Mark Twain once said, work is a necessary evil that should be avoided at all costs. I actually kind of like that. Kind of funny how he was able to do that. Obviously he's jesting and as believers, we do see work as being necessary, right? Work is necessary. It is not an evil. God commands us to work. Working is good. It should not be avoided, right? We should work and be known as good workers. I am actually kind of amazed at how often as a church and just in our own thinking as we talked with one another about our relationship with the Lord and our testimony in the community, how little we talk about the type of employee and the type of worker that we should be for our boss and for those around. we probably should talk about that more, the type of employee, the type of worker we should be, the type of work ethic that we should have. As we're going to see later on in this text, and as I would hope to bring out, that really, some of our views of work and some of our deficient views of work in my life and in your life is, which comes from a bad idea of what is truly worship. It's really an unfortunate trend that we think of worship as only singing songs, only coming to church, only listening to a sermon. That's what worship is, only that. It's such a narrow view of what is worship and how we honor and glorify God. Even pushing a broom for the glory of God is as much worship as sitting here right now listening. And that's what a Christian worker is. That's what a Christian worker understands. He understands these truths about work and really as Christians we should be more concerned about our character as we work and the work ethic that we have than the job title that we own or even the size of the paycheck, right? So we'll deal with that as we go through this text. But turn with me to Proverbs chapter 12. We're gonna be in verse 24 through 28 this morning. As we look at the character of a Christian worker, and as Solomon and God describes this, we're gonna try to see five things. Each verse is gonna have its own kind of thing about Christians and work and diligence and kind of how we're supposed to conduct ourselves as we work. And this first one that we're gonna see in verse 24 is that the Christian worker should be industrious. Notice what Solomon says. He says the hand of the diligent will rule but the slack hand will be put to forced labor. Now in this particular parallelism, the image that Solomon uses and God uses to describe the work and the work ethic of a person is through the image of one's hand. And when we think about the image of a hand here, it's a part that represents the whole, right? So obviously God is not concerned with one hand that works really hard and then there's like this other hand that we have that doesn't work at all and that that's not what God's talking about right he's not talking about the physical hand it's a the hand represents the person and the attitude and it represents what somebody does right when you see the the the idea of hands in scripture and just the image poetic image it speaks of what somebody does it speaks of power of doing something so so then think of that right in verse 24 so the hand the the person who's doing something, and notice how he describes the hand of someone who is diligent, will rule. And this word here for diligent is the same word for industrious, a hard worker. Although I think when I think of the word industrious, and this particular word, I don't just think of somebody who's just a hard worker, right? An industrious person is also a smart worker, right? It's somebody who works hard and figures out how to work in the right kind of way, in an intelligent way. So this is speaking of somebody who's a hard worker, but is thinking, right? And is working towards a goal, but he's working smartly. And notice the principle here, the principle is, that the hand of the diligent, the person that's diligent, will rule, will be in charge. The opposite is the case, right, where the slack hand, the hand that is not diligent, the lazy person, he will be put into forced labor. This is a little bit different, this is where knowing a little bit of the culture back then helps us because if you couldn't pay your bills and you had to borrow money and you never paid that back and you were supposed to work for somebody and you didn't show up to work, eventually you owed them money and if you couldn't pay that, you would have to sell yourself either to a debtor's prison or sell yourself into slavery. And so here the contrast is you're either in charge of your own destiny, you're kind of like self-driven, and if you work hard you're not going to have to be forced into this debtor's prison or this slavery, but if you're lazy and you don't do what you're supposed to do, then you'll be forced to work for someone else. So you're either self-driven and that's good for you, or you're driven by a slave master. And the principles sound, so like if we just take this verse and rip it from the book of Proverbs, we could look at numerous examples where this is true. Hard work pays off, and those who are smart, intelligent, hardworking people, nor will become the boss, right? And those who do not, normally don't become the boss, right, as the principle goes. I guess the question I have is, is Solomon just really concerned about the audience just becoming good workers? Is that really what he's concerned about here? Is he just concerned about, you know, career