\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tText: Proverbs 24:30-34<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. The Bible commends diligent work<\/p>\n
A. Jacob had his faults, but one thing we notice is that he was an industrious worker<\/p>\n
1. Genesis 31:38-39 – A summary of his work record.<\/p>\n
a. Prosperous growth in herds<\/p>\n
b. No miscarriages in 20 years<\/p>\n c. No losses from wild animals or from his own personal use since he\nreplace all that was lost from his own funds.\n
B. Potiphar was able to trust Joseph with everything he owned – Genesis 39:6<\/p>\n C. Ruth worked all day pick up grain and then after nightfall threshed what she\ngathered – Ruth 2:17\n
D. Jehoiada’s workmen were so faithful, no one had to audit them – II Kings 12:9-15<\/p>\n E. Daniel’s enemies could not find anything with which to charge Daniel – Daniel\n6:4\n
II. Workers who are like these people are too rare.<\/p>\n
A. Perhaps we don’t train young people to be diligent in their labors.<\/p>\n 1. Society glorifies getting by with the minimum. It is “great” so long as it is\ngood enough.\n
2. Solomon urges us to learn from the ant – Proverbs 6:6-8<\/p>\n
a. God’s design in nature can teach us about working!<\/p>\n
b. Job 12:7-10 – There is a lot to learn from nature.<\/p>\n B. We always labored. Adam and Eve were given charge to care for the garden of\nEden. – Genesis 2:15\n
C. Paul did not just preached the Gospel, he lived it – I Thessalonians 2:8-12<\/p>\n
1. Paul worked with his own hands – I Corinthians 4:11-12<\/p>\n
2. He taught during the day and made tents at night – Acts 18:2-3<\/p>\n
3. Hence, Paul claimed he wronged no one – II Corinthians 7:2<\/p>\n
III. Poor work habits may not be obvious<\/p>\n
A. Laziness and negligence – not giving your all<\/p>\n
1. Proverbs 10:4 – Negligence brings poverty.<\/p>\n
2. Proverbs 13:4 – The lazy craves and gets nothing<\/p>\n
3. Proverbs 18:9 – A lazy worker is destructive.<\/p>\n
B. Chasing after useless things – Proverbs 12:11<\/p>\n
1. Busy, but not focused on what needs to be done.<\/p>\n
C. Wasting time in talk – Proverbs 14:3<\/p>\n
D. Stealing from others – Leviticus 6:2-5<\/p>\n
1. Deceives in regard to funds entrusted with him<\/p>\n
2. Steals<\/p>\n
3. Cheats<\/p>\n
a. Using false balance – Proverbs 11:1<\/p>\n
4. Finds lost property and lies about it<\/p>\n
IV. A Christian must work, and work well for his employer – II Thessalonians 3:11<\/p>\n
A. Even if you work for yourself, you still need to put effort into what you do<\/p>\n
1. Ownership of anything requires upkeep – Ecclesiastes 10:18<\/p>\n
2. Laziness with your own things is just as bad – Proverbs 24:30-34<\/p>\n
B. Work with full effort – Ephesians 4:28<\/p>\n
1. You can’t sleep away the day and expect gain – Proverbs 20:13<\/p>\n
2. Work with all your might – Ecclesiastes 9:10<\/p>\n
3. The virtuous woman did not eat the bread of idleness – Proverbs 31:27<\/p>\n
C. Labor with skill – Proverbs 22:29<\/p>\n
D. Work with an eye to what may come next<\/p>\n
1. This is the lesson from the ant – Proverbs 6:6-8<\/p>\n
2. Prepare for hard times while things are going well – Proverbs 10:5<\/p>\n
E. Be a trustworthy employee<\/p>\n
1. I Corinthians 4:2 – Stewards are suppose to be trustworthy.<\/p>\n 2. Luke 16:10-12 – God expects us to be trustworthy with the things of this\nworld.\n
3. Proverbs 13:11 – Wealth gained by fraud dwindles<\/p>\n
4. Leviticus 19:35 – Our business dealings are to be fair.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Proverbs 24:30-34 I. The Bible commends diligent work A. Jacob had his faults, but one thing we notice is that he was an industrious worker 1. Genesis 31:38-39 – A summary of his work record. a. Prosperous growth in herds b. No miscarriages in 20 years c. No losses from wild animals or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[498,105,386,258,526],"class_list":["post-11685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-effort","tag-employment","tag-laziness","tag-money-management","tag-stealing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33928,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/ruth-a-woman-of-virtue\/","url_meta":{"origin":11685,"position":0},"title":"Ruth – A Woman of Virtue","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ross Ward Text: Ruth 3:11 Defining Virtuous Brown Driver & Briggs - strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army Strong's - probably a force; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength Army 56x Man of valor 37x Host 29x Forces 14x Valiant 13x Strength 12x Riches 11x Wealth 10x Power 9x Substance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47882,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-ask-god-for-help-in-finding-a-wife\/","url_meta":{"origin":11685,"position":1},"title":"Can I ask God for help in finding a wife?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Would it be proper to go to God in prayer and ask for help in leading you to the right person to marry? This of course would be someone you have not met, and you are well aware of God's requirements for a godly and eligible person. Answer: \"Now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14078,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-we-do-about-a-son-who-failed-his-college-classes-and-lied-to-hide-the-fact\/","url_meta":{"origin":11685,"position":2},"title":"What do we do about a son who failed his college classes and lied to hide the fact?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 25, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am writing for advice on my son who is 18. He went away to college which my wife and I help pay for, in addition to a scholarship he obtained at the Christian college. He finished up this semester but failed two classes. He has a chance to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Parenting"","block_context":{"text":"Parenting","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87245,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/all-we-need-is-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":11685,"position":3},"title":"All We Need Is Love","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Each person wants and needs it. It is a primary need. People want to feel at least worth acknowledging and at least worth treating with dignity and respect. Who enjoys being shunned, passed by, ignored, or treated as worthless? All we need is love, goodwill, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52055,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/rebekah\/","url_meta":{"origin":11685,"position":4},"title":"Rebekah","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 24:1-26 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In archaeology, historians at times notice odd gaps in the records \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Even in well preserved records, there will be missing time periods. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Monuments are clearly defaced. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Typically what it indicates that something happened during that time which later generations did not want\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58671,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/reasonable-risks\/","url_meta":{"origin":11685,"position":5},"title":"Reasonable Risks","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Esther 4:7-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Increasingly I run into people who are obsessive-compulsive. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is sometimes referred to as the doubter\u2019s disease because the sufferer is constantly plagued with uncertainty. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A person might repeatedly wash his hands because he might not have done a thorough enough cleaning\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11685\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}