From Lucas Johnson’s sermon about Work and Success

I spent my formative years working alongside my dad and both grandfathers—manual labor that taught me life lessons I’d never forget. My dad inadvertently taught me I never wanted to be a plumber after we crawled under my aunt’s double-wide to fix a bathtub leak. Picture this: a dirty bathwater bubble trapped in vinyl underneath the trailer that we had to pop. I was convinced I’d drown in that mess, and I knew right then that wasn’t how I wanted to make a living.

My grandfathers taught me about delegation and creative problem-solving—though their methods were… questionable. One had us struggling to move massive tree trunk chunks before casually mentioning his wood splitter could stand upright. The other had me pulling a John Deere horse plow through gravel while he pondered, “How would Abraham Lincoln have done this?”

These experiences shaped how I viewed work, and if you’re from a rural area, you probably have similar stories. Many of us grew up learning that how someone worked defined who they were—their morality, their character, maybe even their eternal destiny.

The Extremes We Face Today

Today we see two unhealthy extremes. On one side, people still believe your work performance determines your worth and spiritual standing. On the other, we’re seeing increasing numbers of working-age adults opting out of work entirely—not unemployed or in education, but choosing a lifestyle dependent on handouts and assistance.

Neither extreme is healthy. But here’s the real question: Have you honestly evaluated your own attitudes toward work? As a Christian, have you compared your life to what God’s Word actually says about work?

Why We Were Made to Work

Genesis 2:15 tells us that “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.” Notice this: in the very second chapter of the Bible, before sin entered the world, man was made to work. Eden was paradise—the place where heaven met earth—and even there, God didn’t put man to just lounge around.

This reveals something crucial: work is good for us. If God designed us for work, then it benefits us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Work keeps our minds and bodies active, prevents us from becoming isolated, and gives our lives purpose and meaning.

We’ve all experienced the effects of not working. Ever spent an entire day—or weekend—rotting away in front of the TV or scrolling your phone? Did you feel better afterward? Stronger? Mentally sharper? Ready to socialize? Of course not. You felt awful.

Think about people you know who retired with no plans. They were going to wake up when they felt like it, maybe play some golf, but their days slowly became reruns and news programs. How quickly did they wither mentally and physically?

Rest is important—the Bible teaches that. But to get the most out of rest, we need something to rest from. Meals taste best when we’re hungry. Showers feel best when we’ve worked up a sweat. And rest feels rejuvenating when we’ve been productive.

Work as Witness

Colossians 3:23 instructs us to “work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Our work ethic is part of our witness as believers.

What does it say about our faith, our beliefs, and our God if people’s only interactions with Christians involve laziness, subpar work, cutting corners, dishonesty, or chronic lateness?

Martin Luther (the reformer, not MLK Jr.) said it perfectly: “The Christian shoemaker does his duty, not by putting little crosses on shoes, but by making good shoes.”

Not all of us are called to be full-time preachers or missionaries. Our world still needs plumbers, bankers, teachers, mechanics, tech developers, artists, musicians, and parents. Our world needs Christians doing these jobs—and doing them excellently.

When you work hard, honestly, and consistently at whatever God has called you to do, you help make this world look more like the Kingdom of God.

The Benefits and Proper Context

Scripture is clear that there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of your labor. Proverbs repeatedly connects hard work with prosperity and warns against laziness leading to poverty. Wealth earned through honest work opens doors to bless others, from slipping a college student twenty bucks for gas to funding missionary work.

But here’s the key: Proverbs gives good, general advice that helps most people most of the time. For most people, hard work eventually pays off. But what about when it doesn’t?

Old age, disability, economic crashes, or global pandemics can throw a wrench into the “work hard, succeed” formula. This doesn’t mean the Bible is wrong—it means life is more complex than catchy proverbs can capture.

When Hard Work Isn’t Enough

This is where Ecclesiastes complements Proverbs. If Proverbs is like an optimistic young person fresh out of college believing everything will work out, Ecclesiastes is the older, more experienced voice saying, “Usually, but not always.”

Ecclesiastes warns against wrapping our identity in our work or falling into the trap of working just to keep up with others. There will always be something bigger, better, more exciting to own or experience. You might find yourself working so much to afford these things that you never have time to enjoy them.

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us of a sobering truth: we’re all going to die. Will people be talking about your spreadsheets or sales in 100 years? Will anyone remember the house you owned, the car you drove, or the vacations you took?

You can enjoy God’s blessings and the fruit of your labor—there’s nothing wrong with that. But when you die, you can’t take any of it with you.

The Only Work That Matters Eternally

As a travel nurse during COVID, I found myself at 25 with no debt, making six figures, able to live anywhere. On paper, I had everything society says you need to be successful. But I realized I’d lived a third of my life statistically, and if the next two-thirds were just chasing bigger contracts and cooler places to live, would I be happy? The answer was no.

Jesus said it clearly in Matthew 6:19-21: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth where moths eat them and rust destroys them… Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

We were made to work. It’s good for us, beneficial, and gives us purpose. But our work—no matter how hard we work or how much money we make—cannot buy us the only thing that will give us true, final satisfaction: eternity spent with God.

There is only one work that could buy that for us: the work of Jesus on the cross.

Work matters. Work hard. Work honestly. Work as if you’re working for the Lord. But remember: your identity, your worth, and your eternal destiny aren’t found in your job title or paycheck. They’re found in the finished work of Christ.

That’s the foundation that makes all our other work meaningful.

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