advancement, how to advance your career, and here's a great way to get a raise, just work hard and be smart? Is that really what Solomon's concerned about? No, and the only way you could get that is if you rip it from the book and you forget that the underlying principle of the book of Proverbs is the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And so this statement must be understood with the fear of the Lord. And as I looked at this verse with that idea of the fear of the Lord, I couldn't help but think of Colossians chapter three. Let's turn there quickly, Colossians chapter three. Go to verse 22 and notice what the Apostle Paul says here. He says, slaves in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men. So the idea is he's saying to those who are slaves, because at that time there were Christians who were slaves. Now slavery back in the Roman times were a lot different than how we understood slavery in the United States. So a lot of times when we look at this, because of the similarities between slavery in the ancient Roman world and our own today, we often see this idea of slavery here as the same as getting a job. don't really want to waste all of our time talking about the slavery of ancient Rome for right now so we'll just take the principle here so it's obey those who are your masters or your employers and he says not like those who just merely do it just to please men meaning it's possible for a believer to work and be obedient to their employer Only to please their employer and the Apostle Paul is saying that's not what we as Christians do We're not just here just to do what the boss says So the boss gives us a raise or we get from the boss what we want He says but with sincerity be obedient with sincerity of heart, and then notice what he says, fearing the Lord. Well, why, Paul? Verse 23, whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men. So notice that in the Christian, in our mindset, when we're thinking about hard work and being industrious, it is fearing the Lord, knowing that what I'm doing is ultimately for the Lord and not the people in front of me. I'm serving the Lord and he is the one that I'm to be obedient. And I work hard to honor him and glorify him. This is an amazing truth and it really has revolutionized The world, right, you think about the Protestant Reformation and one of the things that was recovered in the Protestant Reformation was work. It used to be the old maxim for the early reformers that one would push a broom for the glory of God. And that's where we get it from Colossians chapter three. And here in Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 12 verse 24, it's the idea of the diligent person realizes I'm actually doing this for the Lord. My hard work for my employer is actually a sign of worship that I'm giving to Jesus. The work I'm doing is the sacrifice to Jesus to honor and glorify him. So, we as believers should be industrious, we should work hard, we should work smart, not for career advancement, but as a sign of worship to Jesus saying, here's my life, I'm giving you the best that I have, and here's my job that I'm working, that you've given me to provide for me, and I'm even doing this task for your honor and for your glory. Now, notice the next verse, verse 25. It says, anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad. This word for anxiety is really kind of an interesting word. It means to see a threat, be concerned about that threat. and think about it. And that's really what anxiety is, right? It's seeing a threat, whether it's credible or not, and then thinking about it, and then thinking about it, and worrying about it. and then worrying about it and continue to worrying about it and thinking about it again. And that's what anxiety is. And notice the result of this, the result of anxiety is that it weighs down the heart. It kind of bogs a person down. It's like a weight. I don't know if you've ever felt that. Have you ever been so worried about a problem that you feel like there's like, weight on your chest of like I I can't breathe I am so worried about the situation that's that's the image that Solomon is talking about here is this anxiety this weight this depression it it just weighs everything down now I want to be clear I I've met some believers who think that if you are concerned about anything, you are not spiritual. That a Christian should never be concerned about something because we're trusting the Lord, and as trusting the Lord, I have no fear of anything and I'm not concerned about anything. That's foolishness, right? That's not a heart of discernment. I don't think that's what Solomon's talking about here. Obviously, we live in a world that has credible threats and credible dangers. The Lord has given us a mind and a discernment to see those and respond appropriately. It becomes sin when I see a threat or I make up a threat and I dwell on it and I dwell on it to the point that it stops me living for the Lord. It stops life. I stop fulfilling all the responsibilities. I was thinking about this this morning, what's the best way to kind of describe what I'm talking about. Recently, with the birth of Sophia, we had to do something. We had to look for a new car seat. Now, obviously, it's the law, so we have to, but we're concerned about the safety of our daughter, so we wanted to get a good car seat. There's nothing wrong with getting a car seat. to protect our daughter in case of a