Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva
JILHK Article
October 2010
A story is told about a rich man who owned a fleet of massive ships. In one of his famed voyages, he landed on a particularly serene and scenic fishermen’s village. He was heartily welcomed by the happy community. From their modest houses that perched proudly on a hill overlooking the majestic seas, the local villagers dashed to the shore to meet him. Then a feast of the day’s freshest catch, matched with children’s cheerful singing and the elders’ graceful dancing, was held in his name.
Touched by the generosity of the people, the rich man thought of a way on how to duly payback the community; he proposed to the chieftain to convince the villagers to let go of their boats and avail of his ships instead.
The chieftain good-naturedly asked the rich man for reasons on why they should make the switch. The rich man, speaking animatedly from a personal experience of working long and difficult hours alone on the seas, mentioned about being able to work harder, earning more, going to places, moving to the city, saving for retirement, and retiring in a house on a hill overlooking the majestic seas.
The chieftain looked at the rich man with knowing eyes, then quipped: “Even with our boats, we’ve already accomplished what you have been trying to achieve with your ships all this time.”
Today, it is as if the chieftain is telling us: It is a mistake to keep on chasing after so many things in life to make a living that, in the process of doing so, we totally forget to actually live.
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God blesses good and honest labor. It is He who blesses the works of our hands (Deuteronomy 16:15). It is He who says that the worker is worthy of his wage (1 Timothy 5:18). It is He who commands us to “occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13).
However, there is a fine line that separates people who are “working to live” and people who are “living to work.”
The first group of people knows that work is a blessing. They understand that honest work is necessary to make life better for themselves, their family and loved ones, the community they are connected with, and the company they serve. Hence in the conduct of their work, they recognize the importance of keeping a spotless personal integrity and maintaining healthy professional relationships. Work, after all, is a means for people to become better, well-rounded individuals.
The second group of people however knows work differently. They are those who fall in the Matthew 16:26 category that keenly warns us: “What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?” It is a sad reality that, in the so-called corporate world, there are those who sacrifice their principles on the altar of a higher company position, trade personal relationships in exchange of trade secrets, compromise their character in place of lucrative corporate promises, neglect their families for few and fleeting moments of professional success. When this happens, work turns from being a blessing into a curse in disguise.
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How do we therefore live out a balanced work life? How do we therefore work wisely?
The Spirit-Filled Life Bible, in its Truth-in-Action for Ecclesiastes, points to five ways to live a meaningful and godly life. First, seek to please the LORD and honor Him in our work (2:24-26). Second, endeavor to enjoy life and the work that we do (3:22). Third, avoid quick and angry responses (7:8,9). Fourth, live life for the LORD by enjoying our work and our loved ones and by doing everything we do with all our strength (9:7-10). And finally, fear the LORD and obey Him (12:12-14).
Today, let us set our priorities straight. “But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33, CEV).
“All you who fear God, how blessed you are! How happily you walk on His smooth straight road! You worked hard and deserve all you’ve got coming. Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!”(Psalm 128:1-2, MSG)
When we work wisely, we enjoy the wages of our work. When we enjoy our work, our labor turns into work of love. Ultimately, this is God’s good will for us. ðð