Inspirational Quotations
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Work

There are many inspirational quotations and famous sayings about money and success; but what about work? Some people think that work is a part of the curse of Adam but that would be incorrect because God instituted work prior to the fall. God had originally intended for work to be a joy because God saw all that he had done and called it very good.

You have God given talents and abilities and we ought to seek to develop those abilities and use them for the glory of God. Our work should be more than a means to get a paycheck. Our work and the way that we perform it ought to reflect our gratitude to God for all He has done for us. And whether or not we like to think about it, our work does reflect on our message as Christians and on the One whom we serve.

I encourage you to check out these inspirational quotations from scripture and let scripture examine your heart.

Genesis 2:15
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (NIV)

Exodus 23:12
Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed. (NIV)

Deuteronomy 8:17-18a
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, (NIV)

2 Chronicles 31:21
In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. (NIV)

Nehemiah 4:6
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. (NIV)

Psalm 127:2
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-- for he grants sleep to those he loves. (NIV)

Proverbs 10:4
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (NIV)

Proverbs 12:11
He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. (NIV)

Proverbs 12:24
Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor. (NIV)

Proverbs 13:4
The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. (NIV)

Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (NIV)

Proverbs 14:31
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (NIV)

Proverbs 18:9
One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

Proverbs 22:29
Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. (NIV)

Proverbs 24:27
Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. (NIV)

Proverbs 24:33-34
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. (NIV)

Proverbs 28:19
He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. (NIV)

Proverbs 31:27
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 3:13
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God. (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 3:22
So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 5:12
The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. (NIV)

Daniel 6:3
Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. (NIV)

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (NIV)

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

Ephesians 6:5-9
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. (NIV)

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (NIV)

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (NIV)

Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (NIV)

2 Thessalonians 3:6,10
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. ... For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." (NIV)

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12
We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. (NIV)

1 Timothy 5:8
If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (NIV)

1 Timothy 6:1-2
All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them. (NIV)

Titus 2:9-10
Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. (NIV)

1 Peter 2:18-21
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (NIV)