Why Do We Work?
The apostle Paul in the Bible spent the last years of his life teaching people about Jesus’ sacrifice for them and the principles of living out the Christian life. It is fascinating that in his final words to both the Thessalonians and the Ephesians, Paul emphasized the principle of hard work. The first passage below was written by Paul near the end of his final address to the Thessalonians. Shortly after these words, we find the benediction of that letter. In Acts, Paul spoke the words to the Ephesian elders as part of his farewell address to them before heading toward unknown fate in Jerusalem. Almost immediately after he spoke the words in Acts, the leaders and Paul wept, embraced, and kissed, knowing they would not see each other again. What did he emphasize with his last words? The benefits of hard work.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 (ESV)
7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
Acts 20:33-35 (ESV)
33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Digging into God’s Word
The day before I wrote this devotion, the photo above, along with others of a clean water project in Haiti, appeared in my Facebook news feed. I am moved to grateful tears as I write this. For over a decade, the congregation I am part of, through no power of our own, has been inexplicably knit by God to a congregation and community in Haiti. Together, we in the U.S. and in Haiti have watched as children in both communities have grown up, congratulated one another on celebratory life events, and mourned with each other through hard times. We share our gifts with each other.
For many years, our medical team has known that access to clean water would resolve many medical issues in this community in Haiti. The people in Haiti knew this, too, and researched which company to use and where to place the facility.
Two years ago, a couple in our congregation, who I believe have remained anonymous, provided the seed money for the project, seemingly out of the blue. This was not a small gift. My limited understanding is that they had been praying about how to use their earnings, and God gave them a clear direction. They followed through.
This summer, our high school students traveled to Haiti, and they were the first to see the fruits of that gift.
Can I admit to you that I often miss this purpose of my paycheck? I’m often thinking about the grocery bill or the next item on my wish list.
Paul challenges us to look beyond our own wants and needs to those of others:
33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
This is why we work: to give from our earnings to help those in need. Work hard, Paul says in 2 Thessalonians. Don’t be a burden on others. With the earnings you receive from working hard, help others.
Let that motivate you to get out of bed tomorrow morning! Preaching to myself.
Digging Deeper
As you are able, spend time with God, reflecting on these questions or journaling your thoughts.
- When you think about your or your spouse’s paycheck, what are the first thoughts that cross your mind? If those thoughts need confessing, as mine do, confess those thoughts to God and receive His forgiveness.
- Take time right now to dream about what could be done with your earnings. How could they be used for the benefit of others? Let your mind freely brainstorm a list of ideas. You can come back to the list later to decide what is practical. For now, brainstorm away, and write down any idea that comes to mind. I want to encourage you in this even if you are on a fixed income or do not have control of the family finances. God knows and understands your situation. Ask God to show you how any extra pennies could be used and how to pray through that situation, especially if there are no extra pennies.
- Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him for who He is and what He has provided to you. Great is His faithfulness! I once sang the song “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” with a group of clients at a soup kitchen. If they can sing it, you can sing it, too!
Extra Info!
You might remember that Paul was a tentmaker by trade. How do we know this? You can find it in Acts 18:1-4, especially verse 3, where we learn that Paul had the same trade as Aquila and Priscilla, and they were tentmakers. Hard work was clearly one of Paul’s life principles, because he reminds us to work hard very often in his writings.
Stay Connected!
I’m glad you are here! I am just starting out, and I would be grateful to remain in touch with you.
- You can find all of the devotions for the series “All in a Day’s Work” at this link. There are only two more devotions to go in the series!
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