The Gospel says: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of its own, its own care is enough for each day.(Matt. 6, 34). These words of the Savior can be taken literally, but only necessarily correctly. Nowhere in Holy Scripture can we find approval of idleness. Many of us are familiar with the saying from childhood “he who does not work, neither shall he eat,” which - oddly enough, because it was widespread in Soviet times - is an almost verbatim quote from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians: If anyone doesn't want to work, don't eat(Thess. 3 , 10). Of course, the Apostle Paul would hardly have decided to somehow contradict the words of Christ the Savior. Moreover, all of Holy Scripture says that labor is necessary on the part of man - both spiritual and physical. If we return to the very beginning of Holy Scripture, the Book of Genesis, we will see that man was commanded to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow, that is, to work with his own hands, get tired, become weary, and thus obtain his daily food.
Therefore, in the words “don’t worry about tomorrow” there is no call for idleness. What does it mean to “care” in this context? Thinking too much about whether tomorrow I will have what to eat, what to drink, what to wear. You need to think differently: I just need to do everything in my power today so that tomorrow I will have all this. I need to be modest and thrifty in my expenses, I need to work hard, but at the same time avoid fear, anxiety, and the inner vanity that is born in a person who does not trust God and His Providence for himself. After all, this fear sometimes appears in people who already have everything they need, but look to the future with great doubts and anxiety. And this fear, without any real reason, begins to destroy a person from the inside.
The line between healthy care and vanity is not so difficult to determine. Everything that is healthy is constructive. When a person calculates his strengths and means, thinks over all the circumstances and does not rush about because of this, but, on the contrary, feels more calm and confident, this can be called healthy, normal concern. Moreover, if a person is a believer, then he understands that his plans can be adjusted in accordance with the will of God. So, so be it, because in the end everything will turn to good. When a person is constantly in these thoughts and in this care, when this fear torments him and forces him to swallow sedatives, then, of course, the person has already crossed the line of a healthy attitude.
"Take everything from life"?
The expression “don’t worry about tomorrow” in the minds of some people takes on a completely wrong meaning: live carelessly, one day at a time, “take everything from life”, don’t think about the consequences. It is obvious that such a substitution of concepts can only occur in the mind of a person who draws his ideas about how to live this life correctly anywhere, but not in the Gospel. This is, rather, even some kind of Satanist ideology, because it is known that one of the postulates of modern Satanism is “here and now,” that is, I must get everything I want, right here and right now, regardless of moral or to material restrictions.
Why is this change happening? It occurs when a person loses faith. This is what Dostoevsky said: “If there is no God, then everything is permitted.” And if there is no eternal life, then you really want to get the most out of every day of your earthly life. A person simply does not ask the question: “What then?”, or he asks himself and gives himself a negative answer: “There will be no “later”.”
If we continue the conversation about substitutions, we have to remember that large families are often accused of some kind of carelessness: they say, people give birth to children and do not think about how they will raise them. Such families actually often face domestic and financial problems. But, in my opinion, this formulation of the question is generally incorrect and unauthorized. What alternative is offered? Do you want to do birth planning? This is not a Christian approach at all. We see families in which parents want to have children, but the Lord does not send them to them; and we see families in which there really are certain financial difficulties, lack of income, and child after child is born. After all, this is also a matter of God’s Providence. The appearance of every person in this world is always a kind of miracle. Now he was not there - and then he appeared. And it seems to me that this should be accepted precisely as a miracle and as the will of God, and not reproach people for carelessness.
And to what extent it is possible to provide children with what they need, this probably largely depends not on how many of them are born, but on how the parents’ lives in general develop: how much they are in demand as professionals in their field, how much they have worked in their time to become such professionals. That's what you need to focus on, not the number of children. After all, there is nothing wrong with acquiring a profession that can make a person stand firmly on his feet. There is simply no need, on the other hand, to grieve inconsolably when, for some reason, the work is not well paid, as long as it is honest and not associated with something sinful.
There are, of course, families where they give birth to children one after another and do not care for them. But the problem here is not having many children, because by and large there is no difference: one child is left to his own devices, or two, or five. The whole point is about parents who either drink, use drugs, or simply don’t care about their children.
In many large families, children are not only not left to their own devices, but they also participate in raising each other, and their number becomes not a problem, but, on the contrary, a solution to the problem.
