Working wisely

Proverbs 6:6-11 ESV

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.   Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,  she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.   How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?   A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,   and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Rev.  Dwight Yoo

Work Diligently

The sluggard lacks initiative. Proverbs describes not only their actions,  but also their life.  They don't move very far.  They take the easy way all the time.  From year to year, they make no progress. They choose comfort and ease every time. It does not apply to things we do not finish.  It is that they consistently do not finish. Additionally, they spend energy on worthless pursuits. Instead of work on things that ultimately matter, we spend it on ill-timed tasks and leisure. They make excuses to avoid work. We rationalize our own laziness. Sluggards are not just lazy. They are proud and self-centered people. They care about their own comfort and self-interest above all else.

Sluggards cause suffering to others.  They bring trouble to those around them. They suffer lack. They can cause harm to coworkers, family, and friends. The one seeking self satisfaction and comfort ends up causing themselves suffering.

The path of the sluggard isn't determined in one choice, but rather one choice after another. Choosing self comfort over the wise choice hour after hour, day after day. We will be surprised by a shock to find that we are the sluggard.

Work as one who has been called

Our lives should be lived as one bought by Christ. Work is not a curse. It existed before sin entered the picture. It is a good thing. It is not a curse. God calls us to work well.  All work is sacred, not just the work of pastors, missionaries, and church positions. All well done work is pleasing to God.

Work in light of Christ's work

Christ's work brings: HOPE, PROTECTION, & ASSURANCE

Our work comes with a measure of futility. But in Christ, our labor for the kingdom is not in vain.  We are not to be a sluggard. But we are not called to become workaholics, work is not our God. Christ died and provided for us. We don't need to prove ourselves through our work. We are to neither make too little or too much of work. Die to yourself to bear fruit for God.