Growth Through Useful Work

GOLDEN TEXT: “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” —Colossians 3:23

COLOSSIANS 3:23,24; I THESSALONIANS 4:10,11; II THESSALONIANS 3:6-13

IN LAST week’s lesson the special emphasis was on direct service in the Lord’s cause—witnessing the truth to others, and laying down our lives for the brethren. Today’s lesson has to do more particularly with work which is essential in order to “provide things honest in the sight of all men.” (Rom. 12:17) But even this work, our Golden Text shows, should be done “heartily, as to the Lord.”

Only a small minority of the Lord’s people in any part of the age have been so situated as to be able to devote all their time directly in the Lord’s service. Personal and family obligations have made it necessary for the majority to spend most of their time and energy in secular fields of employment. This being true, how gracious is the Lord’s arrangement to look upon this necessary temporal work as being done to him, and that this service, properly rendered, is to his glory!

At the same time, this divinely authorized viewpoint tests the sincerity and genuineness of Christian consecration. Fundamentally, when we dedicate ourselves to the Lord we promise to give him all we have of time, and everything, even life itself. We cannot, however, give to the Lord that which we do not actually possess. Whatever obligations we have incurred prior to consecration take away from what is properly ours to devote directly to the Lord, and it would not be pleasing to the Lord to take that which belongs to others in order to give it to him.

So our obedience to the Lord and to the instructions of his Word is tested from two standpoints. In our zeal for him we might be inclined to offer sacrifices which are not properly ours to give; and on the other hand, since he has made a provision to accept as rendered to him that which we do in temporal fields of activity, we might be tempted to devote our all along these lines, leaving no time for direct service in his vineyard.

There are various and explicit instructions in the Word which clearly indicate the responsibility we have toward the Lord and toward others, and the fully consecrated endeavor earnestly to follow these instructions irrespective of how their personal preferences may be affected. They do everything “heartily, as to the Lord,” whether directly in his service, or indirectly, on behalf of others.

Paul admonished to “be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands.” The Greek word here translated “quiet” implies the opposite of being meddlesome. Each consecrated Christian has his own problems (“business”) to face and solve in connection with his temporal affairs, and we should not try to regulate one another’s lives.

It would seem that in the church at Thessalonica there were some who were shirking their responsibilities along temporal lines, even to the point where they expected the brethren to feed them. This was an extreme position, revealing a gross misconception of the consecrated life. By strong language, and by personal example, Paul endeavored to correct this situation. He made it plain that those who did not work should not eat the food provided by other brethren.

Paul was one who did not spare himself in serving the Lord and the brethren. Probably the time and energy he spent in the ministry frequently exhausted his strength, and to have the brethren provide for his temporal needs would have been very pleasing to him. But he did not do this, at least not in Thessalonica. He concluded that here he could preach an effective sermon by example. Although under the circumstances he might justly expect the brethren to care for him, he decided not to, but “wrought with labor and travail night and day” that he “might not be chargeable to any of the brethren.”

Paul followed this course in other places also. It is this that he refers to primarily in his statement, “I keep my body under,” or “browbeat my body.” In other words, he forced his body to do double duty, as it were, laboring “night and day,” lest, in yielding to the temptation to live a life of partial ease, he would become a “castaway.”—I Cor. 9:27

Along this line also the devotion of some might be tested. Those who give all, or nearly all of their time to the service of the Lord should not feel that the Lord’s people are under obligation to them along temporal lines. Happy are they who are able to maintain a proper balance of viewpoint in connection with these matters.

QUESTIONS

What viewpoint concerning temporal employment is revealed by our Golden Text?

How do the instructions of the Lord regarding temporal responsibilities test the sincerity of our consecration?

What did Paul mean by being “quiet” and minding our own business?

How did Paul preach to some by example as well as by word?

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