In my life, there have been times where I simply did not want to get out of bed and go to work. Granted, some of those times were during my teenage years – but some were just a few years ago. I was working long hours, at a job I disliked, working for a corporation that put profits ahead of people. And while I knew that this situation was bad for me, I had a family to support. So I kept at it, TOILING day after day, putting everything I had into this job.
And as I continued to drag myself through life, I became a pretty unpleasant person to be around. I took out my frustrations on my family – and it was especially hard on my wife; not only because of the way I was ignoring her (putting all of my energy into this job) but because she could sense my pain and knew there was nothing she could do to help.
When the weekends came, I would either spend my time sleeping (trying to catch up) or simply plop down in front of the TV. I was disconnected – from family and friends; but most importantly I had disconnected myself from God – and I was empty and miserable.
At the end of each workday, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I felt like a hamster on an exercise wheel – running and running as fast as I could, but getting nowhere.
I am willing to bet there are at least a few of people here today that feel that way, especially with the state of the economy.
Men – how many of you feel trapped in your job? But we soldier on, don’t we – because even in a society that trumpets equality between the sexes, our culture still says that the man is the breadwinner. When you have a family, the responsibility of providing for your loved ones can feel like a giant weight on your shoulders – if you don’t provide, who will?
I can still remember the day when my wife and I learned we were going to have our first child. We were both jumping for joy, and then a little while later, I felt this darkness creeping over me – I was going to be responsible for providing food, shelter, clothing, etc. for a newborn. It’s one thing if I have to do without, but you can’t not provide for a baby. That’s when I first felt the weight….
Women – it’s no easier on you. Our culture still places primary childcare responsibilities in the hands of the woman. And if you have to work to help make ends meet, then you get extra guilt for not being there for your child – letting strangers raise your child.
It’s no wonder that many of us are simply making our way through life – toiling.
If you are like me, toiling day after day can take a serious toll: Exhaustion; Pain; Relationship problems. It can also bring up questions – questions that many of us are not prepared to answer, but we know that they are important:
Is there something wrong with me? Am I the only one who feels this way? Probably harder on men then on women – guys aren’t supposed to share their feeling or show weakness. So we go through these struggles alone, when we are probably surrounded by other folks who feel the same as we do.
Am I doing what I was meant to do? I would say that most of us want to do work that we enjoy, that makes us feel good. Sometimes we find that we aren’t qualified to do that work; sometimes we simply aren’t sure what that work is that would make us feel so fulfilled. Or we feel that we cannot make a living (i.e. provide for our family) doing what we love.
Does my job (my life) have meaning? This can be a very dangerous question. Sometimes we measure our worth by what we do, or how successful we are in our employment. And if our job is meaningless, then what does that mean for our worth as a person?
If you feel this way, be comforted that you are not alone. And this is not a modern problem – it goes way back to the beginning. And so the good news is that the Bible has an answer.
It’s simply a question of whether you are working or toiling….
Let’s go to Psalm 127:1-2
Let’s look at verse 1 again –
What I learned about this passage, is that the word “house” can be interpreted several ways – it can mean the “House of God” (temple); or it can mean a physical dwelling (literally a home); or it can mean “family”. Think about what it means for many of us when we use the word “work” – to me it means going to a job, getting paid and providing for my family (food, clothing, shelter). And that’s fine, but if God is not in my life, if I am ruled by sin, then it’s likely that this world will tear my family apart.
If I do not ground my family in God’s word and we have nothing to lean on when the troubles of the world come (and they will come) then my “house” will crumble. If our family is to last, it must be built by God.
On to the second half of 127:1 - In biblical times, cities were the fortresses where people would go in case of attack. They were supposed to be a refuge against the hostile world, and so they would have guards posted along the walls of the city around the clock to keep an eye out for trouble and fend off any attackers. We are reminded, however, that no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, we cannot ultimately be successful without God’s help. If we put our trust and faith in those people who are around us, they will (at some point) fail us.
This verse reminds us that the Lord rules over all. If we are not following his path, then we have no guarantee that we will achieve success (not success as defined by this world, but success as defined by salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ). Our home (our family) may not withstand the pressures and problems of life; our cities (safe havens) will crumble without the protection of the Lord. Simply put, if our work is not aligned with God, then we are simply wasting our time – we are toiling!
On to 127:2
This is a tough one for me – I was raised with a strong work ethic; it is part of who I am and how I was raised. I was taught that if I was going to do a job, then I should do it right, no matter how long it took. And if you are in fear for your job – if you think there is any possibility that you might be fired – then you might overcompensate by working extra long hours to show your value or loyalty to the company.
However, when we take that burden to provide upon ourselves, and fail to turn our lives over to God, we will toil in vain.
