Page 18 - January 2026 - Truth & Tidings

ork has many goals: to develop skills can help the elderly with home projects;
our God-given talents, to en- mechanics can help the young with auto
Wgage our minds, to provide for repairs; accountants, lawyers and tech
material necessities of living, to care for professionals can help individuals navigate
our families, to support the local assembly, the increasingly complex world.
to finance evangelistic activities, to fund Another way we help others through
our hobbies, and more. Your reason for our work is by using the funds we earn to
working is likely a combination of all of help meet the needs of the poor and those
these. Certainly, the Bible encourages us in difficult financial straits. By working
to work for many of these reasons, but one hard, we can often earn more than we need,
often overlooked motive for working is to thereby enabling us to help meet the needs of
be able to help others. We can use both the others through financial contributions. This is
skills of our labor and the income from our not only an option; it is actually a command
jobs to benefit others. for New Testament believers. Paul wrote,
Some careers, such as medicine, nursing “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let
and teaching, for example, allow a person to him labor, doing honest work with his own
directly use their work to benefit others. In hands, so that he may have something to share
other careers, such as those in the trades, or in with anyone in need” (Eph 4:28).
factories or in office jobs, the benefit to others
First of all, we have an obligation to take
is less direct. Yet God has designed us so care of our children. Paul, in speaking about
that we each have unique skills, capabilities
and interests which can be used for others, the care he had for his spiritual children
particularly those in need. Dorcas, an early in Corinth, stated an obvious maxim, that
disciple in Joppa, was skilled in making “children are not obligated to save up for
tunics and other clothing. She used her talents their parents, but parents for their children”
to do “good works and acts of charity” (Act (2Co 12:14). Having brought children into
9:36). Applications abound: those with trade the world, we have an obligation to sacrifice
1
financially to see that they have the resources
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the to grow and develop into the individuals
ESV. God wants them to be.

18 TRUTH kTidings January 2026