Work Produced by Faith

1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 3 refers to "work produced by faith."  Let's explore the concept of work, and what it has to do with faith.  First, by "faith", I refer to a faith in God... that kind of faith that produces action.  Hebrews chapter 11 sums this up very powerfully:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

So what does work have to do with this?  Real faith produces action, and action is almost always manifest in some kind of work.  An obvious example is the type of work we do to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy, happy, and safe.  If we don't do this, we have faith that we will probably see some sort of trouble in the future (perhaps starvation or illness, for example).  ... but looking beyond this, what does God's word say about work?

1. Work is a blessing from God.  Genesis 1:28 "God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  This is God blessing his creation, Adam and Eve by giving them the work of tending to the earth, ruling over nature.
2. God commands us to work.  See Deuteronomy 5:13 and Psalm 104:23.  There are many other examples as well.
3. Laziness is disgraceful and leads to poverty, while work is wise and diligence in work brings wealth.  Proverbs is full of examples and wisdom on this; from the example of the ant in Proverbs 6:6-11 to what appears to be good management and accounting advice in Proverbs 27:23.  Proverbs 10:4-5 and v. 14:23 are blunt and clear about this: "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."
4. Work brings credit to God.  1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "...and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."  In this, Paul is instructing the Christians in Thessalonica to work for a living, to support themselves even as they serve God and their community, so that they would not have to rely on handouts or the support of others, especially those outside of their Christian community.

Ask yourself today: "is my work produced by faith?  What can I do to acknowledge the four Biblical truths listed above in my daily life?  Is my faith producing a good work ethic in me?"  Consider your responses and pray about it.  Ask God to give you wisdom and guidance in how you manage yourself in work from day to day... ultimately this is God's work for those who live by faith in Him.

God bless your work!

-atg-