Scripture opens with God doing work. God created and worked to bring about all of creation. Each phase of God’s work was considered “good” (Gen. 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31). Likewise, The book of Proverbs has much to say about work: “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense” (Pro. 12:11).
“From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him” (Pro. 12:14). “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor” (Pro. 12:24). “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth” (Pro. 12:27). “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23).
Young people who might not yet be in the work force can still learn the value of work. Whether it is in academics, athletics, music, trade skills, or relationships. The blessings are endless for studying hard, practicing often, and putting in time and effort in any discipline. But this must be learned at a young age. The habits that are cultivated now will be hard to break later in life. This holds true for good and bad habits. If you are consistently late when you are young, then you will be consistently late when you are older. The young person who never does their homework and never prepares for tests will have a difficult time doing the tasks when they are assigned while working for an employer. The young person who would rather sleep than take care of their responsibilities will be a slave to sleep when they are older.
There have been many young people who have not allowed their age to become their excuse for not working. Take Timothy for example. He was probably in his late teens or early twenties when he began traveling with the Apostle Paul. Paul considered Timothy to be his son in the faith (1 Tim. 1:2). Timothy was admired by fellow believers (Acts 16:1-2). He was also part of the growth of the church in Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 17:14-15; 18:5). As a young man, Timothy was left to oversee the largest body of Christian believers which was located in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3). Timothy was not allowed to use youth as a crutch. Instead he was to use his youth to his advantage. If Timothy would take care of his responsibilities, then the elders of Ephesus wouldn’t despise him for his age (1 Tim. 4:12). Timothy was to give his life for the work of the Lord.
Age is not a qualification for calling or work. The more you discipline your life in your youth, the better off you will be in your later years. Becoming a person of wisdom requires a work ethic.