EARNING THE RIGHT WAGE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.

Proverbs 10:16, 11:18, 22:4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

NOTE: From Proverbs, Chapter 10 through Chapter 22:16, Solomon writes a series of individual proverbs for us to consider. I will try and group similar proverbs in my devotions as I cover what Solomon wrote over these chapters.

One thing we learn quickly as we step from childhood into being adults is that we need to labor in life – and labor a lot! The work we put in never seems to end sometimes, at least that’s the way it has seemed for me for so many years. Whether it’s work itself, parenting when you have children, taking care of a household and its associated items, attending college or some other form of higher education, there is no shortage of things that keep us busy.

One big reason we learn labor is important is that it’s the only legitimate way we can earn a wage, money to ensure we are able to afford our essential needs like shelter, food, health care, and transportation. When we have labor, we are compensated with earnings that help us live and if you don’t know the critical importance of this, try having your hours reduced or worst yet become unemployed and see how much of a crisis this can create in your life.

Yes, wages are vital for our physical well-being but they do little for our spiritual health. Indeed, there are dangers associated with the quest for wages to include us investing more and more of our time to the point where we have no time for anything else, including prayer and/or worshiping the God who made it possible for us to work in the first place. It’s little wonder that our Savior Jesus said these words:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

Jesus provides us some important guidance when it comes to separating our worldly life from our spiritual one. We have to choose between whether we labor and serve money or labor and serve God. Only one can have the top priority and authority over us. Only one is the right wage to earn.

I say this because there’s more to reap from our labors than just a mere paycheck. Wealth only gets you so far and one thing is certain – you can’t take it with you. When this life is over, anything tangible that you have is abandoned, left for others to have or sort out. That’s the harsh reality about death and why you need to be living for something more than money. It’s why you need to ensure you are earning the right wage.

Solomon, the wise king of Israel, had this to say about wages:

The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death. Proverbs 10:16

A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. Proverbs 11:18

Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4

Through these insightful, God-breathed words, we get a whole different perspective on the matter of wage earning and laboring. For as we have read, Solomon isn’t talking about work from a conventional, worldly, money-grabbing angle. No, he is approaching it strictly from a matter of the spiritual gains and losses we can experience depending on the work we do while living.

It’s rather simple.

Labor in righteousness and you will find life, and not just any life but life eternal through Christ Jesus, the only One who can give it to us. Labor in wickedness and you will reap sinfulness and walk the wide path to destruction and death.

Labor in righteousness and you will gain a sure reward for God’s promises are true and He will favor and bless the righteous. Conversely, live in wickedness and you will sow deceptive wages, wages that will lead you to believe you are rich when you are really spiritually bankrupt.

So how can you ensure you are in a place where you’re earning the right wage?

It comes in humbly acknowledging that the Lord alone is the One you need to labor for. It comes in respecting the Lord with the kind of reverence that results in you not wanting to serve anyone or anything more than you serve Him. It comes in pointing your personal compass in the direction of righteousness, allowing the Lord to guide your steps toward the riches He offers, the treasures of heaven.

When we do this, then look at what we gain: Riches and honor and life.

Friends, we can’t avoid this convicting word of God, a word that calls us to examine and assess how we are laboring and what we are earning as a result of those labors. For clearly, you reap what you sow, and it’s my prayer is that you will sow righteousness through committing yourself toward working as hard for the Lord as He works for you.

Trust me when I say there will be no more rewarding labor that you’ll do.

Amen. 

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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