Work—A Blessing or a Curse? ~ ?

[Bible Speaks]

Work—A Blessing or a Curse? - ?

Lesson for today. (Eccl 2:24)  We all know that work can be burdensome nowadays. Stress, hazards, boredom, disappointment, competition, deception, and injustice are just some of the “thorns and thistles” now associated with it. But work in itself is not a curse.

At Ecclesiastes 3:13, the Bible calls work and its fruitage a gift from God. You can glorify God with your work. Quality and excellence in the workplace have always been praised. Quality is one of the keys to a Biblical view of work.

God himself does his work with excellence. He has given us talents and abilities, and he wants us to use our skills to a good end. For example, during the construction of the tabernacle in ancient Israel, Jehovah filled people like Bezalel and Oholiab with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, enabling them to carry out specific artistic and practical tasks. (Exodus 31:1-11)

This shows that God took a special interest in the function, craftsmanship, design, and other details of their work. This has profound implications for our perception of personal abilities and work habits. It helps us see them in a sense as gifts from God, which are not to be taken for granted.

Thus, Christians are admonished to do their work as if God himself were reviewing their performance: “Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah, and not to men.” (Colossians 3:23)

God’s servants are commanded to do good work, thus making the Christian message more attractive to coworkers and others.—See the box “Applying Bible Principles in the Workplace.” In the light of this, we do well to ask ourselves what kind of quality and diligence we put into our work.

Would God be pleased with our performance? Are we fully satisfied with the way we carry out our assigned tasks? If not, there is room for improvement.—Proverbs 10:4; 22:29.

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https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2005441#h=1:0-23:215