Devotions
As a young girl growing up, I often heard the adults in my life say the phrase, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. At the time, I did not understand the full meaning of that phrase, but as I got older it made a whole lot more sense. I noticed how destructive idle time can be. The devil likes to slip into the idle and empty spaces of our lives. He loves to wreak havoc when he finds an opening, however tiny it might be.
Around the world, many people perform joyless jobs that serve no purpose other than earning a paycheck. After all, man must eat to stay alive. It can be tempting in these circumstances to view work as drudgery; something that must be endured rather than enjoyed. Scripture reminds us that work is a gift; it gives the believer a sense of purpose and fulfilment. The writer of Proverbs notes that, “Those who work their land will have abundant food, …. Proverbs 12:11).” My grandmother rephrased this idea thus: “Man must work to eat.”
The Bible makes it clear, that work was designed by God for man’s earthly occupation (Gen 2:5). We are encouraged to be diligent in our work. We are further encouraged to work as unto the Lord, and not as unto man (Col. 3:23). The Bible has a lot to say about work. It is one of the ways we worship God. In the story of the man born blind, in John 9, Jesus offers some cryptic advice about work.