car accident. That's not sin. And it's not sin for us to go on the internet and read reviews and see which is the best one and talk to other parents. What's the one that's the safety? What has the best safety features? What's the one that has the best testing and all of that? That's not sin. It would be a sin if, after she's born, we're still looking for a car seat, and we stop driving places because we say, well, We might get into a car accident. I'm just fearful of a car accident. And what happens if we accidentally go off into the river? Well, we need a special kind of car seat for that. And we need something like this, and something like this. And we get so caught up in all of these other possibilities that we just stop living, stop doing things for the Lord. We just stop. That's when it becomes sin. And I think that's really what Solomon's talking about here is this over worrying about a problem, overthinking a problem. And this weighs down a person. This is not how God has intended for us to live. And if we're trusting the Lord and we're looking at situations correctly, then we won't have anxiety. But I will also say this, I think it's important to remember, that every single person in this room has anxieties. So it's not like there's some people who have really good grasp on this and other people, they're just basket cases. Everyone in this room worries about stuff. It might be different, of course, but we all struggle here, right? That's part of the human condition is struggling and we're always struggling with trusting the Lord. It's not like, oh, that guy over there. He really is a worrywart. I'm not, I have this conquered. No, this is the whole nature of being a human and living on this side of glory. But what's interesting is what Solomon contrasts it with. He says, but a good word makes it glad. Kind of gives the idea, kind of gives the idea of the reason that the person has anxiety is because there was somebody outside saying discouraging words, right? That there was rhetoric from someone else that discouraged them, that caused them to worry and thus have anxiety. And so then notice then the contrast would be then, but a good word, an encouraging word, makes the heart glad. So a discouraging word weighs someone down, an encouraging word lifts them up. This is true, isn't it? It's even true if somebody's suffering from anxiety and somebody comes up and says an encouraging word. That's one of the ways that a person kind of shakes out of the funk and the headspace that they're in. But I think what really Solomon's trying to get at is this, is that as a believer, we need to be encouraging As a person who follows the Lord, we should be encouraging. And the things we say and the way we say things influences others. Now, you might not think it influences others, but it influences others. Now, think about this in a work context. I'm sure we've all had co-workers, and I'm sure we ourselves have done this. where the boss has a new policy or something happens, and one person says a snarky comment, and then the other person has a snarky comment, and as you're listening, you go, you know what, that's right. They're right. And all of a sudden, now you have a snarky attitude. It's kind of infectious. But think about it the other way. How many times have you heard, even if it was a dumb policy, somebody say, that's a good idea. And then everybody else goes, yeah, that's kind of a good idea. So think about this, as believers, our words do influence other people. And as Christian workers, we need to make sure that we have an attitude that is free from discouragement and is always encouraging people to live for the Lord, encouraging people to do the right thing. We can so easily, easily say things in a derogatory way or say things in an attitude that will discourage others from living for the Lord. I couldn't help but think of the situation that was happening in the church of Philippi and some of the stuff that Paul says in the book of Philippians where he talks about how we're supposed to be anxious for nothing. But what's the believer supposed to do instead of anxiety? trust in the Lord and rejoice in the Lord always. It's going back to the Lord, thinking about the Lord, thinking about those truths that are found in God's word. As a Christian worker, as we're working, those are some of the things that we should remind ourselves of. And I'll say this, because we all struggle with anxiety, what do we do if we find ourselves incredibly depressed and anxious? What is the course of action that we should do? Well, I'm reminded of the words of Peter, where he says, cast all of your cares upon the Lord, because he cares for you. I think if you start feeling anxiety, the first thing you should do is go to the Lord and say, this is my concern, am I thinking right? Help me as I'm reading your word and thinking through the principle and the situation, give me clarity of thought through this. This is my concern. It's a real concern. I'm worried about it. Help me have the appropriate kind of response. A lot of times, that's really what happens with anxieties. You kind of just get stuck in your head. You just keep on mulling over the same situation over and over again, sometimes just a smack of reality, kind of knocks you out of it, going, okay, all right, stop thinking about it, I'm gonna move on for the Lord. And as Christian workers, we should not be those who are discouraging, but encouraging, edifying, but