Then there is another reason. An idle man is always a dissatisfied man. A boy or girl with nothing to do is sure to be unhappy. If we desire to be happy and contented we must learn to work.
But there is also another reason. Our spiritual well-being also renders it necessary that you and I should have something to do. Work is really one of God's greatest blessings, and we are told that those who are idle tempt Satan to tempt them. I do not believe that an idle person can be a good Christian. An idler is of no use either in the world or in the church. God can make no use of him, and Satan must surely despise him also.
So if you desire to be delivered from sickness and to remain well and strong, if you desire to be contented and happy, if you desire to be good and useful, if you desire to be helpful in the great purpose for which God has created you and placed you upon this earth, you must learn to work, and the best time to learn to work is when we are young. We are to learn to labor with our hands, with our minds, always remembering that whatsoever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God.
Now let us all join in singing,
"Work, for the night is coming."
Questions.—Did God assign some work to Adam when he was first created? What was he to do in the Garden? Why does God place the kernel of nuts inside of a shell? Do vegetables and grain grow without being planted? Will weeds grow without being planted? Why did God place the metals, and coal and oil down below the surface of the ground? Are we naturally industrious or lazy? Could God clothe and feed us without our labor? Why does He not do it? How could God have printed His law so that it would not be necessary to have Bibles and preachers? Are idle people healthy and contented? Why not? Whom do idle people tempt? Can an idle person be a good Christian? When is it easiest to learn to work? What should we always remember in our work?