Why I Believe We Should Work

  I have heard work called a "Four Letter Word" - implying that it is something bad. But I disagree. I believe God gave us work as something to enjoy and something that we need.

  When Adam was created in the Garden of Eden God right away gave him the job of cultivating and keeping the garden (Gen. 2:15)  after the fall God did make it so his toil would be harder and he would have to deal with weeds and thistles and would sweat. So God's initial plan was not to have gardening as challenging as it can be now but even so I believe we can enjoy hard work like weeding too. :-)

  1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12 says: "But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to you own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,  so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need."

 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 says: "Now we command you brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good." 

Titus 2:4 & 5 tells the Older women to "encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored."

 Proverbs 22:29 says: "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men."

Proverbs 28:19 says: "He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty."

The Proverbs 31 lady was someone who "worked with her hands in delight." She got up early and stayed up late to get the job done. She worked hard and her arms became strong. She worked to take care of her family and other in her household as well as the poor and the needy. She was not idle. She is praised for that.

 I really believe from scripture that work is something that we should pursue wholeheartedly and be thankful for. Those that are lazy should be reminded that God wants them to work. Yes we do grow weary at times but God does give us the strength that we need for each day.

  I hope you have a wonderful week of work!

 I thought it would be fun to share a couple of pictures today too:

This is the river of my childhood. It is steamboat river (though a little small for a steamboat to go down) and it is on the border of my parents property. We were over last month getting trees to plant not far from the river and I had to walk over and get a picture of it.

And the river of my life now. The mighty Mississippi as it looks going past our place. We had the most gorgeous sunset the other evening but I didn't make it out to take a picture until it was nearly gone. Sometimes the river has a very noticeable current and other times it is super still like the picture above. The picture at the top of this post shows a bit more current.