Penance and hope
I will return once again to the Book of Genesis and to the command to earn bread by the sweat of my brow. Everything we need in life is indeed obtained with difficulty, and this is a kind of penance that a person bears after the Fall. What do we know about penance? It’s bad when you have to carry it, because it means that there is some reason that determines its necessity. But if it has already been determined for us, then we need to fulfill it. Strong, reasonable care for our material needs is also an integral part of the penance given to us after the Fall. In fact, this is another commandment of God - to work and earn your own bread.
But returning to this word - “do not worry,” or, as it is said in the Church Slavonic text, don't worry(don’t worry) - I would like to remember the story of Arkady Averchenko, a wonderful pre-revolutionary writer who was called the king of laughter. The hero of this story, who was trying to do some business and for this purpose wandered through many authorities, was constantly told: “We should work hard.” He couldn’t understand what it meant to “bustle around”: run, clap your hands, spin, do something else? Likewise, a person who worries too much about something, he seems to be pointlessly “fussing around” - running, waving his arms, but there is no sense in this, because internal anxiety and vanity can only prevent a person from doing what he needs.
If, for example, we are talking not about a family, but about a monastery, then the economist there must absolutely calculate the reserves and funds so that they are enough for food, for clothing for the brethren, for everything necessary for worship. If he does not count on this, then he is worthless as a steward - and, on the contrary, fulfilling his monastic obedience, he in no way comes into conflict with the Gospel. However, if he endlessly walks around darker than a cloud and says: “Tomorrow we will all die of hunger,” although for today there is everything necessary, he, of course, sins against trusting God. We can see many examples in the history of various monasteries when they opened a barn with full confidence that it was empty, but by a miracle of God it was bursting with wheat or other supplies. The Lord thereby clearly showed that man cannot gain anything through his own care, that He takes care of us Himself, and we get what we need. After all, in the Gospel there are these words: And which of you, by caring, can add even one cubit to his height?(Matt. 6 , 27). Do everything that depends on you, and for the rest, rely on God.
Elder Paisios said to himself: when something needs to be done, I first do everything within my power that is required, and then I stand in prayer, raise my hands and pray that the Lord will give what is missing. This is the best care, the best care for tomorrow.
Discipline is something that concerns absolutely all areas of our lives. Starting from studying at school and ending with managing finances, time, raising children, etc. But most importantly, discipline is very important in the spiritual life of a Christian.
What is discipline?
Stock Peck, in his book The Forgotten Road, defines discipline as follows:
“Discipline is delayed gratification. It is the process of planning the pains and pleasures of life to enhance the pleasure by first facing and experiencing pain and overcoming it. And this is the only suitable way to live."
In other words, at first we have to sacrifice something, thereby causing ourselves pain and inconvenience, but in the end we get the desired result - a reward for our efforts. Without pain there can be no reward.
Discipline in the Bible
Although the Bible does not directly mention the word “discipline,” upon careful study we can see what God has to say on this topic. To do this, you need to pay attention to such synonyms of discipline as “abstinence” (self-control), “diligence,” “diligence,” etc.
1) In the book of proverbs of King Solomon, the wisest man among men, it is written:
“The thoughts of the diligent man strive towards abundance, but everyone who is hasty suffers deprivation.”
Proverbs 21:5:
“A lazy hand makes you poor, but the hand of the diligent makes you rich.”
Proverbs 10:4
“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy will be under tribute.”
Proverbs 12:24
Those who do their work diligently and diligently, take time to prepare, plan and follow the plan will be successful as a result. Such a person will definitely receive a reward for his work: abundance, wealth, the right to rule. Anyone who is lazy and treats his work carelessly and hastily will himself suffer from this, not getting the desired result.
2) In the Gospel of Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus tells us the parable of the talents:
“...a man, going to a foreign country, called his servants and entrusted them with his property: and to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his strength; and immediately set off."
Upon his return, the gentleman demanded a report on the use of talents. Two of the slaves worked well, gave the master twice as many talents and received encouragement. And about that slave who did nothing and returned as much as he received, the master said: “Take his talent and give it to the one who has ten talents, for to everyone who has it more will be given and he will have an abundance, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”(Mf. 25:28.29)
God has placed His resources in each of us, and He wants to see how we manage them. But in order to be effective in managing what the Lord has given us, we need to make an effort. You need to develop, multiply your “talents”, direct them in the right direction. And for this you need to discipline yourself.
3) Finally, in Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul lists self-control (or self-control) as part of the fruit of the spirit:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. There is no law against them."