not just saying, let's just go do the job. It should always be, let's live for the Lord, let's do the right thing, should always go back to the scriptures. Now, notice what is said in verse 26. It says, the righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. So it's the same way, right? Kind of the same principle found in verse 25. It's the idea that we all, our actions, our attitudes, our words, all influence those around us. I'm not familiar of a sin that is done that does not affect other people. Now, you could probably think of stuff, but eventually, that sin affects other people. All of our sin affects others, and righteousness does the opposite, right? There's never a righteous act that I do that only benefits me. Whenever I'm doing what the Lord asks me to do, there's always a public ripple, as it were. So, it almost is as if, when Solomon is saying this, that the righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. It is almost as if we could say, Solomon is saying, you're gonna lead and influence others. The question is, how do you lead and influence them? Is it the way of righteousness towards Jesus Christ, or is it the way of wickedness away? Now, this week, as I was getting ready for all of this weekend, I thought a lot about this idea of righteousness. Tonight, we're going to be studying the book of Leviticus. And as I was thinking through the book of Leviticus and trying to really just read it and let Moses speak for himself and just trying to understand what God is trying to say in the book of Leviticus. I've had to think about the law and righteousness and as I think about the book of Leviticus I also have to think about myself as a Christian and my how I'm supposed to respond to God's law in Leviticus and why do I do certain things and not other things and so there was just this whole bunch of realities, right, that I'm just trying to think through in order to teach tonight. And so when I saw this phrase, the righteous, I couldn't help but think about this thing that I've been thinking about all week with Leviticus and trying to wrestle with all of these things. And I can't help but go back to the book of Galatians and the book of Romans, and I will say this. I think it's important that we read the entire Bible, and that's kind of some of the reason why we're doing a survey of each book. However, if you were going to get bogged down in a place and spend a significant amount of time, and you're always reading it, Romans 4 through 8 would be a really good place to get bogged down, okay? we could say that it is Christianity 101. That's really what that passage is, right, from four to eight. And it answers a lot of big questions for us. The first big question it answers is how does one become righteous, right? So let's go to Romans four quickly. We'll kind of walk through some of this stuff. So in the first three chapters, Paul talks about the deficiency of righteousness, that as human beings, we are not righteous, we don't do the right things. And Paul quotes from the Old Testament numerous passages where those passages conclude there is none righteous, no not one. He also then concludes that there really can be no works that I can do to overcome any unrighteous deed. So it's once I do one thing wrong, I then become unrighteous. So then how do I deal with that status of being unrighteous? I've done one thing wrong. How do I get right with the Lord? And in Romans 4, Let's start in verse one, he says, what then shall we say that Abraham our father according to the flesh has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, meaning if Abraham was declared righteous or vindicated before God because of his actions, if he did this by works, by doing good things, then he has something to boast about, but not before God. So think about this, if Abraham could could have worked his way to heaven. He would have something to boast about, but ultimately not before God. Why? Because he failed. He sinned one time. So the question is, well, how does one become righteous? Well, notice what Paul says. He says, what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor or as a gift, but what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Incredible truth. I don't work towards becoming righteous, because I can never be righteous by myself. So the question is, how does one become righteous? God bestows upon us righteousness, right? He declared Abraham righteous. So what did Abraham do to be declared righteous? Nothing, he just believed the promise. There was no work, he believed. And from this point, then the Apostle Paul talks about this justification by faith. And notice what he says in 5.1, I'm skipping through a lot, I just want to kind of give a helicopter view here. 5.1, he says, therefore, and then I like this phrase, having been justified by faith. This phrase, having been justified by faith, shows me that this is an event that happened in the past, and it's something that happens once. There are some who believe that we're in the process of being justified. and I retain justifying grace by works. That is not the language that Paul uses here. In Paul's mind, he says, I have been justified. I have been declared righteous. And the reason that I know I've been declared righteous is because I had faith, not by works. And he says, so therefore, we now have peace with God through Jesus Christ, our Savior, right? So here we see that justification is this being declared