I am a hard worker!

 

I am all about hard work. I love changing my oil, repairing my old truck, building, demolition, and doing manual labor. My wife has shared a couple of times over the past few weeks how no one out works me. I hope that doesn’t sound too prideful. Even in my retirement, (I don’t believe anyone retires from serving the Lord!), I value the day when my head hits the pillow after a long day of work. I have this unquenchable desire to work for the Lord. I do not work for him because I have to. I have this great desire to work for him when I start to realize all he has done for me and YES, that hard work also includes all the tasks I mentioned above! The joy Jesus has brought to my life, the troubles that have been overcome, the miracles I have seen, drive me to share the gospel with others. I just want to serve the Lord that made ALL of those things happen.

So, this morning, when I read the parable of the 3 servants (Matthew 25:14-30). I was thinking about hard work and I was thinking how many lazy people I know. 

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last — diving it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.” (Matthew 25:14-15)

I can think of specific names right now that want the easy way out when they are looking for a job. They want that high paying job in their career choice that has low responsibility and high reward. I am not even sure that job exists.  They THINK they can handle the job deeper into their career choice; they over-estimate their experience, and their abilities. It’s not just kids that want to get to the top of the corporate ladder without having to actually climb the ladder. I know grown adults who want the same thing. Sometimes that low paying, hard work, kind of job is the only path for you to reach your final goals.

God may only give you one bag of silver right now. You have to show your faithfulness with little before you get more!

“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are give, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” (Matthew 25:28-29)

Hard work is….. Hard Work. And God will reward those who work diligently for HIM. You are working for the Lord no matter what you do. You are working for the Lord cleaning toilets, picking up garbage, being a servant to others, just as much as you are a leader in a business or ministry. 

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, as that the Master you are serving is Christ.” (Colossians 3:22-24)