Work - Part 2
Scripture Reading - Exodus 31:1-5 KJV
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
Greetings fellow believer in the Mighty Name of Jesus today’s lesson will continue to focus on “Work”. In the lesson “Work - Part 1” we focused on “work” being God’s idea and God’s Will for all mankind. It is said that it is so much God’s Idea that we will continue our work in heaven that we started upon the earth. Yes, “God works” for us, in us, through us and most of all with us because He loves us so much! The Lord Jesus helps His People with whatever “work” they look for His Counsel. In today’s lesson we will highlight “working” with our hands in a craft or field of trade and thinking creative thoughts while we do it. Some people refer to “working hard” with your hands as blue collar work. It is known for being hard work, hence from the sweat of their brow they produce the “works (fruit)” of their hands. Typically “Blue Collar workers” are known for doing more manual (physical) labor than mental labor. There is also a segment of society known as “Pink Collar workers” who are responsible for “working” in the personal service industry. They could be your salespeople, artist, trainers, coaches, actors, and such like. The world has led many people (yes, Christians included) to believe that “white collar workers” (which are those in the office, management, administration or the like) have a better job than those who get dirty. Yes even historically here in America “white collar workers” are thought of as smarter, so they are rewarded on a different pay scale. It is believed that they are specially rewarded for their ability to think things through to derive the right answer. Yes, even the “Pink Collar worker” is known for taking a greater risk to reap a large financial reward if they can hit their desired mark. However, we must stay with the Holy Word of God to realize that God Himself anoints people to work with their hands unto His Glory and Honor. Yes, what we (ihlcc) are saying is that blue collar, pink collar or white collar it makes no difference to God for He loves all and He helps all. We can see from the Holy Bible that God Himself was the first “worker” to “work” with His Hands because that is how the He made man, the world and all the good things found in world. Remember Psalms 119:73a KJV Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: . . . and Psalms 102:25 KJV which states: Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. Also consider Psalms 92:4-5 KJV which states: For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. This verse points out that God is both an exceptional “worker” using His Hands and He Is an intelligent being that thinks deeply about the “work” He is doing. This is the type of “worker” we should all esteem to be. Yes, the type of “worker” who is willing to get their hands dirty when doing any job because we can always clean-up later. We know God created man to “work” and we also know God created man to create. Thus, man must be able to think on a high level to not only understand what he does but to understand what things can be done to improve his workmanship and the production of the team if he works with a larger group. When we are speaking of improvement we are expressing at least three things that man as a “good worker” should always look to improve. First, man should look to improve his knowledge about whatever he is doing. This is very important because those who understand what they are doing typically also understand why they are doing it and this additional knowledge and understanding propels them to be the better than the “common worker”. Secondly, the “good workman” must look to improve himself. This means improve his attitude about “work” and his thoughts about all those he “works” with. We know this is very broad but the point is “good workers” try to help others to be “good workers” too. They would like for the boss to look good so they help the boss in whatever way they can. They also want their co-workers to shine so they have no problem at all training and coaching a teammate who is new or unfamiliar with how certain things ought to be done. Improving yourself means watching and listening to your own words and expressions just as faithfully and cautiously as you listen to others. Those who keep the proper attitude that the success of the team is better than the success of one person are typically the “good workers” that are looking for clear examples of what exactly they can improve upon in character, personally and deed. The third component of improvement for the “good worker” is looking to hear from God. Yes, we (ihlcc) can attest to the fact that hearing a word from God about a situation you are working with makes all the difference in the world. Yes, hearing God’s viewpoint (His vantage point) is remarkable because God is all-knowing and all-wise so whatever He says about a certain situation is right and truth. Therefore God’s vantage point is to our advantage because we know if we are building upon a solid foundation or sinking sand. So when we know the information that God knows we can have confidence in what we should do or not do. Yes, “working” with your hands is God’s pattern and let no one ever believe that “working with your hands” is a think- less job because it is not. You may not get much thanksgiving or praise from men but God is always thankful for “good workers of righteousness” upon the earth. We are not talking about the gift of righteousness from God but rather the righteousness that comes from doing what is right and make no mistake about it “working” is right in God’s sight and in man’s perspective too. All people who “work with their hands” are thinking all the time and it is because they are thinking that their “work” goes smoother which blesses others “working” with them. Yes, whether you consider yourself a blue-collar, pink collar or white-collar “worker” or in management or in the field all that really matters is that you work unto the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully and joyfully. Yes, “working” unto the Lord Jesus motivates us to improve in the knowledge about our job, improve in our personal performance and improve in our ability to hear from God because following God’s Will is always the right road to success. If we will “work” faithful and joyfully unto God and consider His Love and His Word in all that we put our hands to we shall be the “Good Workers” who are greatly needed in the “work force” but they are lacking in the earth today. Let us, as Christians, rise up to a higher standard where we please both God and man because then will both man and God have our back and they shall both look to reward us respectfully and financially for the hard work of our hands and mind in Jesus Name. Amen!