Somewhere working for my Lord

W ork: Is the “physical or mental effort or activity toward the production or accomplishment of something; toil; labor.”

God instituted work after Adam and Eve disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden. God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the _eld; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).

I have enjoyed working in many endeavors; As a stage builder in a shipyard, cook, water blasting, appliance parts counter salesman, small engine repairman, school bus driver, on a dairy and hog farm, in the transportation and medical _elds, instructing phlebotomy and other courses at ASU Mid-South. All those jobs blessed me with great insights into the nature of humans. Serving as a pastor in two churches was the greatest blessing and now in the medical _eld – I am blessed. The thing about work is that I enjoy working. I plan on working so long as my body and mind allow.

Currently I am reading about the life and times of Scott Bond. Scott Bond was born into slavery in Mississippi, the mulatto child of a slave woman and plantation manager, (From Slavery to Wealth the Life of Scott Bond written by Dan A. Rudd and Theo. Bond, 1917). Early in life he and his family moved to Arkansas and from a little log cabin he grew to be one of the wealthiest and prosperous men in Arkansas. His story is amazing and encouraging.

In Bond’s biography, he retells an incident in which he willingly worked for free. He worked for two weeks in a brick factory located in Forrest City in order to learn how bricks were made. Mr. Bond recalled what happened after two weeks of working for free. “The next morning being Sunday, I went to the post of_ce for my mail. I got a letter containing a check for $65.00 which I think was really more than I would have gotten had I attempted to make a bargain. Here is a lesson, especially to young men. It is always best to hunt the job, not the salary. Master the job and the salary will surely come and nine times out of ten, the amount will be larger than expected. I remained on the job until the brick kiln was completed and wound up with one hundred and forty odd dollars in cash. I really know that I had gained more than a thousand dollars’ worth of information about making brick.”

Upon _nishing his twoweek apprenticeship, Mr. Bond built his own brick oven and commenced to selling bricks to those around him and even supplied many of the bricks for several white churches in Forrest City and surrounding area.

Work is good in that it produces self-worth and respect, value, and promotes stability in our culture. Work taps into the human spirit placed into each human by God. The best one can hope for is to enjoy the work that he or she performs. If one does not enjoy the work there is no greater dissatis_er in life, particularly for men.

The Bible has much to say about work. For instance.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3).

“In all toil there is pro_t, but mere talk tends only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23) “I passed by the _eld of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man” (Proverbs 24:30-24).

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

“The hand of the diligent will rule while the slothful will be put to forced labor” (Proverbs 12:24).

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

It seems that more and more people are asking for a paycheck but no one wants to work. Christians should strive to be the best workers wherever they work. Why? Because no matter where we are or what we are doing we represent Jesus Christ.

Remember Christians, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality” (Colossians 3:23-25).

Clayton P Adams, West Memphis, AR email: claytonpadamslll@gmail.com.

Clayton Adams