Lawful Reasons For Our Working
- Work with hands (or brain) is God’s ordained means to supply our basic earthly needs (I Thess. 4:1,2,11,12).
- Our text teaches the same adding that by working we are able to eat our own bread (12b).
- God deemed it important and necessary to say something so basic and simple.
- It is not wrong to have, as a conscious motive for work, the desire to eat, to meet our basic, earthly needs.
- The Lord Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread and so He commands us to engage in work as the means to obtain it.
- Work is also the means for meeting the needs of our extended family, i.e., those for whom I have obligations (I Tim. 5:4ff).
- I Timothy 5 speaks of the callings of widows and of the care of them.
- If we do not provide for our own parents in their old age, then we deny the faith (practical atheism).
- Work is the God-given way to provide for the needs of the family of God (especially benevolence).
- Paul called the new Christians at Ephesus to manifest God’s gracious work in them by working honestly (Eph. 4:28).
- Paul is an example of meeting also the needs of “them that were with me” (Acts 20:34).
- Galatians 6:10 calls us to show good to all as we have opportunity - especially to those of the household of faith.
- Work is presented as an aid to holiness for it neutralizes temptations by keeping us busy.
- Young widows are not to be automatically supported by the church (I Tim. 5:11-14).
- Work with quietness helps us be holy for it keeps us from making the noise of tale-bearing (II Thess. 3:11).
- Many temptations are neutralized by diligent (wearying) labor.
- Work presents a good witness to the world (I Thess. 4:12).
- We are light in the world (Matt 5:14-16; Phil. 2:14,15)
- Workers do this when they are obedient to their masters (Titus 2:9,10)
- Tattling young widows and employees who do not give honor to their employers give occasion to the adversary to mock the truth and church and Christ (I Tim. 5:14b; 6:1).
- When we keep these reasons for working before our consciousness, then we glorify God.