WORK HARD

Many who work for pay are off today due to the Labor Day holiday.What better time to write a devotion about hard work than this day off for many. Since the beginning of time man has had to work. In the garden of Eden, God originally had wonderful plans for Adam and Eve but you know the story. By being disobedient and messing up, so to speak, they ended up being cursed and changing the good things God had planned. Genesis 3:1-24 relates the story but read verse 17-19 which says "To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you,  and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow  you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”  From then on man has had to toil, pull weeds from his garden and do hard manual work.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." I do not feel it was God's design to have everyone getting food stamps if they are healthy and able to provide for their family. Some are lazy and feel like people owe them something. Sadly our government today tries to demonize successful wealthy people who worked hard to achieve by depicting them as spoiled rich people. Proverbs 10:4 says "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." Genesis 2:15 says "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Ecclesiastes 10:18 says "Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house." This verse hit home for me this past Saturday as we were trying to leave for a weekend road trip and had a water main break. My husband can do almost any repair job and is not lazy and was able to repair it. Hallelujah, thank you Jesus! Proverbs 12:24 says "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor."

1 Timothy 5:8 says "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." If you are the head of the family it is your duty to take care of your family. Teach your children the value of hard work, diligence and providing for the future.

A wise person will plan ahead and save money for when he has an emergency or is out of work. Putting aside a little money each month is a smart thing to do. Proverbs 6:6-8 says "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest." Notice an ant hill sometime. Those tiny creatures never rest. They carry huge loads on their tiny backs to build their ant hills and take food to their family.

For the believer we should have a good work ethic. Just because it is five o'clock does not mean you will not help someone if the phone at your office rings at the last minute. You are working for the Lord anyway not for man. Seek to bring honor to the company you work for by being honest and honorable. Colossians 3:23 should be every believers 'job description' and it says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." Set a good example. Go beyond the call of duty as they say in the military. Ecclesiastes 3:22 tells us "So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?"

Enjoy your life. Love what you do. I love the motto for the 'Life is Good' company which says "Do what you like, like what you do." Most of us are also familiar with the childrens' book, 'The Little Red Hen' which is a work ethic book of sorts for little ones. No one wanted to help the little red hen work but they all wanted to enjoy the fruits of the hens' labor.

Many complain about their work but if you are employed in todays' world you have much to be thankful for, and better yet, if you are in a job you love that is even greater.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In all things to give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."

PRAYER: Father I am thankful for the ability to work. I pray for those people who are out of work through no fault of their own and are looking for a job. Open up jobs for those who need them. If any reading this have been made to feel they are too old to work because of society and they really want a job help them have the courage to go for it. Help those who do have jobs to work at them with joy and to remember to be a 'missionary ' of sorts right there where God has placed them. Thank you for the blessing of a free society in the United States. For any reading this from nations not free I pray for bondage's to be broken. In Jesus Name. Amen.