The fruit of the spirit is the result of the activity of the Holy Spirit in the new life of a Christian. This passage indicates a set of qualities that should be manifested in every believer under the influence of God's work in the heart. The fact that among these qualities we see self-control means that God Himself gives us the ability to control the needs of our flesh, to be moderate in food, clothing, and lifestyle. This is the ability to suppress laziness in oneself, as well as any carnal desire that can take possession of a person and become lust that would control him.
The Importance of Discipline in the Spiritual Life of a Christian
As you know, the spiritual life of a Christian is based on two important practices: reading the Bible and prayer. And our spiritual health depends on how constant and diligent we are in this.
The Bible repeatedly says that believers are required to have constant diligence, diligence, and purposeful efforts to build up their faith.
“Then you, making every effort to do this, show in your faith virtue, in virtue prudence, in prudence self-control, in self-control patience, in patience godliness, in godliness brotherly kindness, in brotherly kindness love.”
2 Peter 1:5-7
“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13,14
“Dig into yourself and into the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this, you will save yourself and those who listen to you.”
1 Timothy 4:16
Here are just a few Bible texts, but they are all about inner discipline. Discipline is needed to be constant and attentive in the study of God's Word, to be regular and dedicated in prayer, and to give one's time and energy to the service of others.
The Lord wants His children to be able to subjugate their bodies and make focused efforts to grow in faith and make disciples.
Our God is a God of order, and He wants to bring order to the lives of His children. Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 14:33: “God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. This happens in all the churches of the saints.”
Discipline at work
Thomas Alva Edison, a self-taught American inventor and businessman, said that in genius, 1% belongs to talent, and 99% to work. All successful people have discipline, and the root of most failures is a lack of this quality.
Whatever the activity, you can’t do without discipline. It is needed both to master new skills and to apply and develop existing ones. It is very important to be faithful and consistent in the steps you need to take to achieve your goal.
Even with strong motivation, but in the absence of any discipline, the business will not be successful. After all, if there is no discipline, there is no action, and motivation will weaken over time. Conversely, by having the discipline to regularly perform the necessary actions to achieve a goal, motivation will remain.
What to do?
So, we have already talked about the fact that discipline is delayed gratification, we have seen how God looks at discipline and we are convinced of its importance.
The key to applying discipline is making proactive decisions. It is necessary to make proactive decisions about how you will practice discipline in different areas of your life. That is, decide how you will act in a given situation even before this situation occurs.
And in order to stay true to this decision and not give up halfway under the pressure of laziness, use the power of accountability. God doesn't expect you to handle everything alone.
Ask two or three friends to periodically ask you for an account of your decisions. Tell them, “I made these proactive decisions because I really want to see a return. Help me stick to them."
And, of course, God will help you with this through the power of the Holy Spirit!
Analyze which area of your life needs discipline the most.
And make a decision, how are you going to take the first step?
Evgenia Antyufeyeva
Some people believe that lazy people can quickly find solutions to some problems because they do not want to spend a lot of time and effort on work, supposedly it is easier for them to get things done faster so that they can be free later.
While these explanations may seem logical and the thoughts regarding laziness may not sound all that bad, the truth is that God's Word teaches that laziness is always wrong. This phenomenon is not only unpleasant in the eyes of God, but ultimately it is not beneficial or beneficial.
1) The lazy person is stuck in poverty, but the hardworking person will work to get out of it.
Proverbs 10:4-5 tells us: “A lazy hand makes you poor, but the hand of the diligent makes you rich. He who gathers during the summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a dissolute son.”
Laziness will always lead to poverty, especially financially. Many lazy people don't even question why they are poor; they don't try to work to improve the situation. They prefer to sleep when they need to work and rest when it's time to plow the land.
2) The lazy continue to dream, while the hardworking continue to work
Proverbs 12:11-12 tells us: “Whoever tills his land will be satisfied with bread; and whoever follows in the footsteps of idle lovers is foolish. The wicked desires to be caught in the net of evil; but the root of the righteous is sure.”
Hard workers work hard to achieve their goals. They take advantage of their resources and make them profitable, they are convinced that they can satisfy their needs.
On the other hand, lazy people are simply jealous of the achievements of a hardworking person. They continue to dream that they will have everything that the hardworking person has, they envy his hard-earned property and still indulge in the pursuit of fantasies, not wanting to work for their fulfillment.
3) Lazy people are never satisfied, but hardworking people can be satisfied
Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the lazy desires, but in vain; and the soul of the diligent will be satisfied.”
