A Biblical Worldview of Work

Shawn (00:00): Do you drag yourself to work every Monday morning wondering if what you do really matters? The Bible says work isn’t a punishment. It’s actually one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Today, we’ll explore what scripture says about finding meaning and purpose in your work. Let’s get some perspective. Welcome back to Christian Financial Perspectives. My name’s Shawn Peters and this is Bob Barber. Today, we’re going to be talking about the biblical worldview of work. The Bible speaks of work more than 500 times, yet it speaks of retirement only once. We are commanded to work and it offers many benefits, whereas idleness and laziness come with dire consequences. In Genesis 2:15, even before the fall, which I think is a good thing to highlight here, before the fall, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (01:01): It’s not the first time I’ve heard this, Bob, but that is definitely one of those things that I remember the first time that I heard that, the idea on the work. And it’s like, it’s not work that was a consequence of sin entering into creation. (01:15): The extra obstacles, the thorns, the thistles of the field, those things that where the earth fights back against us when we’re working, that was part of the consequences of sin. But work itself was there as part of God’s original perfect creation. Bob (01:35): We’re going to talk about the benefits… Shawn (01:36): But that may be news to some of you. Bob (01:37): Exactly. Shawn (01:37): Some of you that may have been missed because for me, I mean, I was probably 27. It was the first time I started working with you back in 2008 sometime in the first few years of that was when I think I had first heard that. So I went through my Liberty University Christian college education and yet that still had not come up that work was part of the original design. Bob (01:59): Well, I think that’s because we’ve sold in or heard so much about the secular worldview of work. I go to a lot of financial websites looking at the markets and looking at articles and it’s always about, you can retire at 35. Well, then what are you going to do? Shawn (02:17): That’s exactly what I thought when I’ve seen that. Yeah. And then do what? Bob (02:21): This was easy for me to write what we’re going to go through today because I enjoy work so much. I see work as a purpose and we’re going to learn that truly God does want us to work because like you say, it appears over 500 times in the Bible, yet retire appears once. That’s not to say that retirement is not biblical and we’re going to share that forward. Shawn (02:45): We should not be obsessive with work either. Because we… Bob (02:48): That’s true. Shawn (02:49): You’ve probably heard this before. It’s like you don’t live to work, you work to live. Bob (02:53): And I remember a famous man, Dennis Rainey from Family Life Ministry years ago used to say, I heard this at a Family Life conference. I’ve never met a man on his deathbed that says, “I wish I’d have worked more.” Shawn (03:05): I wish I’d worked a few more hours in the office. Bob (03:06): Yeah, exactly. They were going to say, “I wish I’d have spent more time with my family.” But Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Christ you’re serving.” And anybody, any kind of type of work, and you can take that work and glorify God in what you’re doing by being a humble servant. Shawn (03:45): Yeah, because remember you’re doing it for the Lord that even when it’s that small thing, and this goes into when we’re talking about honesty and integrity, but it’s that even though man may not see one of these things or like some of these things that you do, the Lord sees what you do. He sees what you do in secret and he’s going to recognize that. So remember, no matter what it is, you’re doing it first and foremost unto the Lord. And then we also have Ecclesiastes 11:6. “Sow your seed in the morning and at evening, let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, whether both will do equally well.” Bob (04:23): Yeah, Solomon believed in work. It’s a gift from God and it’s not a curse and God designed us to work from the very beginning of time. We work because our creator, our creator works and we’re made in his image to reflect him. So according to the Bible, it’s truly a gift from God and it’s intended to provide for needs for our family, build character and glorify him. And that’s one of the key benefits is it provides for our families is 1 Timothy 5:8 said, “It’s worse than an unbeliever that does… Shawn (04:57): …not provide for his family.” Bob (04:58): If he does not provide for his family. Yeah. We’ve talked about this in the past and Colossians 3:23-24 is another good scripture that goes into talking about work is actually a form of worship. Shawn (05:11): And it also fosters personal fulfillment, creates opportunities for generosity. It strengthens character through perseverance and is a form of worship. Bob (05:22): So let’s get into the benefits of work according to the scripture and there are quite a few. Number one is provision. Philippians 