I remember, as a child, watching a television show called ‘Dobie Gillis.’ One of the characters was a beatnik by the name of Maynard G. Krebs. Every time the word ‘work’ was mentioned, Maynard would jerk as though a cold chill ran through his entire body, and he would raise his voice in tone and pitch to produce a squeak and say “WORK?” Obviously, his beatnik lifestyle was like an allergy to any kind of labor.
Some people detest work. The reasons vary and may include the fact that they do not like their employer, don’t like the work itself, don’t like the compensation, or, like Maynard, they are a bit on the lazy side. Then there are those who are workaholics simply because they enjoy work and the satisfaction it brings to them.
Man was made to work and be productive. A hard-day’s work gives us a sense of purpose and meaning. It is true that while most women derive a sense of purpose and value from their family and home, most men derive that same sense of purpose and value from their work.
After the fall of Adam and Eve (due to their deliberate disobedience against God), man who once dressed the ground in the Garden of Eden, was made to work the ground to produce with labor that which God has freely given beforehand.
In Genesis 3:17 we read that God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” There is simply no getting around it, a man has got to work if he is going to eat!
Many of the younger generation work hard at trying to avoid work. Perhaps it is because they do not have a ‘work ethic.’ I have always felt that the greatest thing we can give to our children after the knowledge of salvation is a strong work ethic. Without it we are hindered, at best.
The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote in 2:23-24, “For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This is vanity. Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor.”
There is no doubt that eating is a good thing! But, eating requires money, and obtaining money requires work. According to Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes and the “wisest man to have ever lived,” the soul should enjoy good in our labors.”
God fully intended for man to prosper. Don’t get me wrong. Prosperity does not mean wealth and riches, rather is can also mean it is ‘the opposite of poverty.’ Do you want to be prosperous? Well, don’t wait to strike it rich by winning the lottery lest you starve to death by waiting. Rather, work hard and trust God for the outcome. He will always provide what we need as we do.
-Jerry L. Dunn, Oak Street Baptist Church
