did in the 1960’s) and I spent the next 46 years working
for an income to support myself and family, until my health became poor in my
60’s when I retired. So, I have a fair experience of finding jobs, and working
under several different employers.
I
believe God had a hand in suppling me with a number of those full-time
employment role. At one time I called into a company on the off chance, at
present there was no vacancies I was told. By the afternoon they came up to the
house to offer a job, because someone that day reported a long-time sickness.
Another
time, I was looking for a job, when out of the blue I phoned a company to see
if they had any jobs in my skill. They said they have one, but there were
already 24 others up for interview, so I joined the list, but God opened the
door, because I was the one, they took on.
The
responsibilities of being a Christian are many, one of which is providing a
proper example:
a. We are to be the light
of the world and the salt of the earth Matthew 5:13-16.
b. This requires
outstanding and honourable conduct on our part 1 Peter 2.
c. This is especially
true as we go about the business of making a living 2 Thessalians 3:11-12.
But
how can we be sure that we behave properly toward outsiders in our business
affairs? The Book of Proverbs has much to say regarding everyday work
and business! Most of my life I was employed in secular work, and I found
Proverbs to be especially helpful in this area. For example, from Proverbs I
learned:
One. To keep work in its
proper place. Work to live, and not live to work.
a. It is a fact of life
that we must work to live and provide for our families.
b. If we are not willing
to work, the church is under no obligation to help us 2 Thessalians 3:6.
c. If we do not provide
for our families, we are worse than unbelievers 1 Timothy 5:8.
d. Righteousness, not
riches, is what is truly profitable Proverbs 11:4.
e. One should therefore
seek to be righteous, not rich Proverbs 11:28.
f. It is better to have a
little with righteousness, than to be rich and wicked Proverbs 16:8.
Two. Let God be involved
in our work and business affairs.
a. For then our efforts
are more likely to succeed Proverbs 16:3.
b. We are more likely to
be able to enjoy what we receive Proverbs 10:22; Ecclesiastes 5:18-6:2.
Three. Remember that work
and business have a major shortcoming,
a. We
never know what might happen tomorrow Proverbs 27:1; James 4:13-16.
b. Wealth
is a fleeting product not worth killing yourself to obtain Proverbs 23:4-5.
c. Many
people come to learn these truths only after a lifetime, when they realize they
wasted their years on things not especially important, but the value of
Proverbs is that even the young can know them early and apply them to their
lives!
Four.
How to be a successful worker.
1. What NOT to do:
a. Be lazy, for it will
greatly irritate your boss! Proverbs 10:26.
b. Be idle in your work,
for it will ruin your company you work for Proverbs 18:9.
2. What we SHOULD do:
a. Develop skills in your
work, it will not go unnoticed Proverbs 22:29.
b. Be hard-working in
your work to ensure your promotion Proverbs 12:24.
c. Impress people with the
quality of your work, not the quantity of your words Proverbs 14:23.
d. In today’s competitive
job market, among the best “skills” one can have are such things as “diligence”
and “honesty.”
Conclusion:
In
my experience as a worker, I learnt:
a. Keep
the need to work in proper perspective, a working job brings in the income to
live.
b. Trust
in God, and He will open the right doors with the necessities of life.
c. The
important thing to keep in mind is that throughout our working life, we must
always heed the words of Jesus: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness!” Matthew 6:33.
