Idle Hands & Willing Hearts
A mans heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
In the first 2-parts of this devotional series, we learned that in whatever we do, we need to do it unto the Lord. We learned that as Christians, we are to work as if we were working for God Himself. We are not to work for the primary purpose of financial gain, or to build an empire here on this earth. But we are to do it with the thought of building a witness for the Lord, bringing honor to His name.
And we learned that God is very clear that we are to be diligent workers and not lazy people. We are to go out and work by the sweat of our brow, and we are to provide for our family by working.
In Part III of this devotional series, I wanted to take a look at those Christian people who are willing to work unto the Lord, and who are not lazy but are very willing to do what it takes to earn a living and provide for their family.
But what if there is no work to be found? What if they are willing to work, but they cannot find anything to do? What does this mean? Is God punishing them for something, and that is why they cant find work?
Well, the first thing we need to know is that God is not punishing anyone by not allowing him or her to find work. After all, it was He, who told us that we were to work by the sweat of our brow so that we can eat.
By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. Genesis 3:19 (NLT)
So, we need to know that we are to work for our food, and not sit back on some sort of social entitlement because it is easier. These programs are there for those who have fallen on hard times and cannot find work, not for those who are not willing to look for work or who want to sit back and work the system.
But how are we to eat if we dont have work, and even though were willing, we cant seem to find anything?
This is a good question, and it is one that I dont have an answer for, because this answer comes from God alone. You see, He is the one who told us to work, and to be diligent. He is the one who opens doors that no man can close, and He closes the doors that no man can open (See Rev. 3:7). So He is the one who will provide either the work or the food. It is His choice alone. He said that He would provide these things.
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:25-26 (NKJV)
That takes all of the striving out of our looking for work. We just need to be diligent in looking for it, and faithful in doing it when we get the opportunity. But we dont need to freak out when we dont have work. So, the question now becomes this; What will we do with our time while were not working? How should we use this downtime?
I suggest that each day we put a certain amount of effort into seeking the Lord and His desires for our life. We can do this through reading the Word of God, and giving time to prayer. We should get on our hands and knees with reverence and a humble heart, and spend time with God.
The way I figure it, God has a perfect plan for us during this downtime. For some of us, maybe we needed to slow down to hear Him more clearly. For others, maybe we are being tested in our faith, and having our perseverance and character strengthened.
Maybe some of us are off work because there is someone who needs our help or encouragement. Maybe this is the only way God could get our attention. The point is that I dont know why it is for each person, but I do know that God is in control.
So, are you willing to use your time, talent and abilities to help others free of charge while you are off? Are you willing to continue to work and to tithe and offer your services to those in need and to give God the glory?
I know that it has been said, Idle hands are the devils workshop, and that, Idleness is the root of mischief. But I also believe that Idle in the Christian sense, means more than having a boring moment. It can point to avoiding or flat blowing off responsibilities. Just remember, that Free-time, or Down-time can be a tremendous blessing in addition to using it in helping others, it can be used for prayer to our Lord, and reflection of our paths taken or lessons learned. And we all can use this at various times of our Christian walk.
STUDY QUESTION: What can we learn from the three scriptures above about our life of work, and the Lord?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you making time within your workday to seek the Lord and spend time in prayer with Him?
APPLICATION: If you or someone you know is out of work and they are a Christian brother or sister, then I want to encourage you to take the time to share this message with them, and to pray for them. Remember to seek the Lord daily for all provisions, and rest in His promises to provide. He may use many different ways to provide, so make sure that you/they are open to whatever way it may come.
A mans heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
In the first 2-parts of this devotional series, we learned that in whatever we do, we need to do it unto the Lord. We learned that as Christians, we are to work as if we were working for God Himself. We are not to work for the primary purpose of financial gain, or to build an empire here on this earth. But we are to do it with the thought of building a witness for the Lord, bringing honor to His name.
And we learned that God is very clear that we are to be diligent workers and not lazy people. We are to go out and work by the sweat of our brow, and we are to provide for our family by working.
In Part III of this devotional series, I wanted to take a look at those Christian people who are willing to work unto the Lord, and who are not lazy but are very willing to do what it takes to earn a living and provide for their family.
But what if there is no work to be found? What if they are willing to work, but they cannot find anything to do? What does this mean? Is God punishing them for something, and that is why they cant find work?
Well, the first thing we need to know is that God is not punishing anyone by not allowing him or her to find work. After all, it was He, who told us that we were to work by the sweat of our brow so that we can eat.
By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. Genesis 3:19 (NLT)
So, we need to know that we are to work for our food, and not sit back on some sort of social entitlement because it is easier. These programs are there for those who have fallen on hard times and cannot find work, not for those who are not willing to look for work or who want to sit back and work the system.
But how are we to eat if we dont have work, and even though were willing, we cant seem to find anything?
This is a good question, and it is one that I dont have an answer for, because this answer comes from God alone. You see, He is the one who told us to work, and to be diligent. He is the one who opens doors that no man can close, and He closes the doors that no man can open (See Rev. 3:7). So He is the one who will provide either the work or the food. It is His choice alone. He said that He would provide these things.
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:25-26 (NKJV)
That takes all of the striving out of our looking for work. We just need to be diligent in looking for it, and faithful in doing it when we get the opportunity. But we dont need to freak out when we dont have work. So, the question now becomes this; What will we do with our time while were not working? How should we use this downtime?
I suggest that each day we put a certain amount of effort into seeking the Lord and His desires for our life. We can do this through reading the Word of God, and giving time to prayer. We should get on our hands and knees with reverence and a humble heart, and spend time with God.
The way I figure it, God has a perfect plan for us during this downtime. For some of us, maybe we needed to slow down to hear Him more clearly. For others, maybe we are being tested in our faith, and having our perseverance and character strengthened.
Maybe some of us are off work because there is someone who needs our help or encouragement. Maybe this is the only way God could get our attention. The point is that I dont know why it is for each person, but I do know that God is in control.
So, are you willing to use your time, talent and abilities to help others free of charge while you are off? Are you willing to continue to work and to tithe and offer your services to those in need and to give God the glory?
I know that it has been said, Idle hands are the devils workshop, and that, Idleness is the root of mischief. But I also believe that Idle in the Christian sense, means more than having a boring moment. It can point to avoiding or flat blowing off responsibilities. Just remember, that Free-time, or Down-time can be a tremendous blessing in addition to using it in helping others, it can be used for prayer to our Lord, and reflection of our paths taken or lessons learned. And we all can use this at various times of our Christian walk.
STUDY QUESTION: What can we learn from the three scriptures above about our life of work, and the Lord?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you making time within your workday to seek the Lord and spend time in prayer with Him?
APPLICATION: If you or someone you know is out of work and they are a Christian brother or sister, then I want to encourage you to take the time to share this message with them, and to pray for them. Remember to seek the Lord daily for all provisions, and rest in His promises to provide. He may use many different ways to provide, so make sure that you/they are open to whatever way it may come.
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