INTRO.- ILL.- One time a minister was preaching about the importance of work. He told the congregation that they should praise God for the opportunity of working for their daily bread.
“But the Lord has seen to it,” he said, “that you don’t have to work every day. Because of Moses you have Saturday off, and thanks to Jesus you have Sunday off. ISN’T THAT WONDERFUL?”
“Sure is,” said a voice from a rear pew. He said, “FIVE MORE JEWISH BOYS LIKE THAT AND WE’D NEVER HAVE TO WORK AGAIN.”
I think there are many people in our society who would love it if they didn’t have to work. And frankly, I just don’t understand this “non-work” ethic in anybody. I guess it’s my age and perhaps my mentality.
And God said “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.”
God commanded us in Scripture to work, but nowhere in Scripture did He command us to play. When a society wants to play more than work, something is wrong with us.
Most people don’t work six days a week. Most people work five days a week and would like to make it even less. Many people are thrilled to have this three-day weekend off.
Why would God command us to work six days a week? Probably for several reasons: One reason why God wants us to work is because He is a worker!
Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Gen. 2:2 “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing...”
Ps. 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
John 5:17 Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, an working.”
God worked when He created the heavens and the earth, but He didn’t stop there! He has been working throughout all of history! He is still at work even though we may not be aware of some of His work.
He is at work doing “behind the scenes” things as well as out in the open. BUT ONE THING IS CLEAR: GOD IS A WORKER AND HE WANTS US TO WORK!
God is our Heavenly Father and He wants us to learn to imitate Him in life because He does everything right! He does good things and work is one of them. WORK IS GOOD FOR US ALL. It’s an indication that we’re becoming just like our Heavenly Father.
God also wants us to work because it is just plain good for us. Work benefits us in many ways. Work is a healthy thing to do. It exercises both the body and the brain.
ILL.- It was said that preacher John Wesley was a small man, weighing only 120 lbs, but he was a tireless worker. He lived to be 90 years old. Samuel Johnson said of him, “He is never at leisure.”
At the age of 73 Wesley said that he felt better and stronger than at the age of 23. COULD IT BE THAT WORK HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT? It’s highly possible.
Most people don’t die from hard work or from being overworked. They die from doing nothing.
PROP.- In this message I want to consider two thoughts:
1- The business and blessings of work
2- The reason and rewards of leisure
I. THE BUSINESS AND BLESSINGS OF WORK
ILL.- A man applied for a job and asked the manager, “How many people work in this plant?” The manager replied, “About one in fifteen.”
Not many people want to work even when they have a job, but here’s the opposite of that.
ILL.- Albert Einstein was interested in almost everything, and gave every topic and visitor his undivided attention. But sometimes he would rise abruptly—even in the middle of a sentence—and say apologetically, “I have to work now.” He would retire to his study, leaving it to his wife and secretary to entertain the guest a while longer. There was nothing offensive about this; it was obvious that Einstein’s brain had started to spin, and that he had to work.
Brothers and sisters, Einstein meant business and his business was his work. And work is our business whether we realize this or not. God created us to work. God commanded us to work. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
I Thess. 4:11 “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and TO WORK WITH YOUR HANDS...”
II Thess. 3:10-12 “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’ “We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.”
These scriptures sound like God wants us to work, which is our business in life, regardless of the work we do. You can’t help but appreciate the person who works hard no matter what he or she does.
ILL.- A businessman said to his wife, “Three days ago I hired a young man to work in the office. He does his work very well and has a very positive attitude. Whenever he finishes a job, he comes to me and says, ‘I’ve done what you’ve asked me to do. What else do you want me to do?’”
He said, “Yesterday, I gave him something to do and later he came to me and said, ‘What’s next?’ He is the only person I’ve ever hired who was willing to do more than I asked of him. THAT YOUNG MAN WILL MAKE HIS MARK IN THE WORLD!”
I think that’s the spirit and attitude that God intended for us to have in life instead of watching the clock to see how much longer we have to work. OUR BUSINESS IS WORK.
There are also blessings that come from work. I can think of several. 1- You have a job. That’s a blessing in itself. Not everyone has a job. There are still plenty of unemployed people in America. 2- You get a paycheck. It may not be much, but it’s better than nothing. 3- You get to glorify the Lord in your work. God wants to be glorified in everything we do in life. When we work hard as Christians God is glorified. Christians should be the best workers in the world. 4- You sleep better at night after having worked all day.
ILL.- The businessman dragged himself home and barely made it to his chair before he dropped, exhausted.
His sympathetic wife was right there with a tall cool drink and a comforting word. "My, you look tired," she said. "You must have had a hard day today. What happened to make you so exhausted?"
"It was terrible," her husband said, "The computer broke down and all of us had to do our own thinking."
One blessing of work is that it will make your tired and you will rest better at night. Good hard labor tires you out.
5- You have a sense of satisfaction knowing that you have done a good job.
ILL.- A man was found making a clean, shining beauty out of a rusty, old tugboat engine. Someone asked the man how he was able to do that and he replied, “I GOT A GLORY!”