4:9 says, “And God will meet all your needs according to the richest of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Work is a way to provide. Shawn (05:37): Yeah. That was Philippians 4:19 and then number two, stewardship, Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it,” like we mentioned before. Bob (05:47): Yeah. It provides a purpose, like we mentioned earlier, Colossians 3:23- 24, “Whatever you do, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Christ you’re serving.” Shawn (06:06): Yeah. Which again, it kind of goes back to the retire at 35 and then what’s your purpose going to be? Bob (06:11): Yeah. Shawn (06:12): Why? Why would you retire at 35, even if you could? So number four, personal fulfillment, Ecclesiastes 3:13, “Also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor. It is the gift of God.” Bob (06:25): When I’ve worked hard, I feel a sense of purpose at the end of the day, you feel tired, but you’ve done something where if you’ve done nothing all day long and you do that day in, day out, that starts to get depressing after a while now. Now I got to understand a weekend day and taking some time. Sunday is a day that’s supposed to be a risk. Shawn (06:46): I will say it depends on what the work is too, but having that purpose and fulfillment, if it’s something that you actually feel called to, that tired is definitely a more fulfilled tired. When I finished our tax returns recently, I was tired, but it didn’t feel as much of a fulfilled tired, but I was still tired from work and I knew the work had to get done. It just was not really the fulfilling work that I wanted to do. Bob (07:12): Another benefit, of course, work is profitable. Proverbs 14:23 says that, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Shawn (07:24): Yep. And Proverbs 21:5, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Bob (07:32): I like this other benefit, just one that can happen, it’s not going to happen with everyone, but is wealth. And Proverbs 10:4 says, “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth,” especially if you save little by little, which is in Proverbs 13:11, watch it grow. Shawn (07:50): And number seven, leadership. Proverbs 12:25, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” Bob (07:57): Yeah, truly there is a way for a Godly leader in the workplace and he or she is looked upon by others by their actions and by their Christian walk with the Lord. Shawn (08:14): So what are some other benefits of work? I know each one of those, those are kind of like the big seven, if you will, with the scripture for every single one, but obviously we do have some other benefits to share. Bob (08:22): Well, there’s necessities, right? Food, clothing, shelter, provide for your family, it cultivates discipline, getting up at the same time every day and patience, because sometimes you have to be very patient with those you’re working with. You and I know that, right? Shawn (08:43): Oh, no. Bob is just, you’re always a dream. You and I never, never have- Bob (08:48): No, no, never. Shawn (08:49): Yeah, because we’re just so easygoing. We don’t like- Bob (08:51): He may be my son-in-law, but he’s also like my son, so we’re like father, dad. It’s not always perfect. I can tell you. Shawn (08:59): Bob, we’re trying to work on the leadership part of the work, but sometimes- Bob (09:03): That’s exactly right. Yeah. Yeah. So we give each other patience. We don’t realize it, but we’re sharpening each other. Diligence- Shawn (09:10): You’ve heard this before, right? But where you pray for the Lord to give you patience and so he gives you many opportunities to practice patience. You’re like, “No, no, no. I meant just give it to me. I don’t want to have to work for it.” Bob (09:22): Yeah. Of course, like we said, it could be satisfying and provide a purpose. And I really believe it’s part of God’s original design for us to work. I mean, why else did he put over 500 scriptures with work, but one on retirement? Shawn (09:36): Well, and the fact that it’s called out to show that man was put in the garden to work it and to keep it and that was before sin. And then even before that, you see God demonstrate the same thing that he worked, he did six days of work and then he made it a point that in the story that he gave to be written down in Genesis that on the seventh day he rested. Did God need to rest? No. Bob (10:01): No. Shawn (10:01): He’s God. Bob (10:02): But he realized what he needed to do. Shawn (10:03): But he also needed to show us the model that like, “Hey, hey, work is good, but also you still need to rest.” Bob (10:09): And truly a society where people were working, it’s like the ants, right? It’s a functioning society and it provides that. And I know through work I’ve established some of the greatest friendships and relationships through work had it not been for that. I would not have established that. Some of my best friends now that have been clients that I’ve met through the workplace. Shawn (10:39): Had you not started this firm, would we even be having this conversation? Bob (10:43): Probably not. Shawn (10:43): I