"A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied" (Proverbs 13:4).
Back in school once one committed an offence among the most severe punishments was to send you down the kitchen to work. Or you could be asked to go down the road and scoop piles of murum then make several trips up and down in a creaky wheelbarrow. This kind of "forced labour" would hopefully make one to repent and get you back on the right course of action.
So, depending on where you are there are certain interpretations of work. For someone from my school background to engage in work was a form of punishment. Leisure was the ideal; work was the worst to happen. After all, when Adam sinned he was told , "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life" (Genesis 3:11).
While there is a point in all this there are certain other illuminating points about work. We know that God worked six days to create the earth, "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done" (Genesis 2:2). This means the leisure came only after work.
Perhaps it was for this reason why the Apostle Paul admonished the believers "For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat". (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Of course from this it is clear there was a rush on some to enjoy leisure whose fruits can only be experienced after work.
The great Biblical characters were all men and women of work. For instance, Moses worked up to his old age of 120 until God finally called him. While the Apostle Paul was going about his ministry, he made it a point not to burden his hosts, Aquilla and Priscilla, for, "because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade" (Acts 18:3).
Just as it were we ought all to have the right attitude about work, and not dread it, for through it God enhances His purposes.
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for the work you have given me, through which I can worship and thank you for being part of beautiful creation, this I pray in Jesus' name.
Related upcoming events
-
17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)
One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.
But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!
Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.
There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
