36. Working too hard?

I was reading through the Psalms this morning and something struck me very hard. It was Psalm 127:2:

"It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones."

This verse was in contrast to what I have learned in the corporate environment. They were saying exactly the opposite. They imply that if you don't work hard and long hours you won't get anywhere. They honor those who stay the latest and those that come in on weekends as well. Those were the ones receiving recognition. They honor long hours (no matter how effective you are, but that is another story). But God is saying the opposite. He wants us to work hard, yes, He wants us to give our best, He wants us to excel, in fact He loathes laziness:

Proverbs 18:9 "A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things."

But He wants us to rather put our trust in Him and not neglect what is truly important in life. We need to get our priorities right. We need to put God first, then our spouses, then our children and only then our work. But we tend to get our priorities all mixed up. We stress so much that we are not going to 'make it' in this world that we rather put our trust in the amount of hours we work, the amount of effort we put in, rather than the Lord. We are so busy anxiously scrambling to get ahead, that we forget all about the Lord and the good plans He has for us.

We need to trust God. I love the explanation in my Bible: "Work while trusting God, and also rest and spend time with your loved ones while trusting Him." He should be the centre point, not your work.

Now I am not saying that you should spend all your time with the Lord and neglect your responsibilities at work. No, I am saying what Paul is saying in his letter to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:7 "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."

Put Him in the centre, He is a good boss. He will allow you time with your family and with Him and He will give you the promotion and the job you dream of. Take the chance and trust in Him. At the end of the day it is only His opinion that will matter the most.

We are so glad that You are part of our lives. You are amazing and we trust in You as we know that You know best. Thank you Lord, be the centre of our lives. In Jesus' Name. Amen

 

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