The Bible tells us to work and not be slothful. Many of us jokingly wish we would inherit some large sum of money so that we no longer have to work. We dream of a life of leisure and not having to daily go to the office, fight the traffic, deal with work-related problems, or cook dinner after returning late. But the Bible tells us differently about work. It tells us that we are all meant to work while we are able. You'll discover that work actually gives you a higher quality of life even if it wears you out. Let's look at the topic of work in the Bible.
The Bible tells us that work was God's plan from the very beginning. Genesis 2:15 (NIV) tells us that even before sin entered into the world, God put Adam and Eve in the garden to look after it. After Adam and Eve sinned and were driven out of the Garden of Eden, they were still told that they would work but it would be much harder work. Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV) gives a somewhat unattractive picture of work after God's curse on mankind because weeds were introduced into the picture. Weeds make a person's work much harder.
The Apostle Paul was a strong believer in the work ethic. In fact, Paul was a New Testament evangelist and church planter but he still maintained his secular profession as a tentmaker. In 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 (NIV), Paul explains to the church how he did not want to burden them with the extra expense of his visits so he worked. He petitioned to the church to follow his example of avoiding idleness and told the church in Thessalonica that if anyone does not work, the same should not eat.
The Bible presents the ant as a model for wisdom. A person who is hard-working is considered wise like the ant in the Bible. The passage in Proverbs 6:6-11 (NIV) describes the ant and how each day it gathers what it needs for sustenance with no one to tell it what to do. The passage ends with a warning of how slothfulness leads to poverty.
The Bible describes how the slothful person will do nothing to prevent poverty. In the Book of Proverbs, the slothful person is described as one who likes sleep. In Proverbs 6:9-11 (NIV), the slothful person likes to sleep just a little longer unawares of a robber who is quietly taking away everything he has. This description is analogous to those who might sleep or do other lazy activities in the midst of their troubles. For example, a person might lose his or her job and spend the time after the job loss sleeping until noon instead of looking for work. This same person never finds a job and financial troubles accumulate.
Work with perseverance prevents much more than poverty. For instance, it prevents waste or the wasting of opportunities (this is especially important in economically hard times). In Proverbs 12:27 (NIV), we are told of the person who will not work to clean what he hunted for the day and it just goes to waste. Imagine working to achieve some goal yet not fully enjoying its fruits because you won't do the final steps. It's like going to 3 and one-half years of college and dropping out in the very last semester. Of course there are valid reasons students have to drop out of college but this is the person who never returns to finish what he or she started. All the work up to that point goes to waste.
