consequences of sweating
“In vain do you rise early and stay awake late, toiling hard for food to eat – for he gives sleep to those he loves.” – Psalm 127:2
Coming to the promised land in business will change the way you and I look at work. Now we will not consider waking up early and staying up late as the way of God. Living while working in the Promised Land means that we know that God is the source of our provision and that our work is an act of worship. Provision is a by-product, not an end in itself. Work is no longer something that requires sweat and hard work to complete. “Can this really be true?” You might be saying. God has made it clear that obedience is the assurance of provision. Whenever we go beyond the normal workday out of fear of not finding provisions, we are operating in disbelief. We’re saying that it’s up to us to make things happen. Of course, at times we work longer because of deadlines, but we must ensure that the motive behind this is not the fear of loss or the fear of not getting provisions. If we are obedient to what God has called us to be, He will provide for our every need. This can be a tough lesson for goal-oriented workplace believers.
I remember coming to this understanding. I was fond of work. Working long hours was common. Then God rocked my world and a friend challenged me to examine my motives for working long hours. I realized that the source of those long hours was fear. Once I came to this understanding, I refused to work long hours, even though the natural man would tell me that I would never get anything done if I worked a normal work week. Again, this argument is based on lack of faith. If we are obedient to what God has called each of us to be, we will lack nothing. Sometimes it may be less than we like; At other times it may be more than we deserve. These are God’s ways.
The Bible tells us to come out of Babylon. Babylon is a system of work and philosophy that is contrary to God’s ways. Are you operating from the Babylonian value system in any aspect of your work? Ask the Lord to reveal it to you. Start walking in the freedom He has given us in our work lives.