mean- Bob (10:44): No, we wouldn’t. We wouldn’t. Shawn (10:46): So the other thing is it can stabilize other parts of life that can be stressful. Bob (10:50): Yeah, it can. Yeah. You know that when you have kids, they can be pretty stressful and you can go to work and kind of de- stress. It’s more stressful at home than it is at work, by the way. Shawn (11:07): Depending on the day. Bob (11:09): I think this next one really strikes at me because it creates and develops creativity and develops that because just through writing, I love to write. There’s a lot of creativity that comes in writing and a lot of soul searching, a lot of prayer and a lot of challenges. Shawn (11:27): It can also be a place where Christians can be a light and a beacon to a lost world looking for purpose, especially we are a Christian firm, so it’s a little different here where it’s very much baked into our day-to-day work of everything that we’re doing. But especially for those of you, the majority of people watching and listening that you work at a company that is by no means like a Christian company. You’re not working at a Chick-fil-A or Hobby Lobby, and having that opportunity of your workplace is your part of your ministry. Bob (11:58): Absolutely. Shawn (12:00): That is where you are being a light and a beacon to the people around you and they see how you work and how you approach things makes a difference. When there may be one of those times that you think, “Hey, I’m working for the Lord and no one’s even seeing what I’m doing.” And yet there’s someone that is actually seeing what’s going on. They’re like, “You know what?” No one would’ve even known that they weren’t doing that right or they didn’t do that right. Well, there you go. That could be your opportunity as a witness is when you think no one was watching someone was and you still did the right thing. Bob (12:32): Take your light and let it shine. Shawn (12:33): That’s right. Bob (12:34): Yeah. And people see that. And when there’s tough times that arrive among your workers, they’re going to come to you for prayer and counseling based on biblical guidelines. Shawn (12:44): And work also allows for us as Christians to contribute to the public good of society to bless others and help those in need. Bob (12:53): It allows us the financial means to bless others. So now we’re going to get into what I call some of the, what would I call it now? Shawn (13:03): The antonyms of the benefits of work the- Bob (13:06): There’s the benefits of work, but then there comes the consequences of of not working and idleness and laziness. And I’ve seen this in different people’s lives and the first thing is I notice when they’re not working, there’s a decay. It’s kind of like things just start decaying around. Shawn (13:27): There’s a verse for that. Ecclesiastes 10:18. “Through laziness, the rafters sag because of idle hands, the house leaks.” Bob (13:34): Yeah, pretty straightforward there. It’s like Proverbs, it comes right at you. Shawn (13:42): House could be your actual house, but also your household, the business you’re working at. I mean, kind of fill in the blank for whether that’s the literal house or use as a metaphor. Bob (13:54): Consequences of being lazy and not working is definitely this one, is a big one. It’s poverty. And Proverbs 10:3-5 says, “The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful one.” Shawn (14:22): Yep. Number three, hunger. Proverbs, we got a few verses for this one, but Proverbs 19:15, “Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless go hungry.” In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this. If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” And Proverbs 20:4, “Sluggards do not plow in season. So at harvest time, they look but find nothing.” Bob (14:49): You remember when we did the biblical worldview of providing for family and this is a consequence of not working if you’re able to. And we did mention some people are not able to. There could be a physical or a mental handicap that they’re not able to. Shawn (15:04): And that’s the part where, hey, I do think as a society that we should be providing for the people who physically cannot work, but the people who just decide, “Oh, I just don’t want to work and I’m just going to live off the government welfare and all these benefits,” that’s not okay. No, no, you should be working. Bob (15:22): I mean, there’s a scriptural guideline right here that says, “What will happen with you when you don’t?” And sometimes as parents and as grandparents, we got to let those that just refuse to work be a little hungry. Shawn (15:36): It’s a good motivator. Bob (15:36): They got to figure it out. Shawn (15:37): You start getting hungry, it’s a good motivator to work, especially if there’s no reason for you not to be able to work. So number four, infestation and destruction. You want me to read the scripture? Bob (15:49): Yeah, you read that straight from Proverbs. You go for it. Shawn (15:51): All right, Proverbs 24:30-34, “I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense. Thorns had come