The Rooster Teaches Man How To Work

SEARCHLIGHT 

Are you a good worker regardless of the task? 

SCRIPTURE 

At last, the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm…Nehemiah 4:6  NLT 

I am engaged in a great work…Nehemiah 6:3   NLT 

They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.  Nehemiah 6:16   NLT 

SPOTLIGHT 

How important is your work? The story is told of an assembly line worker at the Chrysler car factory who was picked for jury duty. He asked the judge to excuse him by saying, “This is a very busy time at the plant, Your Honor, and I need to be there.” The judge responded, “Oh, I see. You are one of those people who thinks you are indispensable…that Chrysler cannot get along without you.” Respectfully the worker replied, “No, sir, not at all. I know they can do just fine without me, but I don’t want them to find that out.” “Excused,” the judge said. The worker obviously knew how important it was for him to work.  

One of the themes running through the book of Nehemiah is how important it is to have a Christian work ethic. When you read the 3 selected verses in the Scripture focus you learn that:    

1. Christians work hard. Regardless of whether the job is enjoyable or not, believers give 100%. Building a broken-down wall was no easy task. There was a lot of lugging and slugging. It was hard work. The heat was intense at times. There was a lot of sweat and muscle aches. However, Nehemiah 4:6 says the workers were enthusiastic about their work. The end result of having a wall of protection would outweigh any drudgery or pain. Perhaps they remembered what Solomon had written in Proverbs 12:11,19b which says, “A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense…ends up in poverty.” In addition, Solomon wrote, “Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!” [Proverbs 14:23 NLT] 
2. Christians work to honor God. Regardless of the job’s problems and challenges, believers know who they are working for. The Bible says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” [Colossians 3:23, NLT] Believers primarily work to honor God and then are paid by a company. Nehemiah had enemies who wanted to not just distract him from building the wall but to actually destroy him. He knew God wanted him to build this wall. Nehemiah remained focused and committed in spite of threats to his life. [see Nehemiah 6:3] His goal was to build the Jerusalem wall because he believed God wanted him to do this great work. Nothing was going to deter him from honoring God.     
3. Christians work with God’s help. Regardless of how dirty, difficult, challenging, or threatening the job may be, believers know that God will equip them to do the job. Nehemiah was very much aware that the reason he was successful was because of the “gracious hand of God on me.” [Nehemiah 2:8,18] Some military men joined David’s victorious army because they said, “…your God is the one who helps you.” [1 Chronicles 12:18 NLT] God not only calls people to do great work but also equips them to do it.  

What you may not realize is that much of God’s creation teaches man how important and imperative work is. God created man to work in order to live well. Proverbs 6:6 states, “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy bones. Learn from their ways and become wise!” In addition, THE ROOSTER TEACHES MAN HOW TO WORK. Someone made this observation: 

1. The rooster rises early and immediately begins his God-given task – crowing. 
2. The rooster does not refuse to crow because he cannot sing like a canary; but he does crow as if to him, at least, his work was the most important in the world. 
3. He efficiently does that which is never praised. Who ever heard anyone asking: “Did you listen to the rooster crow? Hasn’t he a charming voice?” 
4. He awakes sleepers. Unpopular, but often necessary. 
5. He is the proclaimer of good news: A new day with glorious opportunities and responsibilities has dawned. 
6. He is dependable. He is persistent. He is an excellent advertiser.  

Someone has said that if you find something you love to do, you will never work another day in your life. Let me say that if you work at something you don’t love, you will have to work like a rooster for the rest of your life. The rooster is a model worker. God created a rooster to do the work he does. Likewise, God created man to oversee all creation. Work was one of the pleasures given to man by God in the Garden of Eden. “It is not doing the thing which we like to do, but liking to do the thing which we have to do, that makes life blessed.” [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe] Work hard, work to honor God, and work with God’s help. Then your life will be blessed and be a blessing.  

SOMETHING TO DO 

What do you personally learn from the rooster which will make you a better worker? Identify which of the 6 characteristics you need to develop. Read what the Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, 21:25; Psalm 90:17, 128:2; Philippians 2:14,15; 1 Timothy 5:8. 

SOUL TIME PRAYER 

Now I get me up to work, I pray the Lord, I may not shirk, and if I die before tonight, I pray my work will be all right. AMEN   [Thomas Osborne Davis.] 

Tags: sleep, nehemiah, wise, hard work, lazy, worker