ILL.- Another man watched three men at work. He asked, “What are you doing?” The first man said, “I’m working for so much money today.” The second man said, “I’m cutting stone.” The third man said, “I’M BUILDING A CATHEDRAL.”
ILL.- Someone said to a traffic officer in a busy city, “ Yours must be a dog’s life?” The officer replied, “It would be if I were a dog, but I’m not a dog, I’m a saver of lives! I’ve already saved three today.”
Some of the people in three stories had the right attitude about life and work. They found a blessing in their work.
One man said “I got a glory.” Have you “got a glory” in your work? To me, this is the idea of visualizing the potential for doing good in your particular job. Have you “got a glory”? Have you realized how much you could do in your work? Have you realized how you could bless others?
Another man said he was building a cathedral. He wasn’t just working for a paycheck, like so many others. If you are working just for the money you will never find a blessing in your work.
In a sense, we all are building cathedrals in our lives! We need to sense this, feel this and try to build a good one to bring glory to God!
And that police officer was out there saving lives! He wasn’t just directing traffic. He was out there to help people!
In a very real sense, every type of work we do affects people! And we need to think about this more. WE ALL NEED TO CONSIDER HOW OUR JOB CAN BLESS OTHERS OR CAN HELP OTHERS!
Your work is not just work! It’s doing something for someone else. It is giving service. It is helping others. It may actually be ministering to others! No matter what we do in life, we are actually serving others!
You name the job and I can tell you how it affects others! And if we will think more about how to help others, how to give good service, it will make all the difference in the world in our work! And we’ll do a better job!
The blessings of our work often come from blessing others in our work!
II. THE REASON AND REWARDS OF LEISURE
ILL.- James Howell said, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” I knew Jack and he was a good fisherman. He worked but he also knew how to relax.
ILL.- A first grader became curious because her father brought home a briefcase full of papers every evening. Her mother explained, "Daddy has so much to do that he can’t finish it all at the office. That’s why he has to bring work home at night."
"Well then," asked the child innocently, "why don’t they put him in a slower group?"
There is a point where, if at all possible, we need to leave our work at work. Down time is needed and should happen at home.
ILL.- According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity.
Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies."
The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it."
People are also like that. If we are bent all the time we will break down. Too much stress can break us down.
Mark 6:30-31 “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
There is a point where everyone needs to get away and/or get some rest. Even Jesus and His disciples needed some rest. I don’t know about recreation, but they did need rest.
The reason for leisure time is that the body needs a certain amount of rest. Some people function well 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night, but they are the exception, not the rule. Most people need 7 hours of sleep a night or more. And most of us need rest at other times. A day off from our regular work or perhaps two days off. More than that and I think you get lazy and you may not want to go back to work.
Yes, I think three-day weekends are hazardous to our health: our working health and our spiritual health. I think too much time off can make a person lazy. We all need to find the right balance between rest and work.
ILL.- One man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had.
"I don’t get it," he said. "Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did."
"But you didn’t notice," said the winning woodsman, "that I was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest."
A certain amount of rest is needed for everyone. It sharpens the ax. It freshens the mind and body. It recharges the battery. It fuels the flame. It energizes the spirit.
The reason for leisure is rest. The body and mind need rest. The reward of leisure may be that you will find something that you like to do that will enhance your life. Many people find a hobby that they enjoy doing and it actually helps them to get more from their daily work.
ILL.- The most recent Surgeon General’s Report, the first one released since the report on smoking over 30 years ago, identified lack of leisure-time physical activity as a serious health threat in the United States. Everyone needs some kind of leisure activity that will enhance their lives, not encumber their lives.
ILL.- I ran for almost 10 years and got a lot of flak over it from some people. I remember telling one veterinarian in my church one time, “Hey Doc, I just ran 13 miles this morning. Do you think there’s anything wrong with my heart?” He said, “No, but I think there’s something wrong with your brain.”
He said that jokingly, however. Some people laughed. Some jeered. Some criticized. Some even condemned this activity, but I found it to be a great blessing to my life.
Running was more than a hobby to me. It was an energizer both physically and mentally. I felt better and even thought more clearly. Exercise is a proven enhancement to our lives.
ILL.- Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment."
The words of Leonardo da Vinci who was neither idle nor lazy. He excelled as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, etc.
Leisure activities can enhance our lives. That’s the reward they bring. Everyone needs to find some leisure activity that revitalizes them.
CONCLUSION------------------------------------
ILL.- A great doctor once gave this prescription for life. “If your health is threatened, then work. If disappointments come to you, then work. If you inherit money, continue to work. If you have a nervous breakdown, then go to work. If your dreams are shattered, then work. If sorrow overwhelms you or friends prove untrue, then you must work. If you are happy in life, then keep on working. Idleness brings doubt, fear and evil. No matter what ails you, continue to work.”
Work is a tonic of life and for life. We need to thank God for the privilege of work and being able to work. At the same time, we need to enjoy our leisure time activities.
I Tim. 6:17 says that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
Be thankful for everything in life that brings you a blessing or enjoyment. Leisure, work, whatever.