As noted, hardworking people work to achieve their goals. Although their goals may change over time, they will not stop working to achieve them. They may be poor in the beginning, but with the right amount of hard work, they will soon find themselves in a better financial position. Hardworking people are happy with the results of their work. They find satisfaction in the fruits of their labor.
Lazy people find no satisfaction. They don't work and therefore cannot achieve what they dream of. They are stuck in the dream stage, they are dissatisfied with life and unfulfilled desires.
Lazy people dream well, but do not work. Hard workers dream and work hard to achieve their goals.
Gregory asksAnswered by Inna Belonozhko, 10/07/2011
Gregory writes: "Hello!
Where in the Bible does it say that every person must perform his professional duty well, conscientiously, whether he is, for example, a peasant or a prison guard, a stonecutter or a tax collector, a military man or a doctor?
Peace to you, Gregory!
Do you agree with the statement that working dishonestly is bad? What does the Lord disapprove of? When you get a job, you commit to the employer to work well, and you receive a monetary reward for your work. Also, by hiring other people, you, as an employer, hope to receive high-quality work from employees, conscientiously, for which you will pay them. This is natural, this is the way things work. Who would like frivolity, laziness, “so-so” work done? “And in everything that you want people to do to you, so do you to them.” ().
So in the Bible laziness is condemned, but good, honest work is exalted. "Have a good conscience"- writes the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 3:16). Also, “Whatever your hand can do, do it to the best of your ability; for in the grave where you go there is no work, no reflection, no knowledge, no wisdom” ().
Solomon said a lot about work: “Go to the ant, slothful one, look at his actions, and be wise.” (), “A lazy hand makes you poor, but the hand of the diligent makes you rich.”(), "He who is careless in his work is the brother of the wasteful man" (), "Take good care of your livestock; take care of your flocks" ().
Christ speaks about the work of the sower (), servants and steward (), merchant and fishermen (), steward and workers in the vineyard (), and how to work. Definitely with profit, honestly, with good fruits, with conscience, good.
Blessings and joy!
Sincerely,
Read more on the topic "Miscellaneous":
Lord has the potential and abilities to create an objective world, that is, to create this world and man. Using these above abilities, He created and blessed everything:
Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it
(Gen. I. 28 - 30).
The Lord created Man for a joyful and happy life on the created Earth. (Later, the sociology of labor began to call this “object of labor”). In Eden, Man received four commandments for happiness: multiplication life; cultivation earth (Gen.2.15); cognition peace and prohibition eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2.16). As we see, only one prohibition and three commandments of the positive and creative activity of Man have been formulated.
The purpose of Human life is to care for plants and animals. This is joyful work, generously rewarded by nature itself (Paradise). Here we are not talking about labor in its subsequent meaning - a person’s constant struggle for his existence.
However, Man (original, ancient and modern) sins every hour (original sin) - disobedience to his Creator. According to the teachings of the Serpent, Eve eats herself and feeds Adam with fruit from a tree forbidden by God, that is, the only direct prohibition of God is violated and disobedience. This disobedience is a manifestation of Man’s self-will. Secondly, sin consists in the manifestation greed: God gave to Adam and Eve All. They in Paradise. However, for them and all subsequent people it is not enough what has already been given. People want to change of their own free will. subject of labor God, that is, Nature. The Serpent says to Man: the most sacred thing in the world is not a gift, it is "right" is yours.
Thus, self-will and greed are the essence of original sin. This original sin (self-will, greed, pride) became the reason for God’s punishment of people:
And he said to Adam, Because you obeyed the voice of your wife and ate from the tree, about which I commanded You, saying: You shall not eat from it, cursed is the Earth because of You; in sorrow you will eat of it all the days of your life... by the sweat of your brow you will eat bread until you return to the ground from which you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return
(Gen. 3. 17-19).
Thus, punishment for Man, by the will of God, as follows from the Bible, it becomes work in its universal meaning (material and spiritual).
Spiritual work serves as atonement for original sin disobedience. Material labor is the basis for ensuring life. The main thing is that “by the sweat of your brow you will eat bread until you return to the ground.”
Therefore, from the first pages of the Bible, from the first chapter of Genesis, the theme of labor receives a certain meaning: Human labor is God’s punishment, the essence of which is “in the hard, sweat of the brow” way of obtaining a means of subsistence. At the same time, with all his labor efforts, Man still turns “to dust.” It turns out that hard, lifelong work for the sake of non-existence, eternal death - such is the fate of the Old Testament proud Man.
