Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Graeme Wilson in Victory Call

It’s a cold, rainy Saturday… a perfect “lazy day.” I love lazy days – the days with thunder and lightning, big bowls of soup, tea, candles, and Netflix marathons… in my pajamas, of course! Those days are just awesome, especially if I’m in the company of a good friend!
As much as I love the occasional “lazy day,” I would not like it if every day looked like that. I don’t like the feeling of long-term non-productivity. I love going to work, checking things off of my To-Do list, working hard on the tasks at hand, and having a great finished product. It’s important to me that productivity and hard work outweigh laziness.
Now, I think most people can agree with that statement whether they are believers or not. But when we look at it from a biblical standpoint, we will see that our reasons for productivity contrast greatly with the reasons that the world may have. When we work hard, we shouldn’t do it just for the sake of pride or acknowledgement. When we work hard, it should be out of a love for God and a desire to glorify Him.
Biblically, there are a lot of passages advising believers not to spend their lives in a continuous state of laziness. One passage that came to my mind immediately when I chose to write on this topic was Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,   since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
The Bible instructs us to commit our work to the Lord (Proverbs 16:3), to glorify God in all we do (1 Cor. 10:31 is just one example), and to remember that we are servants of the Lord (Colossians 3:24). There are also a ton of verses in the book of Psalms that talk about being a hard worker.
I’ve said this before and will never stop saying it: Christians are always under a microscope. As believers, our lives should be a testimony for Jesus. What we say, how we act, and what we do can either point people to Jesus, or cause others to believe that Christians aren’t really all that different at all. We should desire to put 110% effort in all that we do, and lean on the Lord for strength. We should not do this for acknowledgement, pride, or just to get work done, but to point others to Christ and glorify God. After all, we are servants of the most High God! Our hard work should be a reflection of that and an act of praise – because He’s worthy, amen?
Erin
Erin Culleny serves as a Marketing Assistant and Staff Writer. She loves encouraging women through her Victory Calls and finds such joy in praying for her sisters in Christ. She is so excited that after 5 years on Summer Staff, she now has the opportunity to serve at Keswick year-round. Her favorite activities include reading her Bible, encouraging others with scripture, buying new dresses, and eating at the Cheesecake Factory… In that order!