work rest play Ken Moser
A book by Youthsurge Press First Published May 2009 Copyright © Ken Moser 2009 Published in Australia by Youthsurge Press PO Box 6093 Baulkham Hills DC NSW 2153 Australia Tel: +61 2 9686 1368 Fax: +61 2 9686 1749 email: admin@youthsurge.com.au website: www.youthsurge.com.au Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without the written permission of the publisher. National Library of Australia ISBN 978-0-9806148-2-4 Graphic Design & Typesetting: Sarah Smith (s:designs) Edited: Belinda Hopper, Kathy Tyers & Julie Moser Printed in China
work rest play:
contents Introduction ...................................................................... 5 1. Work Part 1: Don’t Be Lazy ........................................... 6 2. Work Part 2: Be Careful of Greed ................................ 12 3. Rest Part 1: Take Time Off ........................................... 18 4. Rest Part 2: Be in Christian fellowship .......................... 24 5. Play Part 1: Honor Jesus on the Sporting Field .............. 30 6. Play Part 2: The Christian and Parties— Honor Jesus with Your Social Life ................................. 36
bonus study
7. Staying
Spiritually Strong in a Busy, Busy World.... 42
leader’s notes available through
www.youthsurge.com.au
please don’t photocopy these studies all proceeds from the sale of this material go straight back into youth ministry
work rest play:
introduction Welcome to Work, Rest and Play! While there are other aspects to life besides work, rest, and play, these three sum up almost everything. How do we work in a way that honors the Lord? How do we avoid being greedy? How do we find time to take a day off? Is it possible to get everything done and still go to weekly Bible study and youth group? How should we behave in our times of fun and recreational activities? These are big questions. The great news is that God’s word has a lot to say about how to work, rest, and play in a way that pleases God. In this series, you will examine God’s plan for what it means to work, some guidelines for taking a day off, and how to conduct yourself when you are engaged in leisure activities. My prayer is that these studies are a real help in these big areas!
Ken Moser
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Introduction
work rest play:
work Part 1:
don’t be lazy
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4
let’s get started
let’s get started 1
Design your perfect job. What would it be? How much would you earn? Think big and try to be specific.
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Do you look forward to leaving school and going to work? Why/ why not? Greg & the “good life” (Have someone in the group read this story out loud) A few months back Greg finished high school. He decided that he would take a year off to “figure things out” before he made any big decisions. For the last two months he has been busy living the good life. He sleeps 12 hours a day, plays the latest computer games and fills his nights with late night TV. So far he has lasted two months on his life’s savings ($300) but it is running out. His mom tells him that he must get a job and start paying rent or “she’ll throw him out on the street.” What would you say to Greg? (Circle your answer and then discuss it with the group) Get a job, you bum!
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Sounds like the perfec t life!
Way to go - can you las t ano th er 2 mon th s on your ca sh?
Work Rest Play
and Can I come over t? ou ng ha Something els e?
His mom is to tally unreas ona ble
of was te What a e! tim
going deeper going deeper
The “sluggard” v. the ant! Read Proverbs 6:6-11. Do you know what a “sluggard” is? What is another word or term you would use? What does the ant do that we should admire and imitate? What are the things the sluggard does wrong? What consequences will the sluggard face? How can you avoid being a sluggard? More from Proverbs! Read Proverbs 24:30-34. What did the unwise lazy man do? What should he have done instead? What did the author of this proverb learn from the sluggard?
Let’s move to the New Testament: If you don’t work, you don’t eat! Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13. Why do you think some people are lazy? Why does the Apostle Paul warn us to stay away from a Christian who does not want to work? What was the example he set for the believers there? (See v. 7-9)
Why do you think Paul says “If you don’t work you don’t eat”? (v.10)
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Work: Don't Be Lazy
What are the people doing that he is arguing against? (See v.11) Have you ever met someone who just won’t work? What would you say to them in light of this teaching?
