Title: Strive to Work with Your Hands
Contents
The story of the sea, which is revealed one after another as a story of corruption due to the link between gambling and lobbying that ravages the minds of the people, is a barometer that clearly shows the degree of corruption and corruption in our society. Our members must heal the ills of the age with these distorted work and values through the Word of God. Let's see how the Bible views work.
Ⅰ. Be faithful in your work (Phase 11)
“And he persuaded him to do his work, as I commanded you.”
Everyone has a job to do. Calling (召命) means being called. Calling includes not only spiritual work, but also general occupations. Therefore, we must know what we are doing as our vocation and have a sense of calling. Occupation is a calling that God has entrusted to you. When everyone is faithful to their work, the family becomes stable and the country becomes stable.
J. Calvin said, “Everything we receive belongs to God that has been entrusted to us, and we must put it to good use. No matter what kind of lowly work you do, if you are faithful to the vocation assigned to you, you will become beautiful and sacred in the sight of God.” Saints! Be faithful to your work.
Ⅱ. Strive to work (11th)
In contrast to the philosophers of that time who looked down on work in Acts 17, idlely and arguing, Paul emphasized the importance of work and set an example for himself. Why should we work? Work is work. Labor is not a natural, instinctive movement, but rather laborious movement. That is, working hard with a certain purpose and productively. Why do we believers have to work?
① To practice love for our neighbor (Ephesians 4:28)
Labor is an act of holy love given to help those in need. If even thieves should stop doing evil and do good for the poor, I hope that our children of God will work even harder to have the heart of the Lord, care for the poor, and practice love. We should work hard to help those who are marginalized and suffer from mental and physical disabilities, and we should give out of the income to God to help them.
② In order not to harm others (1 Thessalonians 2:9)
Paul preached the gospel as an evangelist and deserved treatment, but he did not want to harm anyone, and in the early days of the mission, he himself worked and evangelized with mercy. it deserves Being sincere in my work does not harm others.
③To be blessed and prosperous (Psalm 128:2)
Let's work hard while giving thanks to God for giving us work. When we work hard, God guarantees the reward for our hard work. Living while working is a blessing and the secret to success. Getting unearned income is not a blessing. Those things make us unhappy. prevent you from living a normal life. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Our work is God's holy law of creation and an expression of neighborly love. The purpose of our work is for the glory of God. Eating according to the labor of my hands is a blessing and the secret to success.
Ⅲ. Avoid being criticized by others (Phase 12)
The Thessalonians did not work with a false understanding of the end, but lived like thugs. Thus, he was denounced by unbelievers and became the object of criticism. They criticized people who believed in God for not doing any work and living in debt to others. So Paul urges the Thessalonians to be modest. God wants us to sweat and toil. You want a substance that holds my sweat. Also, no matter how well you make money, you should not do things that are criticized by others. We must work so that our work brings glory to God, not only to be blamed by unbelievers, but also to be respected as others. Saints! Let us not do things that are condemned by unbelievers anytime, anywhere. Rather, I hope that the door of evangelism will open wide by buying people who are praised for doing many good deeds.
Ⅳ. Work so that there is no need (12b)
In Proverbs 6:9-11, “How long will you lie down, you lazy person? When will you wake up from your sleep? 10 If you sleep a little longer, sleep a little longer, put your hands together and lie down a little longer, 11 Your poverty will come like a robber, and your poverty will be a military force. We will come together.” We must not forget the truth that we get what we work for. When we work hard, God gives us more as a bonus. If our members work while thinking of their workplace as a field of mission, our workplace becomes a place where they can do many good things. How miserable would it be if we worked simply to make a living? However, if you know and work as a missionary field, you will feel rewarded even if it is difficult and difficult and receive God's comfort. We must return to the Word of God at times like these. You have to wake up from your fantasy. There is a task entrusted to all of us. You have to be faithful to it. Hands must work You must work so as not to be criticized by others. You must work so as not to be destitute. I hope that all of you who work hard live a blessed life and have a prosperous future.