What Your Work Says About Your Faith

"Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." (Ephesians 4:28)

When we steal, it is a sin, and we give the devil access to our lives. We often justify it in our own minds. A few examples are all it takes, and most of us will start squirming a little. We steal when we take what doesn't belong to us. We steal when we cheat our employers. We steal when we don't give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.

God's people ought to be people of excellence. The greatest workers should be Christians. Sometimes we watch the news and see shoplifters gang up and go to stores in groups, stealing and getting out before the police can catch them. Who pays the price for those thefts? The consumer. Prices go up to cover security costs. Who gets hurt in the long run? Families who depended on a store that's now closed because theft made it impossible to stay open.  Some stores lock basic items behind glass where you have to call an associate just to get what you need. That is all a direct response to theft.

God's people should never be caught stealing. Cheating is theft too. Claiming someone else's work as your own, whether in a business deal or in school, is stealing. Be the person who stands on their own, works hard, and does jobs and assignments with integrity.

Lamentations 3:27 says, "It is good for a young man to bear the yoke in his youth." It's good to learn a strong work ethic early in life. One of my mentors in ministry, Dr. Bill, once quoted his mother as saying, "Bill, it's a sin to make a B when you can make an A." That may sound hard, but the basic meaning is: are you giving your best effort?

There was a teacher who had a football player in his class who wasn't much of a student, yet kept making great grades. The teacher was convinced he was cheating but couldn't catch him. Finally, on a test with ten questions, the sharp student next to the football player answered nine and left number ten blank, writing, "I don't know the answer to this question." When the football player turned in his paper, his answer to number ten read, "I don't know either."

God's people are to be known for integrity and industry. When we steal or cheat, we give the devil access to our lives. Notice also the reason Paul gives for working hard. Not so you can have more for yourself. He says work so you can have something to give to someone in need. Work hard so you can be generous. Jesus said in John 10:10 that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. That's the devil. But Jesus came so we might have life more abundantly. The devil steals. God's people reflect Jesus when we work, build, and are generous.

Reflection Question: Where in your daily work are you settling for less than your best?

Dear Heavenly Father, help me be a person of excellence, integrity, and industry in everything I put my hands to. Where I have cut corners or taken what was not mine, forgive me. I want to reflect You in every area of my life. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: Enemy Access Denied (Ephesians 4:25-32): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/3vjtypj/17-enemy-access-denied-eph-4-25-32