What must I do in my career situation?

[seekingthetruth]

No offense oldtimer but the Bible is quite clear about the body being the temple of the Holy Spirit. Also medically getting no sleep in an effort to pay back debts is suicide as it will destroy the body. I am one of the safety trainers at my job and everyweek give lessons on safety. Working too hard and overworking is very dangerous to the body. Check out this article.

http://helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm

For this reason I refuse to work 7 days a week and would rather be in debt for a million years than to destroy myself. One of my co-workers has a father that died at age 44, and the main culprit was workaholism, or working too hard and too many hours to pay back debts. This co-worker has refused to work most saturdays, as he seeks to balance his life. I give him credit, as balance is key. We MUST take care of the body that God gave us. We will be sharper in the ministry.

I have a question for you.

Do you think that a "street preacher" and 'evangelist" that makes excuses for not working and paying his bills is a credible witness for the Gospel?

John

 

[evangelist6589]

I have a question for you.

Do you think that a "street preacher" and 'evangelist" that makes excuses for not working and paying his bills is a credible witness for the Gospel?

John

You are putting words into my mouth and judging my motives. I work, and pay my bills on time every month. I have yet to miss a day of work in a long time.

 

[Oldtimer]

No offense oldtimer but the Bible is quite clear about the body being the temple of the Holy Spirit. Also medically getting no sleep in an effort to pay back debts is suicide as it will destroy the body. I am one of the safety trainers at my job and everyweek give lessons on safety. Working too hard and overworking is very dangerous to the body. Check out this article.

http://helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm

For this reason I refuse to work 7 days a week and would rather be in debt for a million years than to destroy myself. One of my co-workers has a father that died at age 44, and the main culprit was workaholism, or working too hard and too many hours to pay back debts. This co-worker has refused to work most saturdays, as he seeks to balance his life. I give him credit, as balance is key. We MUST take care of the body that God gave us. We will be sharper in the ministry.

No offense taken, as you've just explained yourself very clearly.

Which reason is correct? You refuse to work 7 days a week because it's dangerous to the body. Or, your words from a previous post in this thread.

Know you are judging my motives which is condemned by Jesus. Look I set apart a certain day of the week for the Lord, just as how the disciples did so, and millions of people throughout history did so. The Puritans also set apart a certain day of the week if you bothered to check out history. Personal testimony is not about being a slave for your employer. One needs t work hard (yes) but the Lord must be first.

Before you come back with a "both" type answer, let me also state very clearly, I grew up on a farm, when during harvest season that meant being at work from before sunrise to after sunset 6 days a week. That's 84-90 hours per week. And that doesn't count the Sunday afternoons and evenings, keeping the ox out of the ditch.

Wherever you live in the continental United States, most of Canada or Europe, you can expect between 14 and 15 hours of daylight at the height of summer. http://www.ehow.com/info_8196183_many-hours-daylight-summer.html#ixzz1vLSzkRFT

Further, I've pulled the same weekly hours load, after I left the farm, when the situation demanded it. You don't tell the president of the company that you can't stay on the job until the company wide computer crash is rectified, because it's Sunday. Especially when he worked when he could have been observing his Sabbath according to his Jewish faith. You don't tell the independent outside accounting firm, hired by your company, to twiddle their thumbs, because you won't do the year end closing of the books because it's Sunday. Nor do you tell a team of programers with a total rate per hour of over $500 they'll have to wait because you won't run needed code tests on Sunday.

That is if you want to keep a job and pay the debts that you have personally obligated yourself to pay. My responsibility, as a Christian, was, and still is to keep my word, regardless of the personal cost. Can you quote any scripture where Jesus used "stress" or any other excuse to avoid doing what needed to be done, regardless of the day of the week?

I've been so bone tired, physically and mentally, that I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I'll also be 66 years old, soon, and don't owe anyone a cent that can't be paid this afternoon, if that became a necessity. (Credit card purchases since last month, utility bills since last month, etc.)

Instead of moaning my fate, over the years of hard work, I'm thankful that my parents taught me a work ethic that focused on putting full responsibility of meeting my obligations ahead of leisure time with my friends. I'm blessed that God provided a way for me to meet those obligations. I'm even more greatly blessed, today, because I no longer have to miss Sunday worship, Wednesday morning AND Wednesday evening Bible study because I have to work to pay debts that I should have paid off long ago.

BTW, 24 hours/day x 6 days = 144 hours. Can you quote scripture that designates only 40 of those hours to work to pay your obligations, leavng 104 hours + 24 (Sunday) = 128 hours for your personal pleasure and persuits?

REPEAT......

Get out of debt. Do everything you can do to get out of debt. That can mean drinking water instead of buying coffee and soda for everyday use. It can mean eating beans and rice for a complete protein in your diet. It can mean giving up your cell phone and Internet service for a while. It can mean going without some sleep and time with your friends by working a second job. Even 40 hours a week at minimum wage can make a material difference in what you owe.

It can also mean finding a church with a Sunday evening worship service if you can't attend Sunday morning.

But, first, get on your knees and thank God that you have a decent job. That He is giving you the opportunity to witness to others, through your actions, that you are blessed to be walking with the Lord.

My friend, the greatest testimony that you can give to our Lord isn't from your mouth or what you do (don't do) on Sunday. Your greatest testimony is the fruit your life bears 24/7/365.

Stop looking for excuses. WORK to get out of debt.

Edit: Jesus didn't make excuses when He SUFFERED and DIED for us on the cross.

 

[Mexdeaf]

I work two and sometimes three jobs every week, one of which is pastoring. I maintain our home, yard and cars. I also attend college at night working towards a Master's degree at a state university.

My point? Perhaps how you use money isn't the problem- it's how you use your time. Some have mentioned a second job as a possibility for you. If I were you, I would look into it. It never hurts a young man to work 50-70 hours a week. There is plenty of time for serving the Lord while working those extra jobs- some of the best opportunities I have to share the Gospel are on one of my part-time jobs.

I would also advise you to find an older man at your church or an older Christian man who can mentor you. It is better to get personal advice from people who you can talk to face to face rather than going to an online forum for advice. You come across to many of us as a whiner and immature when it may not be so, but that is the impression that we get.

You may reject this advice but please take it in the spirit in which it is given. God bless.