The Christian and Work

Memory Text: 1 Corinthians 15:58

SABBATH: God made the universe in 6 days & rested on the 7th day. Adam & Eve were to work as He had worked, & rest as He had rested. Thus, work is God’s idea— it’s one of God’s gifts to man (Gen. 2:15). Jews deemed a father who did not teach his son a trade as a father who would raise a criminal. Christ was a carpenter & Paul was a tentmaker (Mark 6:3; Acts 18:1-4, 2 Thess. 3:8-12). We’re to work too.

SUNDAY: Work has many sides; ups & downs. Sin changed the nature of our work (Gen. 3:19). For necessity, many are induced to work. Work reduces crime rate & give people worth. Yet, can cause depression, among retirees. Students must be taught to be useful. As they work at their trade, they need to learn how to work God’s way. Teachers are to help harness the skills of students to God’s glory. What do you do?

MONDAY: In any work we do, “make a success of the present duty”. This success is achieved not only when we gain blessings from our work, but also when our work blesses others. We work to nurture others. It’s God’s desire that we represent Him in our work by helping others. By continual work, we increase our self-efficacy—abilities (Deut. 16:15; Eccles. 9:10; Prov. 21:25; Jer. 1:16, Ps. 90:7, Acts 20:34, 35, Neh. 6:9).

TUESDAY: Excellent is His name & His loving-kindness—God is a God of perfection. Concrete details was given to Noah in building an ark. In erecting the tabernacle for worship, God desired excellence in the work. Moses was an expert in pitching a tent, but God directed Him (Exod. 25:10-30:38). God gave details on the sacrificial system. He provided things needed. Be excellent in your work (Exod. 31:1-6, 35:30-36:1, 2).

WEDNESDAY: Christianity is not a garment we put on & put off, it is for a lifetime. A true Christian is transformed internally & externally. In His work, he/she manifest the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-26). A friend, seeing how nurses cared for his dying friend inquired where the “good” nurses were trained. He gave $100,000 to Florida Hospital College, trainer of the nurses for them to train more “good” nurses.

THURSDAY: “We are stewards, supplied from God with talents and facilities and placed in the world to do a work appointed by Him.” All has been blessed with gifts to bless others. No talent is to be lost & no skill is to be left unharnessed. Our money, time, energy, & all we have are to be used for God’s glory. God is to be glorified at all times, & not to be compartmentalized (Eccles. 9:10; 1 Pet. 2:5; 1 Cor. 10:31).

FRIDAY: Work is a blessing! After the fall, what was cursed was the ground & not work. Work was given out of love & part of God’s great plan of restoration. Work was to keep man in check & develop in man self-control. How we treat work (monotony, overwork, overvaluing) might make it a curse. Christian education must aid us not to idolize work though we value it.

—Ellen G. White, “The Temptation and Fall,” pp. 52-62, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

Keywords

Compartmentalize - separate/categorize

Monotony - dullness/boredom/lacking variety

Captions

SUNDAY- The Many Sides Of Work
MONDAY- Work And Nurture
TUESDAY- Work And Excellence
WEDNESDAY- Work And Spirituality
THURSDAY- Work And Stewardship

Discussion Questions

📌 Read Ecclesiastes 2:18-24. How can Solomon consider work both a blessing and a curse in the same section of the Bible? What are hints in the text about what can make the difference in how we approach our work?

📌 It is through work that we care for (nurture) our families. How can we pass on a positive attitude about work to our families?

📌 The line between doing an excellent job and being a workaholic is sometimes a fine one. How do we keep from crossing that line? (See Eccles. 2:23.)

📌 Paul stated very clearly: “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10, NKJV). This principle, of course, makes great sense. What might be some examples where it doesn’t apply? That is, why must we be sure not to make this an ironclad rule that must never be broken?

For December 5-11. Happy Sabbath.

—Michael Adarkwah Agyemang

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