The Bible Edge
Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have the Bible Edge
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might: for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
The days of your work will all too soon be over. A pastor will preach his last sermon, a teacher will teach their last lesson, the sports hero will play their last game, the pilot the last flight, the politician will cast their last vote; on and on we could go. We know this is true, but there is something in us that ignores this truth.
Today though, there is work to be done. There is something to accomplish. There are things that need your attention. The Bible contains a great piece of advice from King Solomon. You could call it an edge, a Bible Edge. That advice: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. In other words, put all of your might into your work. Don’t hold anything back.
Allow a brief insert please: your work is more than that which you do for a living. It is living. Put all your might into your life. The work you are paid for, the work you enjoy as a hobby, the work of a spouse, parent, church volunteer, and the work of an everyday citizen in the society in which you dwell. For if the only place you put all your might is in your paid job, the rest of your life will suffer. Perhaps this is why today’s verse is written the way it is. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do…
Mark Twain could have had his finger on the pulse of this concept of working with all your might when he said, “If a person is not fired with enthusiasm, they ought to be fired with enthusiasm.” But I digress.
However, since these devotions are about business, let’s focus on the job. A multi-millionaire once proclaimed that he became rich by only working half days. Now that is something the modern-day workforce could get excited about. But then he clarified, “And the great thing about it was that it didn’t matter which half day I worked, the first 12 hours or the second 12 hours.” Many have said something like this, “They may outsmart me, outthink me, and out-ability me, but no one is going to outwork me.”
Want a true edge, a Bible Edge: whatever you do, do it with all your might. For one day your life will be over, and too soon at that! Remember, the candle is not doing that which it was created to do unless it is consuming itself.
William Howe, Ph.D.