Paul Made Tents

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." — Ecclesiastes 9:10
 
Do you think of work as a punishment you're waiting to escape?
 
We've got an Americana mentality that says you work long enough, and one day you retire, and that's the finish line. Let me tell you something. If you can retire, that's wonderful. I'm happy for you. But you're always going to need to work. God made you for it.
 
Think about the apostle Paul. He planted churches all over the known world and wrote much of our New Testament, and he was also a tentmaker. He fabricated tents with his own hands. He was in the building business, if you will, and tents were in big demand back then. Paul didn't think his trade was beneath his calling. He worked.
 
If you're in school, that's your business right now. If you're a homemaker, that's a full-time job, quite frankly, and anybody who says otherwise has never tried it. And if you're retired, serving the Lord is your business now.
 
The flesh looks at work as a way to get ahead or get out. It asks, "How little can I do and still get paid?" The Spirit looks at work as a way to honor the One who gave you the strength to do it. There's a big difference between working for the weekend and working for the King.
 
Solomon says to do whatever your hand finds with all your might, because your days on this earth are limited. You won't get these hours back.
 
So whatever God has put in front of you this week, give it everything you've got. Show up early. Do it right. Treat your work with respect, because God respects what He has given you to do. As long as you're still breathing, He's got work for your hands.