Volume 25, Issue 9
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 13
Choose a Life of Productivity Over Leisure
By Dale F. Lein February 2025
all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”
channels and “nothing” to watch), then VCRs and DVD players (always “on demand”), and then to the inter- net, YouTube, social media, and a constant never-ending stream of trivial stimulus to keep our minds “amused” and preoccupied with nonsense, so that we are no longer taking life seriously. We have lost sight of the meaning of life, we don’t consider our end, and we are enamored with our “en- tertainment gods.” The light is rap- idly going out in our nation, and we are not ready for eternity. After all, why be concerned about eternity
choked out the source of prosperity, namely hard work and dedication to a life of what really matters.” At least that’s the way I see it. We have endless avenues of ways for entertaining ourselves, much of which are a complete waste of time – time that can never be taken back. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:16 “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” We only have a very limited amount of time. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12).
We live in a time in history when the essentials of life and sustenance have become much easier to ac- quire. Modern life has become de- pendent on many systems and safety nets that have increased the quality of life – but at the expense of self-reliance. The industrial revolu- tion of the 1800s has caused further and further specialization in the work field, and thus most people have not learned many of the skills that our ancestors from earlier gen- erations learned as a required part of living. As a society, we have become de- pendent on these “systems,” many of which have a very fragile veneer of sustainability. Some of these sys- tems rely on supplies and goods from other nations, and even within our own nation the interconnected chain from raw materials to finish products in our homes is a compli- cated series of logistics that most people often take for granted. In addition to reliance on the sys- tems for acquiring goods and serv- ices, our very individual financial stability is greatly dependent on gov- ernment supply or redistribution of money that people depend on – So- cial Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, EBTs, Disability, Work- man’s Compensation, Stimulus Packages, and more recently COVID-19 checks. Much of this is dependent on a Federal Government with an already 36 trillion (at the time of this writing) federal debt. This doesn’t include State or local debt, nor personal debt. This de- pendency on one’s financial survival in the hands of a bloated, out-of- control government should cause some amount of consternation. In addition to the government itself, many people also rely on invest- ments, 401Ks, IRAs, and other non- tangible forms of financial security that our forefathers never imagined. All of this “trusting” of the system has made life considerably easier – we just let the “experts” handle things! And while they do, we’ve be- come accustomed to more and more available free time, and all the “good” things that this system of “providing” affords us. But it has come with a very steep price! For decades, while we were sleep- ing, we have become an entitled generation. Consciously or sub-con- sciously, we have come to believe that ease is our birthright, that this is what life is all about. We work in order to relax, to have more and more leisure, to be entertained, to be amused. They design amusement parks for folks so they can “tune out” and be . . . amused. Our culture has become increas- ingly obsessed with entertainment, with looking for ways to pamper ourselves, and to take an easier path. The Puritan minister Cotton Mather has been quoted as saying, “Religion brought forth Prosperity, and the daughter destroyed the mother.” Another way of saying that might be “Christianity inspired gen- uine productivity, which gave birth to an easier life, but people became enamored with the ease and it
Proverbs 12:11 adds, “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.” How many of us truly think about and consider the responsibility and the toil, and are grateful for what farmers and the family farm pro- vides for us each time we eat a meal? I know I fail to always think of it, yet we are the recipients of that great bounty that we often take for granted. Perhaps if we had to toil for our survival, it would change many attitudes – and we might be less concerned about our leisure activi- ties. Our culture, our nation, our com- munities, and many of our churches and families are in a big mess! It’s not someone else’s responsibility, it’s ours! We need to change course quickly, stop being a nation of con- sumers and once again become a nation of producers. And to be pro- ducers of things that really matter. Things that are indeed the very in- frastructure of life. And along the way, we need to have the Kingdom of God in the forefront of what drives us. We need to defend the truths of the Gospel, and defend the founding documents and principles upon which this nation was built. The hour is late! We really don’t have time to waste. Endless pursuits of entertainment and amusements, more and more vacations and leisure activities – all while Rome burns – demonstrates that we truly lack sense. It’s time to do hard things. It’s time to become more self-reliant again. Time to stop taking the path of least resistance. To get busy with what matters. To look for ways to make a real difference. And to reject the leisure lifestyle model we’ve become accustomed to. To return to an objective of produc- tivity. Learn the skills. Get your hands dirty. Get in shape for the work ahead. Now is the time, while there is still time! Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (John 9:4). Let us join Him in choosing a life of productivity, building His King- dom, and investing our lives in things that are truly important.
when the trusted entertainment gods have assured us that every- body goes to Heaven anyway. “All you have to do is die, and you’re in! So why sweat about it?” That’s part of the effect that all this leisure and entertainment and ease have had – it has given us a false sense of secu- rity and put us to sleep. This way of life is our birthright! It’s what life is all about. Having a good time! Hav- ing fun! Taking it easy! How many of us have said to someone (or had it said to us) “Don’t work too hard!” I know its usually meant to be good- hearted, but there is a subliminal aspect to that statement. I remember my high school year- book. There were a few students who had written under “Future Plans” things such as “Become a Millionaire, Retire at 30!” . . . And then what? Live off of your fortune and let everyone else contribute to society? Life has just become too easy in this nation. God’s plan from the Garden of Eden was that Man was to work by the sweat of his brow. That’s how he was to make his way in this world. Work the garden, grow food, build, be productive. Yes, it was part of the curse, but God did not repeal that
The American nation was forged out of a people that had to work to survive. And it was much harder work than most of us can imagine. Clearing forests, planting fields (without modern machinery), dig- ging mines, traveling great distances by horse and wagon, risking life in strange wilderness lands, dealing with infectious diseases, concerns about droughts and famines, pro- viding enough food for their families. They didn’t have time for SpongeBob or Facebook or Grammy Awards or video games. There was too much work to be done, and they just did what they had to do. And thank- fully, they did it amazingly well, or it is doubtful that we would have a na- tion today! Back then, it was about plowing fields, removing rocks, planting food, harvesting food, preserving food, and preparing food! No drive- through fast-food places back then. No grocery stores with every con- ceivable type of food imaginable – fresh, frozen, prepackaged, boxed, canned . . . no, it got there from hard back-breaking exhausting work. And somehow along the way, for the most part, they taught their children to read and took them to church, and stayed together to make it work. It was a life of produc- tivity – essential and necessary for survival – but one that was not built around an “entertainment/leisure” model. Modern life in America has be- come working with an eye on provid- ing more ease and leisure. The work is only a means to an end – that being increasing ease. Thus, our so- ciety is constantly throwing more and more distractions at us to fill these wide gaping leisure holes. Modern technology went from radio and the motion picture theater in the 1920s, to broadcast television in the 1950s, then cable television (500
basic con- cept in His Word, for He inspired the Apostle Paul to say “. . . that if any would not work, n e i t h e r should he eat.” (2nd Thessaloni- ans 3:10). Proverbs 1 4 : 2 3 states, “In
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