“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:” (Prov. 6:10)
I find little value and even less fulfillment in the accomplishment of tasks performed by me because they need to be performed. Build a fence, remodel a room, repair an item that is broken, I perform the necessary functions when required, and as proficiently as my skills allow me to, but only because they need to be done, I do not search for things of the world to do to keep myself occupied any longer or so that I have something to do, something to keep me busy.
It is called, or used to be called, a strong work ethic by the world, admirable, and shows a propensity to accept the challenge and complete it.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2nd Peter 3:10)
Have I become lazy as the sluggard mentioned in our opening verse, or have I been blessed to see that all we do here in and for the world has no eternal value? There is a juxtaposition of thoughts in the mind of the man who has been born-again, who has been called by the Lord to go a little further with Him, the temporal that needs to be done begins to hold less regard than that which holds eternal value.
No one in heaven is going to be rewarded because they designed a magnificent church here on earth, but they will for repairing the poor widow’s broken window, handing out gospel tracts, reaching out to the lost, for living a humble life of servitude in obedience to the will of God for His glory.
I am still able to perform much of the work necessary, and I do so to the best of my ability, but only because it needs to be done. It is called in many places “make work,” keeping busy solely for the reason of keeping busy so that one does not feel themselves to be lazy, so that one does not view themselves as the sluggard, and not one bit of it is profitable to the Kingdom.
I know a man who professes to know Jesus Christ, an elder of a church who fills his days with those useless to the Kingdom tasks, and I know a man, one in whom there is no fear of God before his eyes that does the same. One would not miss a church service for any amount of money, the other will not step into a building with a cross in it, yet neither of them will speak the name of Jesus Christ in public, they do the work they believe is necessary to keep busy, to not feel lazy.
“Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.” (Acts 6:2)
The church today, those who are in the body of Christ, believe that “make work” to be of value, believing that being good stewards of what they have shows to the world a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, taking care of the things of the world for the sake of comfort, so they will not be seen by others or in their own eyes as lazy. These will always be able to find something that “needs” to be done.
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) Do you need to study the Scriptures, do you need to speak to others about the Lord Jesus Christ, do you need to bear your brother’s burden, do you need to seek the face of God? Or is it more important to mend that fence?