up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” Bob (16:17): Do we need to say more? Shawn (16:19): No, but we do have Proverbs 18:9, “One who is slacking his work is brother to one who destroys.” Bob (16:26): Wow. And like we said, work provides a purpose. Not working provides a lack of purpose because like Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are made in God’s handywork and we’re created in Christ Jesus to do good works and God prepared in advance for us to do that.” When we’re not doing that, we have a lack of purpose when we’re not working. Shawn (16:51): And that also goes, Bob, into the idea on the retirement of if you retire at 35 and you don’t have a purpose. Okay. Well, we know from studies that there are a lot of men especially that when they retire and all they do, they just kind of play golf. They don’t do anything really. I’m not saying you have to work eight hours a day, five days a week for your whole life, but not having that purpose, that lack of purpose, it shortens your lifespan. Bob (17:24): It does. And it creates depression. Shawn (17:25): Which kind of seems like the opposite of like, wait, work actually makes you live longer? Yeah. It does. Because it’s part of the original design. Bob (17:33): I think you can attest to that with your grandpa. How old is your grandpa now? Shawn (17:36): I think he’s 86, 87 now. Bob (17:37): And he still gets out on a tractor. Shawn (17:39): Oh yeah. He’ll still go operate the trackhoe and dozer, whatever. My dad’s got some stuff out on the farm. My dad’s got an acreage that still has trees on it. So yeah, my grandfather’s out there just pulling up tree stumps and knocking stuff over and yeah, he’s still working. Bob (17:54): So Shawn, I want you to read this next one before I say that one of the consequences of not working is Proverbs 12:11. Shawn (18:01): Okay. So number six is- Bob (18:03): We’re not going to say it yet. Shawn (18:04): Oh, sorry. Sorry. Okay. You just want me to read the verse. Proverbs 12:11, “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.” Bob (18:14): So foolishness. Shawn (18:15): Yeah. Bob (18:16): By not working, foolishness starts to set in. Shawn (18:19): Yeah, for sure. Bob (18:22): And number seven is definitely true, lack of choices. When you’re not working, your choices become very, very limited. And Proverbs 12:24 said, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” So there’s lots of consequences. We’re just going to list these next ones just very, very quickly, other consequences of idleness and laziness, missed career opportunities, an unfavorable reputation, strained relationships with others. Shawn (18:54): Physical and mental health issues, missed opportunities for personal growth, poor career advancement, negative behavioral patterns, neglect of self and others, public dishonor, and finally spiritual decay with our heavenly father. Bob (19:07): Isn’t that interesting, that last one. I found that. So as we boil all this down in looking at the work and the biblical worldview, these are some questions I think that we need to end on. Okay. Shawn (19:20): So now that we’ve shared all of that, these are kind of like, all right, so what’s the point? What are we asking here? Bob (19:26): Yeah. Shawn (19:26): Well, one, do you like to work? And if not, have you thought about why? I think it’s a good one. Bob (19:34): How have you used work to show others Christ? Shawn (19:39): Yeah. Can you see the benefits of working? Bob (19:45): Do you understand your God-given purpose in the workplace? Shawn (19:51): And just in case you missed from what we were talking about earlier, you do have one. Bob (19:54): That’s right. Shawn (19:54): No matter where you work, you do have a God-given purpose for where you work. Work is not just the point of like, oh, getting a paycheck. There’s a bigger purpose there. And have you witnessed how not working- idle hands and laziness- affect others and the consequences? Bob (20:11): So guess what we’re going to go into in either next or the next couple of sessions we’re going to go into the biblical worldview of retirement and that’s going to be an interesting one since we talked about work today. So when a guest talks about retirement, you’re like, “Well, what’s the biblical worldview of that? ” It only speaks of it one time, but I believe there is a biblical worldview of that and we’re going to look at many scriptures about how retirement can be a time of purpose because retirement, first of all, doesn’t mean that God has done with you to fulfill his purpose in your life. It’s just a different kind of work. Shawn (20:45): And even though it only talks about it once, we will have more than about 60 seconds of information to share. Bob (20:53): I’ve got a lot to share there. All right. Shawn (20:55): Well, if you have any questions, thoughts, comments, suggestions for other episodes, feel free to comment on the video or wherever you happen to be watching, listening to this. You can also send us a text at 830-609-6986 or visit us at our website, www.christianfinancialadvisors.com. Thank you so much for tuning in and as always, God bless.