The wise man is a working man. Young men need to be taught the value of hard work while they are young, so they can be successful when they are older. At a young age I was taught the value of a work ethic. By the time I was fourteen or fifteen I was working construction full-time during the summer. Throughout high school I worked various jobs after a long day spent in classes. If I was going to have money then I was going to need a job. I also had the responsibility of keeping my grades up, if I was going to continue working. My parents instilled into me the value of work. As we will see work is good and meaningful, and is rooted in Scripture.
A Theology of Work
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). Theologian James Hamilton writes, “In addition to being able to marshal his army of words to accomplish his purposes, then, we see from this vast and splendid universe that God is a skilled worker who completes his tasks with unparalleled excellence and creativity.”
When God created Adam He gave him the responsibility to keep and work the garden (Gen. 2:15). Adam was to have dominion over the garden, not to be a passive observer of God’s creation. God did not put Adam in the garden to simply enjoy the fruit of God’s labor, but he was to work and enjoy his own labor as well. As image bearers and imitators of God, we were created to work. Paradise was not going to be without work. Some imagine that paradise is life without work, swinging in a hammock on a beach living off the fruit of the land. However, work is a God given responsibility that brings Him glory, and gives us satisfaction.
When Adam sinned work became a drudgery and not a delight. Adam, and his offspring, were going to sweat and labor to produce results (Gen. 3:17-19). This is the reason why many do not enjoy work, they only see the thorns and thistles. Just as man needed to be redeemed, so did work. The work of Jesus Christ at Calvary redeemed humanity and redeemed the way they live, which includes work. Christians are to no longer live the old life, but to live as a redeemed people. The Apostle Paul writes that the thief is to no longer steal, but to do honest work (Eph. 4:28).
Scripture conveys the idea that the man who works is blessed:
Psalm 128
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!
The diligent worker will eat from the fruit of his labor (Ps. 128:2). Blessings flow from the Lord to the man who works. If this is not taught at a young age, then boys who grow older never see the blessing of hard work. Instead, there will be a generation that feels they are entitled to have wealth. Who are we kidding? This is the status of the present generation. Entitlement is the paralysis of hard work. Laziness is the currency of the entitled. In contrast past generations built their wealth and enjoyed success due to their diligence in work. If young men are not taught the value of work, or if they are not taught that work gives God glory, then blessings will be far and few between for men in the future.
Proverbs and Work
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 (Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 12:14).
- The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor (Proverbs 12:24).
- Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth (Proverbs 12:27).
- In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty (Proverbs 14:23).
These are only a handful of the proverbs concerning work. This does not include those proverbs that deal with laziness which we will cover in the next lesson.
Young men 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 man who never does his homework and never prepares for tests will have a difficult time doing the tasks assigned to him while working for an employer. The young man who would rather sleep than take care of his responsibilities will be a slave to sleep when he is older.
There have been many young men 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.
Four Steps for a Better Work Ethic
- Don’t Procrastinate: “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Pro. 10:4). Don’t procrastinate when you have the time to get something done. If your parents ask you to do chores, do them before you do anything else. When you have homework to do, do it if you have time in class, or as soon as you get home. Putting things off only adds to your other responsibilities. Getting your responsibilities done in timely fashion pays dividends.
- Get Organized: “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 NLT). Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” If you are always forgetting things (like most young and old men!) then you need to get organized. You always have your smartphone with you, so make it work for you. Set reminders, use your calendar, write things in the notes app. Or get some Field Notes and always have a pen with you so you can write stuff down. Make lists and mark off the things that you accomplish. This will help you see progress. There are no shortcuts to success. Doing things at the last minute, or only doing the minimum required will not yield excellence.
- Forsake Worthless Pursuits: “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense” (Pro. 12:11). This verse could say, “but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks CENTS!” Giving your time and energy to worthless things will not pay. What does it profit a young man if he spends his entire day playing video games, but loses his soul? You’re not going to make money by going undefeated on NBA 2K18, or killing a bunch zombies. How much time do you waste on social media? You could be practicing your athletic, musical, or trade skills. You could be studying for that upcoming final, or writing that paper. Do the hard stuff now and unwind at the end of the day knowing you’ve accomplished your goals.
- Set Personal Goals: “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity..” (Pro. 21:5). Going back to this verse we see that good planning leads to prosperity. What are the goals for your life? Where do you want to be in five, ten, twenty years? What type of career do you want to pursue? You will never reach the goals that you never set. If you have a vision for your future then you will need to start working and planning now. You cannot be passive about your future, or you will be a slave to the winds of time.
Becoming a young man of wisdom requires a work ethic. Get some feedback from peers, parents and teachers on how you can improve your work ethic. Talk with your local church leaders about how you can get involved in work around the church. Find out where you can serve and volunteer in your church and community. Take the initiative to become a diligent man, and by the grace of God you be the man that God created you to be.
This is post is part of an ongoing series entitled “Wisdom For Young Men.”