Dignity of Labour

Prov.22:²⁹ (LB) “Do you know a hard-working man?  He shall be successful and stand before kings.” [with emphasis]

Everybody wants to be respected, valued and appreciated. No one wants to be treated like trash or disrespected. The sixth reason why God wants us to work is because work gives us respect. There is a sense of honour and dignity that results from legitimate work. A research conducted shows that to be the number one reason for depression and low self-esteem. The solution to low self-esteem is work – dignifying work. And God has built certain emotions and emotional rewards around work. There are certain emotions that you can feel only when you have done a good job.

I did not get saved until my final year in the university but I had friends that even came into the university saved. At the end of our school year, they were very particular about praying to find out if it is God’s will for them to work or not. This really confused me because I discovered that it is God’s will for us to work. How can it not be God’s will for us to work? Go and get a job and work. My very first job was in secondary school; I was working for my mother. She had an after-school class [lesson] focused on helping students grasp the concepts taught in school.

She enrolled me as a math teacher for students in preparatory classes. I taught them passionately and all my students passed their exams. That was the first time I felt the joy of a job well done and I have not stopped teaching since then. Also, my mother paid me for my services. Expose your children to work early; it will help burn this truth into them. The key thing about work is the satisfaction. The money is actually a by-product of work. Unfortunately, people have turned it around and made the money priority.

At the end of the month, your greatest achievement is not the salary you have received. It is actually what has happened in you during the process of work. Meaning is more important than money! I pray that you will be hard-working, successful and stand before kings.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please help me to be hard-working and focus on the value You are working in me through my work, in Jesus Name. Amen!