Work has many goals: to develop our God-given talents, to engage our minds, to provide for material necessities of living, to care for our families, to support the local assembly, to finance evangelistic activities, to fund our hobbies, and more. Your reason for working is likely a combination of all of these. Certainly, the Bible encourages us to work for many of these reasons, but one often overlooked motive for working is to be able to help others. We can use both the skills of our labor and the income from our jobs to benefit others.
Some careers, such as medicine, nursing and teaching, for example, allow a person to directly use their work to benefit others. In other careers, such as those in the trades, or in factories or in office jobs, the benefit to others is less direct. Yet God has designed us so that we each have unique skills, capabilities and interests which can be used for others, particularly those in need. Dorcas, an early disciple in Joppa, was skilled in making tunics and other clothing. She used her talents to do “good works and acts of charity” (Act 9:36).1 Applications abound: those with trade skills can help the elderly with home projects; mechanics can help the young with auto repairs; accountants, lawyers and tech professionals can help individuals navigate the increasingly complex world.
Another way we help others through our work is by using the funds we earn to help meet the needs of the poor and those in difficult financial straits. By working hard, we can often earn more than we need, thereby enabling us to help meet the needs of others through financial contributions. This is not only an option; it is actually a command for New Testament believers. Paul wrote, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph 4:28).
First of all, we have an obligation to take care of our children. Paul, in speaking about the care he had for his spiritual children in Corinth, stated an obvious maxim, that “children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children” (2Co 12:14). Having brought children into the world, we have an obligation to sacrifice financially to see that they have the resources to grow and develop into the individuals God wants them to be.
Secondly, we have responsibility to take care of our extended family. Paul writes, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1Ti 5:8). The context is in relation to older widows who had no means of financial support and lived in a society where there was no social safety net. If we have family members in need, we are obligated to help them financially and not burden the church. Failure to do so would be completely contrary to our Christian faith.
Thirdly, we have a responsibility to work so we can help the poor and the weak. Paul said, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak” (Act 20:35). Paul, on another occasion, reflecting back on the Jerusalem council’s requests, said, “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Gal 2:10). By working hard, we will be in a position to financially meet the needs of others who have lost their jobs, incurred significant health bills, or are beset by any number of other difficulties.
Care for the most vulnerable of society runs through the Bible. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was instructed to leave some crops in the field for “the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow” (Deu 24:19). The Lord Jesus and His disciples must have often given to the poor because when Judas left to betray Jesus, the disciples thought he was perhaps going to give money to the poor (Joh 13:27-29). James said, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (Jas 1:27).
While it is an obligation to help others, there are also many benefits. First, there is joy in giving to help others. When Paul was exhorting the Ephesians to work hard in order to help the weak, he reminded them of the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Act 20:35). There is a personal blessing that rebounds to the giver.
Secondly, giving to the needy results in praise and glory to God. As Paul exhorted the Corinthians to give funds to support those in need in Jerusalem, he said, “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God” (2Co 9:12). By giving to help those in need, we are bringing glory to God and causing others to praise Him.
Thirdly, by sharing financially with those in need, we bring pleasure to God’s heart. “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Heb 13:16). God is pleased when we sacrifice for others.
Finally, there is also an eternal benefit to giving. In 1 Timothy Paul exhorts, saying, “As for the rich in this present age …. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1Ti 6:17-19). We can’t take our riches with us. However, by using them to help others, we can send them on ahead – converted into the currency of heaven.
We were made for work by God. We can execute that work for the glory of God. But we can also use both the skills and the income from our work to meet the needs of those in difficult circumstances. Our culture tells young people that work must be personally fulfilling or it isn’t worth it. Consequently, many struggle with jobs that are less than fulfilling. However, if we view our job and our skills as providing a means to help others, then we elevate secular work to something eternal.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the ESV.