However, the phenomenon Jesus Christ- the son of God gives people hope for resurrection, which He showed it to people.
Resurrection bestowed everyone, but after that there will be God's judgment, on which affairs(goals and results of work “by the sweat of your brow”) everyone Human will be weighed, based on Christian morality. Thus, in the New Testament, work acquires its new meaning for Man - the opportunity salvation through righteous works.
Thus the work in the Bible is presented in unity two hypostases: Labor as Punishment, Labor how The rescue.
By God's judgment, some of the people who were righteous in their earthly life gain through resurrection, lost by the ancient (old) Man, immortality in the new world, into the kingdom of God. The other part of the people who did not recognize the Lord as “Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, First and Last” will be judged:
And the dead were judged according to what was written in the books, according to their deeds...
(Rev. 20. 12-15).
At the end of the Revelations with which the Bible ends, John the Theologian conveys God’s reminder of the deep meaning of the life’s labors of each Person and his inevitable responsibility for them. The “cult of reason” and the “cult of labor” are unrighteous if they confess Man’s claims to surpass the Lord himself in the results of his labor.
Thus, there is every reason to perceive the Bible as a book in which the theme of work occupies not just an important, but a central place. The Bible begins with a description of the works of the Creator and ends with a description of God’s judgment of people “according to their works”. Labor as punishment and at the same time as salvation are two hypostases of the essence of labor in biblical teaching. Because of the original sins of the first people (Adam and Eve), God cursed the created Them the Earth. Cultivating the land became hard work.
Righteous Noah had to develop agriculture and a culture of using the land. But his offspring began to manage independently, according to their own minds, thereby not returning to obedience to God, but, on the contrary, overcoming with their labor the natural laws of nature established by God.
The most powerful punishment for pagan deviation and ungodly obstinacy was great flood, which destroyed the ancient civilizations created by the descendants of Adam and Eve, along with all the results of their work. After the flood, a purified and renewed nature remained, created by the Creator himself (the subject of labor), and righteous Noah and his family (living labor) received a “second” opportunity, as they say, “from scratch” to cultivate the God-given land in accordance with God’s plan for its purpose Human. But before Noah, as before Adam, the Creator leaves “freedom of choice”, do the will Gentlemen or act of one's own free will, relying on one’s reason to determine the meaning and goals of work.
The descendants of Noah distort God's meaning and purpose of work as punishment and salvation. They refuse to accept work as an equal duty for everyone, pursue selfish goals in mutual assessment of work. This manifests itself in the fact that the conscientious work of some people does not find fair assessment by others.
This is narrated in Genesis through the example of Jacob working as a shepherd. Jacob is “careful and even selfless” about his duties, but is met with unfair remuneration from his employer, Laban, for whom he works.
Behold, I have been with you for twenty years; ... I have not eaten the rams of your flock; I did not bring you what was torn to pieces by the beast, it was my loss; You exacted from me whether it was lost during the day or at night... and you changed my reward ten times. If the God of my father had not been with me... you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my misfortune and the labor of my hands and stood up for me yesterday
(Gen. 31.38-42).
This text expresses the universal Christian truth that Man’s work is not appreciated by people; the true price of a Christian’s work is known only to God.
The Bible Doesn't Skip the Basics labor management issues hired workers. Holy Apostle Paul in his epistles to the Thessalonians (first and second), he formulated the principles of managerial relationships between owners (employers) and workers (employees). “We ask you, brothers, respect your workers, and your leaders in the Lord, and those who admonish you.” The person’s freedom of choice is also left:
For when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone does not want to work, he should not eat.
The Bible actualizes the labor process. Ecclesiastes concludes that work - the constant, never-ending performance of certain tasks, which, according to the proverb, “can never be remade” - is the earthly destiny of Man:
All things are in labor... What was, that will be; and what has been done will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun
(Eccl. 1.8-9).
We see here a fair judgment about the continuity of labor. Man has no way to “free himself” from it. The work of people burdened with wealth and power is difficult, since they require constant care, responsibility and control. The work of the poor and ordinary people aimed at subsistence is hard.
The constant expenditure of labor power (“punishment by labor”) is endured by a Man more easily when he understands the lifelong burden of this cross. But the results of labor are never final; they increasingly require “sweat.” And it all ends in death.
All the labors of Man are for His mouth, but His Soul is not satisfied... there are many such things that multiply vanity: what is better for Man?
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