Personal Finance in the Bible: 1 Kings 11:28

Corey —  February 2, 2010

       The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph.

1 Kings 11:28 (WEB)

       Jeroboam was put in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph because he was industrious. He was a hard-working, diligent man who did his job well. He took pleasure in his work, and this was so evident to Solomon that he promoted Jeroboam to a position of power.

       Jeroboam is a good example of the value of hard work. When we’re steadfast and skilled in our work, we will find more opportunities are available to us. Options open up to us because of our hard work and because others recognize our abilities and determination. Those who do their job well will be rewarded for it in time – if not here, then eternally.

       It’s important for us to realize that when we work, we’re not working for men. We’re working for the glory of God. We should work as if Jesus is our boss. We should do what would please Him. In this way, we’ll bring honor to God’s name and lay a foundation for our future.

       In reading the story of Jeroboam, it’s clear that his hard work laid the foundation for his future as well. Solomon recognized him, and God recognized him as well. If you read through chapters 11 and 12, you’ll see that he was given ten of the tribes of Israel. While it seems that Jeroboam did not continue in the ways of the Lord, he at least began by following God’s call to hard work. And it was that hard work that was rewarded.

       How has your hard work been rewarded? How have you kept your focus on eternal rewards when your hard work has not been rewarded? Let me know in the comments!

Corey

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Corey is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in religion. While he enjoys learning and writing about Christianity, another one of his new passions is writing about personal finances in order to help others make wise decisions with their money.

4 responses to Personal Finance in the Bible: 1 Kings 11:28

  1. The scripture that comes to my mind is Col 3:23 that basically says whatever you do, do it heartily unto the LORD and not to men.
    .-= Lakita (PFJourney)´s last blog ..Along the Journey Weekly Roundup #1 “New” Edition =-.

  2. Yes, that’s another good verse, Lakita. It teaches the same principle I discussed above. It can also be a very difficult principle to follow if you don’t enjoy your work or have a boss or co-workers that are hard to work with. Thanks for sharing!

  3. What about men who seem to want to AVOID physical work and yet still take naps and rest a lot?

    “Right off the bat, we discuss that sitting and doing work is NOT what MEN were created to do, of course if they are severely handicapped that is an exception, but even MEN who have jobs where they don’t SWEAT and WORK HARD PHYSCIALLY must (if normal) find a way to REALLY WORK even if it is outside their job, otherwise they are considered LAZY”

  4. Lynn, I’m not sure what you’re quoting. There doesn’t seem to be any requirement in the Bible that our work be hard, physical labor. Most examples of work in the Bible were just that, but that’s because they didn’t really have desk jobs back then. The closest you could come to that idea are the judges and the men who sat at the city gate to make decisions. I think the Bible’s main point about work is that we are to put effort into doing something useful (regardless of what shape that takes).

    Without knowing the person you are talking about, I would caution that they could very well have a medical condition that is making them tired. I would be careful about judging the other person if I were you.