Thinking was something I worked at like a prospector washing out gold. I’d take me a brain full of the coarse gravel of ideas and sift it down until the gold remained. Only sometimes I worked a long time and came up with no color showing at all.”
–Louis L’Amour (The First Fast Draw)
“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
–John 9:4 (NKJV)
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One of my Mom’s favorite sayings was, “Have to go to work, gotta make a dollar.” Mom loved to work. She liked to be around people so most of her jobs in her lifetime dealt with the public in one form or another. My Dad always said that the most important thing that his Dad taught him was to work hard.
Now I’m not saying that there aren’t people in this world that don’t know how to work, or don’t work hard. It used to be engrained in our national ethos–the Puritan Work Ethic. All work came from God, thus we should do that work to the best of our ability for Him (see Colossians 3:17,23). However, there is a large segment of society that have forgotten this truism. They bounce from place to place, or they depend upon handouts (and I’m not talking about the homeless). Somewhere along the line we have not taught our children the importance of work and of doing things with quality. So many things are now done haphazardly. There is a glut of mediocrity in the world.
There are laws of sowing and reaping in the natural world just as in the spiritual world. “There are certain laws that govern success in the kingdom of grace as well as in the kingdom of nature, and you must study these laws and adapt yourself to them.” (Catherine Booth) Things must be done right and in order. It would be foolish for a farmer to try to reap before planting. It is silly to sell a garment that wasn’t made according to pattern. The same is true in the kingdom of God. People take time to learn their professions, they spend hours working in training, but somehow in Christianity we think all will come instantaneously. Catherine Booth stated, “For in their work for God, they would not seem to think it worthwhile to take the trouble to think and ponder, to plan and try to pray and to wrestle with God for wisdom.” No wonder so many fall. No wonder when those that fail don’t bother to get up and try again.
God expects you to be developing–growing in grace. To those He has given special talents He expects them to be used for His glory and the kingdom, and He will hold you responsible. He holds you responsible, also in the manner in which you use your time. There should be something developing throughout the day, throughout your life. Does that mean you are not to rest? Absolutely not, but rest from what? Rest from your labor. Far too many people rest from their rest. They move about aimlessly and they will have to give an account.
Ask yourself what you are doing with your time, your money, your effort and energy, your family and relationships, your influence. When you make plans, no matter what type, do you take God in account in them? Is He included? Which son will you be like? The Father told two sons to go out to work. One said, “I will not, then changed his mind and went out to work. The other told his Father that he would work, but then did not fulfill his word. (see Matthew 21:28-29) In these last days of time, not only work hard for the Master, but begin to work if you are not already doing so. Also, make sure that you are doing the work properly and with the Lord in mind.