righteous, but it also would refer to this proper relationship with God. And the Apostle Paul goes through and he talks about this. He talks about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, rose again, we believe on him, he declares us righteous, and now we have the right kind of relationship with the Lord. Incredible, awesome. Now, whether you were thinking it or not, at the end of chapter five, you could have the thought of, well, if I'm not saved by what I do, and I'm just declared righteous because of what Jesus has done, then why should I do anything good? Right? Like, what's my motivation to do what's right? What's my motivation to not continue to sin? Because if my sin is an opportunity for God to expose His grace, then why wouldn't I want God to expose more grace? So why should I do anything good? Now, whether you were thinking that or not, I'll be honest with you, the first time I was reading it, I just thought, the very first time I read the Book of Romans, I thought, this is an incredible truth that I'm declared righteous on the basis of faith. I didn't have any objection to it. But the Apostle Paul, whether I was thinking it or not, in 6.1, forces me to think of this next reality. He says, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound? May it never be. And then Paul then goes through and talks about how we're supposed to. It's not okay for us to continue to sin so that grace may abound. And the reason that he says this is he says, because we're vitally tied to Christ. I'm identified with Christ. It's as if when I placed my faith in Christ, I was put in him. And when he died, it was as if Caleb Hilbert died. And when he rose from the dead, it was as if Caleb would then had this newness of life. I now have a new heart. I now have new abilities. I now have new desires. I'm something new. And because of this newness of life and this newness of desires, I want to be like my Savior and my Savior is righteous. So therefore then I want to continue to live righteously. But then there's this next question. That makes sense, right? Want to be like Jesus because I am like Jesus. I'm identified with Him. I now have these new desires. So how do I think about the Old Testament law? in the midst of this, right? All those commands that God gave before. The Apostle Paul wrestles with that. Tonight, we'll wrestle with that. So if you're kind of interested in that and struggling with that, tonight, we're gonna wrestle with this even more. But the Apostle Paul kind of says, look, we're now in this new thing. We're no longer under the law. We're now living by the Spirit. And the sin nature, that thing that used to happen before, no longer has control over us. We're no longer governed by the law. We're now governed by the Spirit. And then there's then the next immediate question. It's what I've been thinking about all week. The next immediate question, which is found in verse 14 to the end of the chapter. It's, okay, so I realize that the sin nature's dead. I realize I'm declared righteous on the basis of what I do. I realize I now have a new desire to be righteous. I have a new ability to be righteous. But I still sin. What does that mean? Does that mean I really didn't believe? Does that mean I'm not really righteous? Does that mean that somehow I now can lose my salvation? How do we wrestle with that? And the Apostle Paul wrestles with this. And his description in Romans 7, 14 through 25, is remarkable. In fact, as I was reading it this week, I thought, I really can't say how I feel about my sin nature, and my struggle with sin, and what I understand about righteousness, and it's really hard to put into words, and as I read the Apostle Paul, I'm very encouraged because I think he had trouble putting it into words, but he probably says it better than I can say it. So notice what he says. He says, we know that the law is spiritual, 714, Romans, but I am the flesh sold into the bondage of sin. For what I am doing, I don't understand. I don't condone it, the Apostle Paul's saying. I don't even get it, right? Think about past sins you've done this week. This morning, right, this morning, let's think of this morning, some of the stuff we did this morning. How many of you, on the way to come to church, did something that was sinful, and you had the thought in your mind, why'd I do that? Why did I say that? Why did I act that way? I don't understand. I'm getting ready to worship. I don't wanna say those things. I don't wanna do those things. It just comes out. I don't get it. I don't condone it, and I don't understand how it's possible. I really don't. The Apostle Paul says the same thing. Notice what he says next. He says, for what I am practicing, what I like to do, is the very thing that I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the law, confessing that the law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. And he goes on and he says that there's still this residual flesh, this part of us that continues and wants to conform to the old way of thinking, of going back into sin and doing sin, and there's this internal struggle. In Romans chapter eight then, the apostle Paul Then says, even in spite of the struggle with the flesh, we must remember that I am in Christ, I am declared righteous. And because I am in Him, and because He's the one who justifies me, I am eternally secured by His power. So even though I'm sinning right now, positionally, I am