Hard work pays off

Source: Winningmoney.net

"He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment." - Proverbs 12:11 (NIV)

Ok, let's be honest here. Who bought at least one MegaMillions lottery ticket a few weeks ago when the jackpot reached a record $640 million? While winning the lottery is a nice dream, the odds of actually doing are astronomical. According to various published news reports, the odds of winning the jackpot, which ultimately went to three winners in three states, was one in 176 million.

The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that hard work is what will ultimately provide for our needs Psalm 128:2 tells us,

"You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." (NIV)

Proverbs 14:23 says,

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." (NIV)

That is not to say that just by working hard, you will achieve great wealth and blessings from God, a teaching often referred to as prosperity theology. Across history and even today, hardworking people often have been abused and taken advantage of despite their efforts and their faith in God.

Does that mean they should have more faith in God? Of course not. The toil of working hard and not necessarily getting what you have worked for goes all the way back to Adam and Eve, who were cursed by their original sin in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:17-19). With sin in the world today, good people do not always get what they want, as most of us learned as children.

At the same time, there are some who are prone to being lazy and not working, and the Bible has strong words for those who do not work.

"One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys." - Proverbs 18:9 (NIV)

The New Testament also had particularly strong words for those who were not working because they believed that Christ was coming very soon. In 2 Thessalonians 3, the Apostle Paul wrote that the followers of Christ, later to be called Christians, were to stay away from "every brother who is idle" (see 2 Thessalonians 3:6), particularly in light of so-called "preachers" who came through, gave some teaching and expected those who heard their message to take care of them. To ensure he was not counted among them, Paul worked as a tent maker, ensuring he was upright in the eyes of those who heard him teach about Jesus Christ. He had this warning for those "lazy Christians:"

"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'"- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV)

God does view work favorably, as taught in the Bible. We are told to work as if we are working for the greatest boss in the world, God himself, because in the grand scheme of things, we already are.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." - Colossians 3:20 (NIV)