Are You Working Too Hard?

What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Matthew 16:26

Work is a noble endeavor. In fact, the Bible says that if a man will not work, neither should he eat (see 2 Thessalonians 3:10).

But can we work too much? Did not God institute the Sabbath, a day of rest every seven days? The Ten Commandments instruct that the seventh day of the week should be a day set apart from regular work and dedicated to the Lord. Why? In imitation of God himself, who rested on the seventh day after creating the universe. Jesus also challenged his disciples in the passage above by asking them to weigh worldly success with spiritual success. “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”

Is vocational success worth losing a marriage? The Scriptures teach that life’s meaning is not found in things but in relationships—first, with God, and second, with family and others. This is where life finds real meaning: knowing God and loving family.

Is it possible that you need to readjust your lifestyle? Are you and your spouse growing apart? Could you live with less and be happier if you had more time for each other? Will your children remember you as the parent who worked or the parent who loved?

PRAYER
Lord God, please help me to consider honestly the balance in my life. Am I working so hard for financial or vocational success that I’m ignoring my relationships with you and my family? Help me to find the right priorities—and to have the courage to act on them.