Page 3 - January 2026 - Truth & Tidings

bout 20 of the 24 hours in our day to make work (including the obsession
are spent either sleeping, prepar- with making money) an idol.
Aing (and eating) meals or working. We will also be taught that when our
The use of the other few hours tends to be work is done well, it can be a platform for
the focus of our sermons – how we gather evangelism as we “adorn the doctrine of
as an assembly, our gospel outreach, men- God our Savior” (Titus 2:10 KJV). Work-
toring, encouraging fellow believers, etc. ing with our eyes up, realizing that our
But more than anything else, sleeping, heavenly Master is watching, will help us
eating and working soak up most of our to that end as well as remind us that He
time. Yet when was the last sermon you will reward us for the way we work – a
heard on eating (or overeating)? The Bible compensation far more significant than our
has much to say about it. And what about regular paycheck.
sleeping (or rest)? How many messages can Principles from the life of our Savior will
you recall that were devoted to this subject? also instruct us as we note how He worked
Arguably, the largest percentage of our as Creator before He came to earth and as
time is spent working, including trans- Carpenter while here.
portation to and from our jobs. Even with The valuable work of motherhood is also
remote work being a possibility for some, taught in Scripture and clearly explained
the average number of hours worked per in this issue. Don’t skip the profitable
weekday in my country is 8.4. So, when article on retirement and how to spend
1
was the last time you heard a sermon about it. And speaking of spending, Paul told
work – not “work for the Lord” but secular the Ephesian believers they could spend
work? Indeed, Scripture has much to say some of their compensation helping those
about this also. And what we’ll learn in in need – a good way to avoid the trap of
this special issue is that our secular work self-centeredness. This is something Paul
actually is “work for the Lord.” For the lived out (see Act 20:34-35).
Christian, secular service is transformed Prophetic passages show us that when
into spiritual service. this life is over, our work will not be. We
Our writers this month helpfully show will have work to do during the Millennial
us from God’s Word that we were created Reign of Christ and beyond: “His servants
and fitted for work. “The LORD God took shall serve him” (Rev 22:3 KJV). Thank-
the man and put him in the garden of Eden fully, working conditions will improve
to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15 ESV). Af- exponentially and, as we will be in glorified
ter the Fall, work became increasingly dif- bodies, so will our productivity.
ficult. Therefore, Scripture contains many
warnings about neglecting our work and John Ruskin once said, “The highest
relying on others to do it for us. There is reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets
also the need to balance our work with rest for it, but what he becomes by it.” The
and with other responsibilities so as not way I work is making me a certain kind of
person. May I determine to ensure it’s one
1 Statista Research Department, accessed who is adorning well the doctrine of God
12/03/2025. my Savior.

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