Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 24:27-34
Prov 24:27-34
27 Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. 28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. 29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.” 30 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
1 Thess 4:10b-12
But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
The Preacher said that “Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might”. The Bible teaches us to work and to work hard. Even in the Garden, God told Adam to dress the garden and keep it. He has always intended for people to work, to stay busy, and to take care of themselves. Paul says we are to provide for our own needs and then use what we have left to help others in need. There were times that it is said of Jesus that he was tired from the work he had been doing.
While work is good and necessary for physical and mental health, there are times that we need to rest from our work. God provided for the children of Israel, as part of the Law, that they were to have a day of rest each week. On several occasions, Jesus got away from the crowd and even told his disciples to get away and to rest. Resting from work is necessary for our physical and mental health.
The difficult thing for many is to find the right balance of work and rest. There are some people who think that resting is being lazy while some think that any work is pushing too hard. We need to learn to work hard and effectively but we also need to know how to rest. Being lazy is wrong but pushing too hard is harmful.
O Lord God, give me wisdom to not be lazy but to know how to work hard and get done what you want me to do. Also give me the wisdom to know when I need to rest and to let the work go, both physically and mentally. Whatever I accomplish is by your grace so keep me from ever becoming proud or boastful. Help me be mindful of others and their needs and to be willing to share with them what you given me. Give peace to those who are grieving. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Robert