At the end of this verse we get a glimpse of the positive. For those who follow God, He will bless you and provide for your needs. Proverbs 10:22 puts it this way
The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.
When we are toiling, we are apart from God – we are in bondage to sin.
Pride (I can do it all by myself) – here we take God out of the equation and count on our own skills to provide; putting ourselves before God; this is where I tend to falter, wanting to rely on me instead of putting my life into His hands (either because I am arrogant or scared). As I mentioned before, we can achieve success as defined by this world without God, but that success, and the satisfaction that comes with it, is fleeting. It won’t last into the next world, and it may not even last through the night
Luke 12: 16-21
Coveting (keeping up with the Jones’) – instead of aligning ourselves with God and allowing Him to provide for our needs, we turn our efforts to gathering material possessions.
How many of us have taken a raise or a bonus and dropped it on a new “toy”?
The Bible is clear that if we choose something other than God (choose sin), our labors will be in vain. A great example of this is the book of Ecclesiastes (author is believed to be King Solomon, blessed with wisdom from God).
Ecclesiastes 1;2-3
Ecclesiastes 4;4
If we are not putting our faith in God and turning our lives over to him, we are wasting our time. All of our labor (our toil) will have been in vain once we die and stand before Him.
Great news! We can just kick back, put our faith in God and he will take care of everything – no more work! Not so fast…
2Thessalonians 3:10
We have to be careful here – in this world, money does have a practical function. It is the physical thing that we use to get the food and the clothing and the shelter that we need to take of ourselves and our families. However, money (or possessions) should not be the end game – they are not our reason for existing. If stuff is your ultimate pursuit, if it is what drives you, then in the end you will have nothing. Just like the old saying – you can’t take it with you (moth and rust destroy)
So we see the fine line – put your trust in the Lord, and he will provide what you need (and that includes the skills and abilities to be employed and earn the money needed to provide); but you can’t just sit around doing nothing. As Christians, we are told to do the work that the Lord sets before us.
1 Corinthians 15:58
So what exactly is “the work of the Lord”?
For a clue we can look to Jesus’ words regarding the greatest commandment:
Matthew 22:34 – 40
Our work as Christians, is first to love God. And it stands to reason that if we love God, we will love those whom he loves – our neighbors:
• The poor and the homeless;
• The sick and the imprisoned;
• Those in our community whose lives have been shattered by sin and who need someone to show them God’s light
When we turn our lives over to God, He will do his work through us. And if you ask Him (in prayer), He will show you what work He wants you to do. It doesn’t necessarily mean that He is calling each of us to pick up and move to a far corner of the world. He may not even be calling us to change jobs or move to a different city. Putting this in action really begins with adjusting our hearts and submitting to His will for us.
If you are toiling….
If you are struggling…
If you have not yet put your faith in God, there is a better way. When you turn your life over to God, he will provide for you what you need
Not what we want
Not what we covet
Simply what we need
And when that happens, you will experience a relief and freedom that you may not have thought possible. When I turned back to God (set aside my pride) and put my trust in Him to provide, it was like a great weight being lifted off my back. He gave me the time and energy to heal my relationships; He opened doors for me that I could not have foreseen.
And now, here I am, allowing Him to work through me. Remember the promise at the end of verse 2
for He grants sleep to those He loves.
Now it is important for us to stop for a second and remember that it is not our works that gets us into heaven. It is simply our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; His death on the cross comes by the grace of God and washes away our sins so that we may spend eternity in His presence. We can’t get to heaven on good deeds, but if we are His, we will have the righteousness of Christ. And out of a thankful heart and an obedience springing from love, we will (should) manifest a reflection of His righteousness in the fruit of the spirit (good works).
I’d like each of us to close our eyes for a moment and think about the question I posed earlier.
Are you working (for Him)?
Or are you toiling (in bondage to sin)?
If you are toiling, there is hope – it begins by going to God in prayer and asking Him for help. Find the sin that causes you to toil and lay it at the foot of the cross. Then take some time to be still and listen. And if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, now is a great time.
Note of caution here - you might not hear anything right away. Remember that God has a plan for you, and it is laid out according to God’s time, not ours. Sometimes you just have to be content with waiting for His time to come around. I don’t know about anybody else, but that is tough for me (I am not a patient person). All I can say is to keep praying and keep listening, and open up to those around you. This is a great example of why the Church, the body of Christ, is important in the life of every believer. God puts people in our lives for a reason, and as the body of Christ we are here to encourage and help one another.
Bring your concerns first to God, and then share them with one another and let God work through the members of the Church.
If you are saved and doing the work of the Lord, then praise God! I would also encourage you to check your heart as well. Many times we can become so focused on our works (ministry, church attendance, etc.) that we lose sight of why we are doing what we are doing. Make sure you don’t make the works an idol.
Let us pray.