Greg revisited In light of God’s attitude toward the lazy, what does Greg need to do? What should his mother do? More wisdom from the book of Proverbs This great book in the Bible is full of teaching on a wide range of subjects. Here is more wisdom on the topic of work. Have a look at what each one says. 12:11 14:23 16:26 18:9 21:25 22:29 28:19 (See also 31:10-24)
getting active getting active
Helping each other How can this group help each other not to be lazy? Do we need to change any of our attitudes in regards to work?
ay • Pray that we will honor the Lord in the way we work. let’s• pr Pray for strength to resist laziness. • Pray for anyone we know who is looking for work. Other things we can pray for
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stay tuned Next week we will look at work and greed! Work Rest Play
y: l n o s e y e For your
T
d a e h a k e e w he
For your eyes only:
The week ahead 1. Personal Bible Reading For the next seven weeks we are going to read the Book of Acts. This is a book that follows on from the life of Jesus and tells us about the growth of the early church. It tells us how Christianity grew from a small group of believers to a powerful movement that changed the world. In this book are many people (and stories) that may be familiar to you. This week, we will read about the Holy Spirit coming to the church, the healing of a crippled man and much more!
My weekly Bible reading plan! In Acts I read (place a when you have read it!) Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
More teaching from God’s word on the topic of “work” and related topics The Bible has a lot to say about the topic of work. Here are a number of different verses. Read each one and reflect on what it is saying. Colossians 3:22-24 (While this passage is about slaves, the appropriate parallel is about workers and employers. Reflect on what it says about how we should relate to a boss at work.) Ephesians 4:28 Titus 2:9-10 (See the note on Colossians about slaves.) Working for what really lasts The Bible tells us that while we need to work so that we can have food and clothing, we also need to make sure we “work for what really lasts.” Read these passages from the Bible and work out what they are saying about true work: Matthew 6:19-21 John 6:27-29 (See also John 9:4-5)
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Work Rest Play
2. Memory Verse Can you learn the memory verse at the top of the study (Proverbs 10:4)? Give it a try this week.
3. Prayer
Pray that you will fight the urge to be lazy. Pray that the Lord will help you to find a job that you like. Pray that you will be generous with the money that you earn.
Things that I can thank God for: Things that I need to ask God to help me with:
So, you’re trying to figure out what career is best for you. Here are some helpful hints to think through: 1. Choose a career that can help others. Think about a career that can help others
while providing for yourself and your family. For example, school teaching can be a great way to minister to young people who may not go to a youth group. There are a number of other professions that help people as well (e.g. nursing/medicine). 2. Use your career to assist those in need. If you are able to have a higher paying profession, figure out how to use it to help others. If you become a lawyer, give your time to help those who can’t afford good legal counsel. If you enter medicine, give some time each year to an overseas mission. If you become an economist, help people of less means to use their money well and to invest wisely. With a bit of thought, you can use many jobs to help those around you.
3. Get into the pattern of giving. When you earn your first paycheck, your temptation
will be to go out on a spending spree. Avoid this. Learn to be generous and give some of your money away. Get into this pattern from the start. Many Christians try to give away 10% of their earnings. The best place to start is your local church. Speak with your youth leader or minister about where and how much you should give away.
4. Be careful of a job that will consume you. Many jobs will require you to work long
hours. Think this through carefully before you say “yes”. Time is precious and you don’t want to rob your family and church of your time in order to make more profit for the company you work with. 5. Go into ministry. Not everyone is cut out for full-time ministry. However, some of you should carefully consider entering a ministry profession. We live in a world of spiritual need. This world desperately needs more youth ministers, pastors, and missionaries. Speak with your youth leader or minister and gain his/her wisdom on the subject. 6. Support those in ministry. Use your earnings to support those in theological training and/or ministry. They can’t do it without people like you giving generously to support them.
For Your Eyes Only: The Week Ahead
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