A Handful with Quietness

So far in this Chapter we have looked at the vanity of oppression and being envied for doing skillful and right work. This afternoon we will look at the vanity of both laziness (what is called idleness) and overwork. There is a problem with them both. They do not bring the lasting satisfaction to our lives that we desire when we engage in either. The reason for this is that sin never satisfies for long. But doing what is right is not vain. Righteous quietness and right work go together and are meant to always be seen together in the life of a Christian. You and I must learn to distinguish between right and wrong, and good and evil. This is a lesson that many people in our society have not learned. It is also possible, that it is a lesson that many Christians have not learned either; to distinguish between righteous and unrighteous work. And so it will be very profitable for us to learn it. If we do learn it, it will go a long ways towards our learning what it means to glorify God in the way that we live our life. It will also go a long ways towards eliminating many sinful habits that we may have cultivated in the past by believing that either idleness or overwork are desirable things to pursue. So first of all I want us to look at sinful quietness and sinful work. And then secondly I want us to look at righteous quietness and righteous work. I pray that each of us will be able to discern the difference by the end of our study.