Idlenessat Work

What Is Idleness?• Inactivity – lacking/no productivity• Slackivism – just doing the

minimum required output to get through the day

• “Work to live” philosophy• “Monday blues”• Our work simply doesn’t matter• Inactivity of the heart – inability or

unwillingness to see God’s purpose in the work He has given us to do

The Bible on IdlenessEphesians 6:7, “Serve wholeheartedly,

as if you were serving the Lord, not men.”• If your heart does not grasp how

God is using your work to shape you, your heart denies your Christian responsibility to serve.

• When this kind of thinking takes hold in our minds, the results are devastating.

The Bible on IdlenessEphesians 6:7, “Serve wholeheartedly,

as if you were serving the Lord, not men.”• The devastating results are fruits

of being idle at work – such as Despondency, joylessness, complaining, discontentedness, laziness, passivity, people pleasing, score settling, corner cutting, and Monday-dreading gloom.

The Bible on Idleness2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If a man will not

work, he shall not eat.”• The most dramatic form of

idleness is inactivity – this should never mark Christians

• This is a good reminder for us.

The Bible on IdlenessColossians 3:22-24, 22Slaves, obey your

earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

The Bible on IdlenessColossians 3:22-24, 22Slaves, obey your

earthly masters in everything; and . . . • We are warned against more than

simply “doing nothing.” We should do everything we do with

a heart full of understanding that God cares about everything we do.

We should do our work as an act of worship to God.

The service we render is ultimately to God.

The Bible on IdlenessColossians 3:22-24, 22Slaves, obey your

earthly masters in everything; and . . . • We are also warned against the sin of

simply “doing something.” Paul wants us to see that our work

matters Our work is actually a high-profile

arena in which God is glorified and at the same time makes us more like our Lord Jesus.

Are you idle in your work?• How do you know when you’ve

allowed yourself to become idle in your work?

• What are the warning signs that you’re not grasping God’s purpose for your life in your job?

Here are some common ways in which people let idle thinking creep into their work:

1. Your work is merely a means to an end, a place to serve your own needs. This ignores the fact that God has

purposes for us in our work itself. Our work is more than something we

“slog through.” Our work is one of the key ways in

which God matures us as Christians and brings glory to God.

2. Your work totally frustrates you.We let our frustration control and infect our hearts with bitterness and anger.We should recognize that satisfaction

and purpose come as gifts from God, and so the frustration at work should not lead us to discouragement.

In our frustration, we should turn our eyes back to God and increase our dependency on Him because our responsibility is to do our work as an act of worship to Him.

3. Your work becomes divorced from your Christian discipleship.Many Christians think that their work is something they have to do fulltime, so they can do the real work of being a Christian only in their day off. Our work, here and now, is an

expression of our Christian faith.Everything we do is an act of worship

to God and an act of following Jesus, whether it is at home, at work, or at the church.

Why Idleness Is Not an OptionWhen we ignore God’s purposes in our work and think of it as “just a job,” we end up in a terrible imbalance in our spiritual life. The Bible calls us to be disciples of

Jesus and worshiper of God in every area of our lives.

In everything we do, we should work as those who are working for Jesus.

When we begin to approach our job as an arena for God’s glory and our own spiritual growth, it changes everything.

Why Idleness Is Not an Option Your interactions with customers and

bosses and employees become opportunities to show God’s love and goodness to them.

Every situation that normally drives you to irritation and frustration – now is an opportunity to pause, pray, and think, What does God want we to learn here? What have I learned that God wanted

me to apply to this situation? How is this going to bring His glory?

What is the fix for idleness at work?The bottom line: our jobs matter to God. God plans to use our work for His glory

and to do good in and through our lives. This means it is not an option for us to

be idle in our work. If you are guilty of idleness in your

work, the solution is for you to: Recognize idleness at work is sin Repent from wrong ways of thinking Recommit yourself to God’s

purposes for your job. . .

Idlenessat Work?

Idlenessat Work