John the Baptist talked about being content with your wages
Luke 3:8-9, 14: Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, ……..every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
John the Baptist is preaching repentance and telling the crowds that are assembled to show some fruit if they are truly repentant. Several different groups of people ask John what they should now do. It is the soldiers in verse 14 that we want to take note of.
Remember the time period of this passage. What soldiers is he talking to? These are Roman soldiers! Battle hardened, tough military men who were asking John what they could do to show that they were worthy. John’s answer was to do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. He was addressing their jobs, their way of life. They were to now be different when doing their jobs. They would now stand out when they were among their fellow soldiers. Can you picture in your mind a gentle, and content with his job Roman soldier?
Solomon asks if there is injustice in doing labor
The justice or injustice of doing labor was something that bothered Solomon. Even with all the wisdom that God gave him, he had difficulties understanding what the purpose was with labor and how it was of any profit to a man to do it. This was not questions coming from a lazy man. On the contrary, study history and you will find that Solomon was far from being lazy. Here is what Solomon had to say in the book of Ecclesiastes 1:3-4; 2:4-26:
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards…..gardens and orchards….trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water…got me servants and maidens, and …..had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me …singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
Do you find yourself thinking any of these very same thoughts? Is this a guy that is depressed about his job? He had everything in the world. He had done everything in the world. Yet he saw that it all meant nothing when it was all over. Is that the end of the story? Do we just continue through life with similar thoughts and feelings? Look at the conclusion that Solomon came to:
There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Let’s break that down.
God gives to a man that is good in his sight: Wisdom, Knowledge, Joy
God gives to the sinner: Travail, to gather up.
What is the sinner going to do? He is going to give to him that is good!
How does this apply to having joy on the job?
I want to make a suggestion.
Are you receiving “Wisdom”, “Knowledge”, and “Joy” from God while on your job? Are you “content” with your wages?
If not, who are you looking to for obtaining it? Are you looking to your supervisors for it? Are you looking to your co-workers for it? If so, WHY? Those items come from your creator and not from your employer!
So you say, yes I agree with you. I look to God for those things, but yet I don’t seem to get enough wisdom from the Lord each day. I don’t have enough Joy in going to work every day. Well, the answer may be hard to accept. The verse above said that “God giveth to a man that is good in his sight…..”
Are you “good” in his sight? BE CAREFUL how you answer that question! If you were to snap a quick response of yes, you should then be labeling yourself as one of the many things that Solomon lists as “vanities”.
There was only one good man and he went to Calvary for your soul. Our only desire must be to strive each and every day to live a life that is worthy of his death on the hillside of Golgotha. Remind yourself continually through out the day of his death and keep asking yourself one question: “Am I worthy of that sacrifice?” If you do that throughout the day, humbleness will begin to set in. With humbleness of spirit, the Lord begins to take control of your every action and thought. Then you begin that trip towards the “good” that Jesus modeled for us. As you go, watch how he provides the “Wisdom” in your speech and deeds. Watch as you begin to see “Joy” in doing that tedious task for the hundredth time. Watch as he brings “Knowledge” to you concerning things you never knew or understood before! Then start spending time daily with him in prayer and reading his word. He will take care of the rest.
WDK
