Work is indeed part of God's design for Creation (Genesis 2:1-15). So, work is good because God created it.
However, since the rise of the Protestant movement which taught that hard work is for the purpose of accumulating wealth, the entire Church has been blinded by the idea that work may be done for mammon.
This idea is an extremely subtle one, in perverting the purpose of work which is for the glory of God, in serving Him, as one which can be done to serve not only God but mammon as well. Jesus made it extremely clear that no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). Yet, so many in the modern Church do not realise that that is exactly what they are doing, and that is is precisely the stronghold that satan has over the modern western Church.
Claiming that hard work is for accumulating riches, or even ultimately for one's family to 'enjoy' such riches, is itself to deny that work is for God. Many use 1 Timothy 5:8 to justify serving mammon: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Oh, how the devil must be laughing at such foolishness, and a perversion of sound Biblical teaching which sounds so righteous, and so clearly wrong, but yet so sticky to rebut. One must provide for one's family, there is no doubt. However, one's family is subject to God, and one is to serve God first above one's family, just as submission to any earthly authority, whether it be governments, pastors, husbands, parents, or employers is always subject to submitting to Jesus. Providing for one's family is therefore relative to serving God in working.
The idea that providing for one's family is separate or can be separated from serving God effectively elevates such a noble duty above God, therefore perverting its noble quality, making it idolatry. It has lead to the erroneous belief held by many that only the Christian man who provides for his family is complete in Christ's holiness, while the Christian man who has no family is not only not complete in Christ's holiness, but cannot be. Such is a vile despicable belief that idolises family, and denigrates those for whom it is not God's will to have a family. Such a belief is so blasphemous as to imply that Jesus who had no earthly family under him was not complete in holiness. Yet, that is a belief that many in the modern western Church hold onto without realising it.
Many have sought to make the argument more subtle by saying that it is simply legitimate to work hard to accumulate riches and serve God, rather than that accumulating riches is the purpose of work. That is also a lie from the Pit of Hell. It is the seeking of riches in and of itself that is sin. Some confusing seeking riches with work, either out of genuine confusion as to the semantics, or to twist the Bible.
Seeking riches means to aim to accumulate riches that is not sought to be given to others from a cheerfully giving heart, but store up for oneself. Seeking riches need not be seeking abundant riches, but only a relatively small amount. Work, however, is any labour that is done by a person. It is the opposite of idleness. Work may be paid or unpaid. As long as one is doing something with one's hand, in using one's time to do something, whatever that is, it is work from the Biblical perspective (Example Proverbs 12:11, 24; 21:5; 22:29; 24:27, Ecclesiastes 2:17-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15).
Work may be drafting a contract or will, diagnosing a patient, canning food in a factory, killing weeds to conserve the environment, building a chair, homemaking, writing a book on church history, or writing a blog exhorting Christians to repent of trying to serve both God and mammon.
It is precisely because work is to serve God that the idea of having a "career" should not enter the mind of any Christian at all. A "career" is an earthly pursuit of achieving goals for one's own glory in one's work. It is a earthly concept with no place in Christendom. A careerist is he or she who is constantly seeking to be promoted or earning more money for his or her own self-serving glory. He is in stark contrast to the man who provides for his family in 1 Timothy 5:8 who works in the manner of spirit of self-sacrifice, and self-glory or self-gain.
However, that one is not a careerist does not mean one is not under the spirit of mammon, in being enslaved to mammon. As long as one has the mindset that work is or can be for the purpose accumulating earthly riches, one is under the spirit of mammon. Such a mind hates the idea of work to serve God and God alone.
Work to serve God, not mammon. Do not work for mammon. Work is one of the ways in which mammon snares people. Watch out for his cunning ways in seeking to subtly make you think that it is legitimate for you to see his riches, by telling you that "you deserve money for your work" or that "money is for your great work, so keep it up". Such are lies to entice you into working for mammon. Do not be enticed by such his lies.
However, since the rise of the Protestant movement which taught that hard work is for the purpose of accumulating wealth, the entire Church has been blinded by the idea that work may be done for mammon.
This idea is an extremely subtle one, in perverting the purpose of work which is for the glory of God, in serving Him, as one which can be done to serve not only God but mammon as well. Jesus made it extremely clear that no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). Yet, so many in the modern Church do not realise that that is exactly what they are doing, and that is is precisely the stronghold that satan has over the modern western Church.
Claiming that hard work is for accumulating riches, or even ultimately for one's family to 'enjoy' such riches, is itself to deny that work is for God. Many use 1 Timothy 5:8 to justify serving mammon: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Oh, how the devil must be laughing at such foolishness, and a perversion of sound Biblical teaching which sounds so righteous, and so clearly wrong, but yet so sticky to rebut. One must provide for one's family, there is no doubt. However, one's family is subject to God, and one is to serve God first above one's family, just as submission to any earthly authority, whether it be governments, pastors, husbands, parents, or employers is always subject to submitting to Jesus. Providing for one's family is therefore relative to serving God in working.
The idea that providing for one's family is separate or can be separated from serving God effectively elevates such a noble duty above God, therefore perverting its noble quality, making it idolatry. It has lead to the erroneous belief held by many that only the Christian man who provides for his family is complete in Christ's holiness, while the Christian man who has no family is not only not complete in Christ's holiness, but cannot be. Such is a vile despicable belief that idolises family, and denigrates those for whom it is not God's will to have a family. Such a belief is so blasphemous as to imply that Jesus who had no earthly family under him was not complete in holiness. Yet, that is a belief that many in the modern western Church hold onto without realising it.
Many have sought to make the argument more subtle by saying that it is simply legitimate to work hard to accumulate riches and serve God, rather than that accumulating riches is the purpose of work. That is also a lie from the Pit of Hell. It is the seeking of riches in and of itself that is sin. Some confusing seeking riches with work, either out of genuine confusion as to the semantics, or to twist the Bible.
Seeking riches means to aim to accumulate riches that is not sought to be given to others from a cheerfully giving heart, but store up for oneself. Seeking riches need not be seeking abundant riches, but only a relatively small amount. Work, however, is any labour that is done by a person. It is the opposite of idleness. Work may be paid or unpaid. As long as one is doing something with one's hand, in using one's time to do something, whatever that is, it is work from the Biblical perspective (Example Proverbs 12:11, 24; 21:5; 22:29; 24:27, Ecclesiastes 2:17-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15).
Work may be drafting a contract or will, diagnosing a patient, canning food in a factory, killing weeds to conserve the environment, building a chair, homemaking, writing a book on church history, or writing a blog exhorting Christians to repent of trying to serve both God and mammon.
It is precisely because work is to serve God that the idea of having a "career" should not enter the mind of any Christian at all. A "career" is an earthly pursuit of achieving goals for one's own glory in one's work. It is a earthly concept with no place in Christendom. A careerist is he or she who is constantly seeking to be promoted or earning more money for his or her own self-serving glory. He is in stark contrast to the man who provides for his family in 1 Timothy 5:8 who works in the manner of spirit of self-sacrifice, and self-glory or self-gain.
However, that one is not a careerist does not mean one is not under the spirit of mammon, in being enslaved to mammon. As long as one has the mindset that work is or can be for the purpose accumulating earthly riches, one is under the spirit of mammon. Such a mind hates the idea of work to serve God and God alone.
Work to serve God, not mammon. Do not work for mammon. Work is one of the ways in which mammon snares people. Watch out for his cunning ways in seeking to subtly make you think that it is legitimate for you to see his riches, by telling you that "you deserve money for your work" or that "money is for your great work, so keep it up". Such are lies to entice you into working for mammon. Do not be enticed by such his lies.
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