CO-WORKERS WITH GOD
Dr. John K. Mathew
"Man goes forth to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
With wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
(Psalms 104:23,24)
Work is not a curse.It is inherently good!The Bible opens with God and the first thing we read about God is that He created the heavens and the earth. In other words, God first appears in scripture as a worker. The picture of God as a worker holds far reaching implications for every worker today. It is said, work keeps us from three great evils: boredom, vice, and need. Henry Ford said, "Work is the only pleasure. It is only work that keeps me alive and makes life worth living. I was happier when doing a mechanic's job."
Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done whether you like it or not. Being required to work, and doing so to the best of your ability, will breed in you self-control, diligence, contentment, and a hundred other virtues which the idle never know.
"When should a person start work?" was a question was asked to R. G. LeTourneau and he gave this startling reply.
"I would say about age of three.Now don't misunderstand,I am not in favor of the sweatshop or child labor that deprives a youngster of his education or the pleasure of carefree hours, nor do I approve of anything that breaks down his health or stunts his development. But there is one thing for sure: If one does not learn to work as a child, he will never do much when he grows up. I probably sawed as much wood as a boy and shoveled as much sand at the foundry in my early teens as the next fellow and it never hurt me. I think that almost without exception the ones who get things done are those who learned to work as children. We need to teach our youngsters the dignity of labor and the pleasure of accomplishment. They must be made to understand that only by determined effort do we create things worthwhile. Not only does work keep us from mischief, but the more we sweat and toil, the bigger kick we get out of our labors".
God wants Christians to take responsibility to provide for their material needs and those of their families. In fact, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 states this as a command. When we work we are co-workers with God. All the progress that we have made thus far is the result of human labor, physical or intellectual. Work is not a curse it is a blessing. God is the great worker of all times. Let us take pride in partnering with God.
