The Bible has many things to say about work.
The concept of work is presented as early as Genesis and the garden of Eden. These scriptures on work and working hard can help us get a better view of how God views work.
Bible Verses About Work
Individual Bible verses are best understood by reading the verses that precede and follow them.
While each verse can be impactful and instructive, you will get a better picture of the meaning by reading the context around a verse.
Genesis 2:15 – The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.
Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,
Psalm 90:17 – Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands— establish the work of our hands!
Proverbs 12:11 – The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.
Proverbs 13:4 – The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.
Philippians 4:13 – I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
Colossians 3:24 – knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.
Proverbs 12:24 – The diligent hand will rule, but laziness will lead to forced labor.
Proverbs 14:23 – There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk[a] leads only to poverty.
Genesis 2:3 – God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.
1 Timothy 5:8 – But if anyone does not provide for his own family, especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
2 Timothy 2:6 – The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.
Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 – In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.” For we hear that there are some among you who are idle.
They are not busy but busybodies. Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and provide for themselves.
Philippians 2:14-15 – Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world,
1 Corinthians 10:31 – So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.
Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Galatians 6:9 – Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
Ephesians 6:7 – Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people,
Proverbs 12:11 – The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.
Psalm 128:2 – You will surely eat what your hands have worked for. You will be happy, and it will go well for you.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Ephesians 4:28 – Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.
What We Can Learn From These Bible Verses About Hard Work
Whenever I look at a set of verses from different parts of the Bible that deal with the same topic, I look for overarching themes.
These are the main themes I picked up from these scriptures on work:
- We were created to work.
- God wants us to manage his creation with our work.
- God has plans to prosper us, but it may not be in the ways we think.
- Rest is an integral part of your work cycle.
- All works should be taken with the intention of doing them with excellence.
- Work should be with the intention of being able to good.
Other Money Topics
There are many things in the Bible about money. Three other topics that I have covered from verses about money:
My Final Thoughts on Scripture About Work
We live in a society that tends to value leisure. We work so that we can play, but the Bible doesn’t frame work in this manner.
God created man to do three things: commune with God, take care of his creation (the garden of Eden), and create more gardeners.
Work being the second of these three reasons for the creation of man means that work is built into our being. A good day’s work feels good to every person I have ever met.
Not only does hard work bring out the best in us, but it also brings us into a closer relationship with God. This is what following God’s will for our lives will do for us if we seek and follow him.
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