Work and Labor, Part 10

Work and Labor, Part 10
Thursday, October 10, 2024 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Contemporary issues / Scripture discussion / The church / Thought for Today

How does God describe those who work hard? One word: diligent. Sadly, given our sinful nature, for many of us our natural tendency is towards the “sluggard” side, not the “diligent” side. Thus, there are far fewer Scriptures about the diligent, than warnings about being a sluggard.

A few Scriptures contrast a diligent worker to a negligent one or to a sluggard.

Proverbs 10:4 (NAU): Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 12:24 (NAU): The hand of the diligent will rule, But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

Proverbs 13:4 (NAU): The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat.

It is worth noting the contrast. A diligent worker achieves success. It goes well for him. In God’s economy, he rules. He is made fat. In context fat doesn’t mean “overweight” but rather that he is successful. As the one proverb states, he is made rich. One can infer that he also has a positive attitude with no regrets.

Sadly, we’ve sometimes seen those who are slack envying those who are diligent, even claiming that those who are diligent had an unfair advantage. Biblically, in general terms, those who work hard succeed, while those who refuse get the result one might expect: they have nothing. Instead of blamng others, wouldn’t it be better to take responsibility for one’s own actions, and change?

The diligent do indeed have an advantage:

Proverbs 21:5 (NAU): The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

Proverbs 22:29 (NAU): Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.

Where does their advantage come from? Is it due to unfair circumstances or luck? No. It is due to their own hard work. It is due to their own conscious choice to do much more than nothing.

God has given each one of us gifts and abilities. We are all potentially good at something. While some occupations are more financially rewarding than others—though some of the most important are on the lower end of the wage scale—and some of us face greater obstacles than others, each one of us has the potential for succeed.

Arguably, it starts by trusting God, by asking Him to help us become who He has made us to be. Even if we remain obscure in our work, it is important to remember that we are serving God in that work, and to do so diligently.

The question is: How will we respond? Are we willing to work hard? If we’ve been guilty of being slack or lazy in our work, will we repent and change? If we’ve tended towards the “sluggard” side, will we stop? Will we begin to live differently?

Will we work diligently? Are we willing to work full-time or something close to it? If we’ve never worked before, are we willing to at least start, even if it means doing something we’d prefer not to do? Will we lay aside our fears about changing?

As Zechariah 4:10 encourages us, while some may despise the day of small things, or the day of small beginnings, small beginnings can lead to great success. The first step may look small and intimidating, but the end result is well worth it. A master carpenter or musician didn’t start there: both had to take an initial step.

If we’ve never worked diligently, or if we’ve gotten sidetracked at some point, let us begin, or resume, working diligently whether that be at a paying job, a student, or a dedicated homemaker.

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