As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“In all labor there is profit… ” (Prov 14:23)
“Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.” (Prov 31:31)
“…let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” (Eph 4:28)
“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle…” (1 Thess 5:14)
“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” (2 Thess 3:10)
From The Cripplegate. By Jim Stitzinger.
The COVID-19 pandemic will leave a scar on every person in our society. We cannot expect anyone to be unscathed by something of this magnitude. Some will experience the harsh medical trauma of the virus, others the loneliness of isolation. And with nearly 30 million Americans unemployed now, many scars will come through the loss of work.
“Many Christians have bought into the pagan notion that leisure is good and work is bad. They have also been misled by the sacred/secular distinction, which teaches that working in the church is the only ‘real’ full-time Christian service.” - IFWE
“When I sought ‘balance,’ I felt guilty when I ‘worked’ during the evening because that was ‘family time,’ and I would have felt guilty if exercised during the day because that is ‘work’ time. Which is one reason I gained 30 pounds as a ministry leader in my early 30s” - 5 Ways Thinking Work-Life Integration Has Helped Me
“We must critique woke capitalism clearly and forcibly, remembering that business exists to realize the particular economic ends that constitute its specific common good.” - Samuel Gregg
“You can have great relationships at work, allowing you to work closely with others and even have fun doing so. Part of wisely building work relationships is understanding what it means to develop nuanced and careful trust with people.” - IFWE
In my five decades of attending Bible-preaching churches I’ve heard precisely one sermon series on work. It was my own, and was pretty weak.
It’s possible that the topic has been receiving systematic attention all over the place all these years, and I’ve just managed to miss nearly all of it. But I think not.
“So how can we discern the root of our discontentment? Is it one of the ways we image God as we cultivate his world? Sinful preoccupation with our own comfort and status? Frustration with brokenness and a desire to reknit the fabric of creation?” - TGC
“The truth is that if your desire is to do your work with excellence for the glory of God and the good of others, you simply can’t be anything you want to be.” - IFWE
Discussion