Hard work and diligent labor are valued in Scripture as a means of providing for oneself and serving others. According to Ecclesiastes, enjoying one's work is a gift from God, and Proverbs notes that those who are skilled in their work will stand before kings. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians that those who do not work should not eat, emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility. Additionally, the book of Job explores the complexities of suffering and perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances, while Philippians reminds believers that God will supply all their needs, giving them the strength to work and serve with gratitude.
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Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God.
For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”
And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know why You prosecute me. Does it please You to oppress me, to reject the work of Your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked? Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees? Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a man, that You should seek my iniquity and search out my sin— though You know that I am not guilty, and there is no deliverance from Your hand? Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me. Would You now turn and destroy me? Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and loving devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit. Yet You concealed these things in Your heart, and I know that this was in Your mind: If I sinned, You would take note, and would not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction. Should I hold my head high, You would hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me. You produce new witnesses against me and multiply Your anger toward me. Hardships assault me in wave after wave. Why then did You bring me from the womb? Oh, that I had died, and no eye had seen me! If only I had never come to be, but had been carried from the womb to the grave. Are my days not few? Withdraw from me, that I may have a little comfort, before I go—never to return— to a land of darkness and gloom, to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”