Word@Work Eph50 - Ephesians 4:28
Published: Thu, 12/04/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
WELL HONESTLY!
Ephesians 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (NIV)
After lies and anger (see the last two W@W), theft is the next issue for the chop. The implication of this verse is that theft might even appear to have a genuine motive - no employment, no money, no food or shelter; and so theft is legitimised. But God sees it differently. The solution is to find work or do something so that you can trade for a fair reward. Despite the millions choosing only white collar jobs, there is no shame in manual work ... and the Apostle commends it.
Despite his great intellect and university background, Paul chose to be a tentmaker in order to support his own missionary service. Indeed, tentmaker Paul refused the usual honorarium for his 'religious' lectures, and did not even accept gifts from the churches that he founded and served. The pattern he preached, he practiced. However hard these words fall on the ears of the unemployed, they have wisdom. If you can work, then accepting social benefits is stealing from the state. If you cannot get a job, and cannot afford to buy goods to sell (or do not understand the necessary business dynamics), you can sell a service. Cleaning houses/offices, gardening and washing cars is better than stealing.
Of course, there is more to work's reward than feeding and amusing yourself, and the family. What we earn is to be spent, yes, but also to be given away. The Old Testament principle of tithing was designed to teach that all we have is not all for ourselves - 10% of earnings were to go back to the Lord. We give to Him as we meet the needs that He wants to satisfy in others. So stealing and giving are at opposite ends of the spectrum, with work in the middle. Strangely, more stealing happens in the workplace than many recognise. The employers goods are treated as perks, and time is taken without responsibility. Expenses may be more 'personal' than 'business', travel can be unnecessarily luxurious, and tax-avoidance can merge into tax-evasion. Perhaps it is time to audit this area of life.
Prayer: Dear Lord. In a busy world where pragmatic decisions trail behind me unremembered, help me to be conscious of my responsibility to work and to give so that You may be glorified and others will not be in need. Help me to be hungry for honesty in every part of life. For Christ's sake. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
After lies and anger (see the last two W@W), theft is the next issue for the chop. The implication of this verse is that theft might even appear to have a genuine motive - no employment, no money, no food or shelter; and so theft is legitimised. But God sees it differently. The solution is to find work or do something so that you can trade for a fair reward. Despite the millions choosing only white collar jobs, there is no shame in manual work ... and the Apostle commends it.
Despite his great intellect and university background, Paul chose to be a tentmaker in order to support his own missionary service. Indeed, tentmaker Paul refused the usual honorarium for his 'religious' lectures, and did not even accept gifts from the churches that he founded and served. The pattern he preached, he practiced. However hard these words fall on the ears of the unemployed, they have wisdom. If you can work, then accepting social benefits is stealing from the state. If you cannot get a job, and cannot afford to buy goods to sell (or do not understand the necessary business dynamics), you can sell a service. Cleaning houses/offices, gardening and washing cars is better than stealing.
Of course, there is more to work's reward than feeding and amusing yourself, and the family. What we earn is to be spent, yes, but also to be given away. The Old Testament principle of tithing was designed to teach that all we have is not all for ourselves - 10% of earnings were to go back to the Lord. We give to Him as we meet the needs that He wants to satisfy in others. So stealing and giving are at opposite ends of the spectrum, with work in the middle. Strangely, more stealing happens in the workplace than many recognise. The employers goods are treated as perks, and time is taken without responsibility. Expenses may be more 'personal' than 'business', travel can be unnecessarily luxurious, and tax-avoidance can merge into tax-evasion. Perhaps it is time to audit this area of life.
Prayer: Dear Lord. In a busy world where pragmatic decisions trail behind me unremembered, help me to be conscious of my responsibility to work and to give so that You may be glorified and others will not be in need. Help me to be hungry for honesty in every part of life. For Christ's sake. Amen.
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