righteous, because God has declared me righteous. My life might not be the most righteous, but from God's point of view, positionally, I am righteous. My condition is a mess. but because I am in Christ and because he's the one who justified me and declared me righteous, I am then secured because he's the one who has secured me. Incredible, incredible. So as I was thinking of this passage in Romans, or in Proverbs chapter 26, and it says the righteous, I would see the righteous as those who are obedient. but it is impossible for us to be obedient unless we are declared righteous on the basis of the work of Christ and we have the indwelling Holy Spirit and we're yielding to him. So as a Christian, It is incredibly beneficial to my family, to my friends, to my neighbors, and to my coworkers when I am walking with the Lord. And when I am walking with the Lord, that influence that I have as I'm walking with the Lord guides people towards Christ. If I am walking by the flesh as a believer, the opposite happens. I might not want it to happen. I might not want to be an example, but we are an example. That's it. As representatives of Christ, we are his examples, right? And we influence people one way or another. But I think that what Solomon would say here and what I think the Lord would say here is that we should be exemplary, that we should be the best model workers, that we should come in, we should be walking by the spirit, we should be encouraging people to do what's right, and we should be the type of employee that everyone wants to hire. Now, notice what the next one says in verse 27. We kind of see how the responsibility It says, a lazy man does not roast his prey. Now, this is kind of an interesting phrase. It's kind of like, I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but if you've ever gone fishing and you caught a fish, that's your prey. That's what it's talking about here. Somebody who went out and caught a fish or caught a bird or shot an animal, right? Loose prey. Now, this person is not lazy enough to go out and fish and hunt, but when he brings it back, he's too lazy to field dress it, right? He's too lazy to cut it open, gut it out. He's too lazy to skin it. And so he doesn't roast it when it comes time for dinner. He's just so lazy, I'm not gonna do it. Think about that. Think about the wasted opportunity and how irresponsible that is. Spend all that time to go out and do something, and then when it comes time to actually eat, you just go, you know what, I'm fine. Just let that spoil, right? Yeah, we all kind of look at that going, that's kind of a crazy thing. He had a responsibility and he didn't do it. But notice what it says about the wise person. But the precious possession of a man is diligence. Now, you would almost expect the opposite, right? When he says the word but, you would almost say, but a wise man cooks his meal. But that's not what Solomon wants us to think about. He wants us to think about the diligence, how there's this man who sees what needs to be done and is diligent to do it. I think about this sometimes, and coming from Wyoming and Idaho and hunting in some of those places, when you shoot an elk, then you have to do all this work. And it's really irresponsible just to let it on the ground. Now, most of the time where you have to go to shoot an elk in Wyoming and Idaho is way up there. So you got to walk way up there to shoot it. And you can't carry it all down in one. So you have to cut it up into pieces and walk all the way back down here. Then you got to walk way back up there again. and come down. It's not fun, but that's what you're supposed to do. That's the responsibility, right? You're trying to feed your family. You're trying to provide meat. That's the most prized possession, is that diligence to do the thing that you're supposed to be doing at the time when you're supposed to be doing it. And that's what Solomon's trying to point out here, is that the most prized possession we should have is our hard work, our diligence, that we're responsible. We're taking every opportunity and being obedient in those opportunities. That's the thing that's the most important. It's not the fact that he got something. It's the fact that he's a hard worker and he's responsible. That is the attribute that should be seen here. So as believers, we need to make sure that we're responsible. Notice in verse 28. It says, in the way of righteousness's life, and its pathway there is no death. So as we discussed before, this idea of righteousness, of being obedient to God's law, the only way that you and I can be obedient to God's law is through the Holy Spirit, by yielding to the Holy Spirit after I've placed my faith in Christ. And if I'm walking towards that, and if I'm yielding to the Spirit and being righteous, I know that there is no death there. I know ultimately that means I get to go to heaven, right? Life. It ultimately means that I'm in the right relationship with the Lord, life. But I also think there's something else that we've kind of seen in the book of Proverbs. It means this is the way we're supposed to live life. This is the most rewarding and fulfilling life. Being a believer and a follower of the Lord is not a boring lifestyle. We shouldn't sit around and just have sour looks on our face and not have any fun. Being obedient to the Lord means that I have a full, rich life, full of meaning, full of pleasure. I just have a full life. And if I'm walking