Chapter Six - Income- God's Perspective on Work

"Make all you can, can the can, then sit on the can." - unknown 

LESSON 1 - WORK

1.  "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for man.... It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."  Colossians 3:23-24

2. God created work in a perfect, sinless environment; the Garden of Eden, for our benefit, before sin entered the world, not a result of sin/curse;  Genesis 2:15 -  "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."

3. Work became difficult because of sin; Genesis 3:17-18 - "17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field."

4. The Bible gives dignity to all types of work, all equal. David was a shepherd, Luke a doctor, Paul a tent maker, and the Lord Jesus was a carpenter.

LESSON 2 - GOD'S PART IN WORK

1. God gives job skills and ability to teach; Exodus 35:30-35 - "30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers." 

And unique aptitudes; Exodus 36:1 - "So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”  "...to know how to perform all the work."

2. God gives and controls success; Genesis 39:2-5 - "2 They[a] made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 3 They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. 4 They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. 5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses."

The life of Joseph is a perfect example of God helping a person to succeed.

3. God Controls Promotion: "Promotion and power come from nowhere on Earth, but only from God." Psalms 75:6-7 - "6 No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. 7 It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another." 

LESSON 3 - OUR PART IN WORK

1. Work with all your might; Ecclesiastics 9:10 -"10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." 

The precious possessions of a man is diligence." Proverbs 12:27 - "The lazy do not roast[a] any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt."

2. Work hard but don't overwork. "You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest..." Exodus 34:21 - “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest."

Work is good, but "knowing Christ is better!" Philippians 3:8 - "What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ" 

LESSON 4 - EMPLOYERS  RESPONSIBILITIES 

1. Serve your employees. Biblical leadership is servanthood; Matthew 20:26 - "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant," 

Treat employees with justice and fairness; Colossians 4:1 - "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven."

2. Be a good communicator. When you have good communications and a common goal, then "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." Genesis 11:6 - "The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." 

3. Listen to your employees complaints. A sensitive, listening ear is a tangible expression of care. Job knew this; Job 31:13-15 - "13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, when they had a grievance against me, 14 what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? "

4. Hold employees accountable. Set expectations and duties. Evaluate performance often and share it with them. Poor performance may require dismissal.

5. Pay employees a fair wage promptly. The Lord judges those who defraud wages; Malachi 3:5 - "'So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,' says the Lord Almighty."

Pay wages on time; Deuteronomy 24:14-15 - "14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin."

6. Pray for Godly Employees. The Lord may bless an employer for the godly employees. Examples:

Jacob; Genesis 30:27 - "But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 

And Joseph; Genesis  39:4-5 - "4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field." 

LESSON 5 - EMPLOYEES SIX RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Honesty. "...no evidence of corruption in Daniel's work..." Daniel 6:4 - "At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent." 

2. Faithfulness. "...Daniel was faithful in his work..." Daniel 6:4 (see above)

3. Prayer. Godly employees are people of prayer. "...Daniel continued praying three times a day, as always..." Daniel 6:10 - "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before."

4. Honor your employer. "Daniel to his king, 'O king live forever.'" Daniel 6:21 - "Daniel answered, “May the king live forever!"  

5. Honor fellow employees. Daniel did this despite being treated unfairly by them. "Don't slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you." Proverbs 30:10 - “Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it."

6. Verbalize your faith. Daniel acted boldly and share his faith with king Darius influencing one of the most powerful people in the world. Daniel 6:20 & 26 - "20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?'  

26 'I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. 'For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.'"

LESSON 6 - OTHER WORK ISSUES

1. Retirement: There's no scriptural basis for it. Numbers 8:24-26 is the only reference  to retirement and applied to Levites working in the Tabernacle.  "24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, 25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.” 

2. Ambition: The Bible doesn't condemn it. Paul  was ambitious ; 2 Corinthians 5:9 - "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it."  The Bible does condemn selfish ambition; Romans 2:6 & 8 -  "6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”[a]  8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." James 3:14-16 - "14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."  And Jeremiah 45:5 - "Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.’” 

3. Your Calling: God gives you a specific calling or purpose; Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We are His workmanship, His handiwork. You are uniquely gifted by God.

4. Partnerships: The Bible discourages partnerships with those that so not know Christ; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 -  "14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God,  and they will be my people.”[b] 17 Therefore, “Come out from them  and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”[c]  Do not be bound together with unbelievers.

5. Procrastination: Can develop into a serious character flaw. Best Biblical non-procrastinator; Boaz; "will not rest until he has settles it today." Ruth 3:18 - "Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”  

6. Wives Working: Titus 2:4-5 - "4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Encourages family first working at home, while Proverbs 31:10-31 supports a entrepreneurial  woman that looks well over her household.

LESSON 7 - APPLICATION

TASK: 

1. Work on your Estimated Spending Plan.

2. Review your expense tracking from Chapter 2.

3. Consider a cash envelope system to create spending categories.

** END OF CHAPTER SIX**

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Chapter Seven  - Saving & Investing