Working the Right Way
September 5th, 2007 — David PenningtonBy David Pennington
Lately the Lord has been showing me that I have been lazy and not helping my family to take care of the things which need to be done. Everyday after work I come home and get on the computer - usually so that I can do a quick Bible study and then get on with building web sites. Now while this might not sound like fun to you - I enjoy it! Building websites is every bit as fun to me as a mechanic spending his afternoons to restore a ‘50 Chevy, or a kid playing PC games. However, it is because I enjoy working online and designing websites, that I don’t take care of my responsibilities the way I should.
At our house we have a lot of animals that must be taken care of each morning and evening. You see, my family and I live out in the country and have cats, ponies, horses, and lots of dogs (a little too many if you ask me). Each of these must be fed, loved, and checked up on each day - a job that takes a lot of work. Somehow though, I have come to the conclusion that since I have a job (and skills online), I don’t have to help the rest of my family with these chores. Basically, because I sit at a desk all day - I shouldn’t have to work hard like my family in taking care of these animals.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.
We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10
There seem to only be two reasons for laziness: (1) Pride: You feel that you work enough as it is, or (2) Self-centeredness: You are more interested in what you want to do than in what needs to be done. (I think that in my case it is a little of both.) Now, while it is true that I do work and provide for my family - I am not “loving my neighbor as myself” when I set around on the web - I am loving myself, period. Am I too tired to work? No. Am I crippled? No. Am I thinking about how I can serve others? No. I am just enjoying something that I can trick myself into thinking is helping mankind.
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24
Should I be working at my job only for money? Should my family only take care care of these animals because we have too? Well, not according to God’s Word. I find that I am looking at these things wrong. The Bible says that I need to wake up each day and work as though the God of the universe was right there with me (which he is).
Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. - 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13
Remember, when there is work to be done you need to help others as much as you can, work as though you were working for the Lord, and never get tired of doing good. God gave us bodies and we need to use them to do the work he put in front of us.