with the Lord, this is the way that we live life. And I should know that if I'm following the word, and if I'm following what he says, that there will not be death and destruction in my path. How many times have we met somebody who's not walking with the Lord, or doesn't want to walk on the path of righteousness, and they kind of make fun of you when they first meet you, of kind of being a goody two shoes and following, and they kind of talk about how you're kind of missing out on life. And you're not. And then sometimes they miss out on life. I remember one time I was working. I was working at Home Depot. There was a girl and she would constantly make fun of me that I wasn't going out drinking and carousing and do all the stuff. I lived such a boring life. One day she comes running up to me and says, you didn't see me and if somebody asks where I am, don't tell them where I went. And she ran off into receiving. Then five cops come up and say, have you seen so-and-so? And I said, she went that way, right? And then I thought, who's living the fullness of life now? I'm not in jail. I think that's what Solomon's getting at, that when you're following God's law, you have this full, enriching life, but temptation is if you follow God's law, you're kind of missing out. Now, just think about this in light of working, right, of the Christian worker. If you are doing what you're supposed to be doing and following after God's law, you're gonna be honest, you're gonna be dependable, you're probably gonna be put up for raises because you're showing up, you're hard working, you're honest. That is a good thing, and as believers, that's what we should strive to be. We should strive to be righteous in our jobs, right? We should strive to be righteous when we work, knowing that that is what God has for us, and that the goal for us is not to have a really big paycheck, but is to be Christ-like. That's our goal. So when I'm working, my goal, yes, the Lord's providing and I need money to pay bills, but ultimately my goal is God is using this job and this work to make me more like his son. And as I'm working this job, I am working it for his honor and glory as a sacrifice to him to offer it up to him as here is my reasonable service of worship towards you because of what you've done for me. As Christians, that's how we should think. I remember one time I was listening to somebody talk to another believer, not here, it was somewhere else, and the person really needed a job, and the person said, well, don't go to McDonald's, that job's below you. Don't flip burgers, that job's below you. And I thought about that over the years, just that response, I've kind of, after going through the book of Proverbs, I've kind of realized, you know what, a job is a job. And if you need to provide, you need to provide, and it doesn't really matter what kind of job you have, you need to be working and providing. If the Lord gives you an opportunity to flip burgers, then you go and you flip burgers for his honor and his glory. But we also need to remember one other thing. It's not about the job. As a Christian, my responsibility is to be like Christ. That is the ultimate goal, is to be like Jesus. And can I be like Jesus flipping burgers? Of course. Can I influence others around me? Of course. Now, that's not saying that we won't get a raise or that you shouldn't look for another job while you're working at McDonald's. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is, as Christians, we need to recalibrate and realize that character is far more important than a job title. I'm gonna end with this. When I was going through Bible college, I worked at a grocery store. and there was this older saint, really dear man in the Lord. He had worked as a carryout for decades, and he has to be probably the best carryout I've ever seen in my life. People would wait in line where he was carrying them out, and they would wait for 20 minutes to say hi to this man. Well, the store I was working at, we had to close down because the market was weird and stuff. So anyways, so our store was closing down and we were all kind of waiting for our packages, right, of like, are we going to have a job? Are they going to relocate us? Are they going to fire us? While we were waiting, other grocery store managers came in and offered this man a significant raise to come and just be a cashier at their, or just be a carryout guy at their store. And what they said was, we've been watching you for years. You always have a smile on your face. You always have a great attitude. And I knew the man, and I knew that he was a strong believer in the Lord. Every single time he would carry out groceries for people, he would talk about the Lord. He would talk about a Bible verse. As I was making Starbucks coffee, he'd always come by. We'd always quote a psalm to each other. He was a great guy. Loved the Lord. And I just thought, that is really kind of what we should be like as believers. I think that's what Christ would want us to be. We work hard, we love the Lord, we honor the Lord in what we do, we have a great attitude, we're kind of the ideal employee, because that's what brings glory to God. That is how we influence others, and that is how we honor and glorify God, as Jesus says, to show our light before men, that they may see our good works, and then glorify the Father. So may the Lord give us both the will and the ability to do all that we heard today, let's pray.