"Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need". (Ephesians 4:28)
Trained hands must work. God ordained work for humanity right from our creation in the Garden of Eden. Since then, God has always required of us that we work to earn a living.
In our passage today, the Apostle Paul gives clear instructions for how Christians should conduct their lives in a community. It is clear that the Apostle’s instructions were addressing a real problem in the church; the issue of Christians who were not engaged in any profitable work. This problem had led to those Christians stealing from others.
The verse solves that problem by giving Christians a new assignment. Instead of stealing, we must be givers to those in need. Just imagine the profound change required for someone who had spent years stealing from others who now had to commit his life to giving to others. How can such a massive transformation take place? The answer is WORK!
In the end, work solves three problems for the Christian:
No stealing. When you value work, you also value every money you earn. When you appreciate the money you make, you also appreciate the money other people earn. As we respect our personal property, we also learn to value other people’s private property. Working with your hands will keep you from taking what belongs to others.
Have something good. Work allows us to live a good life. Although work will not enable us to have all the good things we want in life, it gives us a good sense of ourselves. Consider the sense of pride you felt when you bought your first clothes or shoes with money you had earned or when you bought something precious with your own money. No matter how small it was, you felt good. Working with your hands enables us to live a better life.
Help others in need. This is what the scriptures instruct us to do. We must seek to become givers and helpers. Instead of taking from others, God wants us to be givers to others. Giving enriches our lives. Have you ever had the privilege of doing something good for someone because you had the means to do it? It just makes you feel full. Working with our hands will make us bring joy to others.
May the Lord help us to work profitably with our hands.
