This week on the Straight Truth podcast Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot discuss the work of man and the responsibilities a man has as both a husband and father. Biblically speaking, a man has the responsibility to provide, care for, and protect his family. In doing this are there limits a man ought to place on the kind of work he chooses? Some jobs require lots of hours and time commitments. Others place stress on men to achieve certain financial goals or place emphasis on climbing the achievement ladder. Might these kinds of jobs cause a man to become a “workaholic” at the cost of neglecting his responsibilities at home?

Dr. Caldwell discusses the importance of men remembering they have more than one responsibility given to them in the Word of God concerning their family. Man is to work to provide and protect his family, but he is also to be a teacher in his home, called to love his wife and instruct his children. Men might be successful in the financial area and see themselves as good providers for their families. But if they are not spending time with their wife and their children, if they are not loving their wife well and not instructing their children well, then they are failing in God-given areas of responsibility. Men must never feel satisfied when they are achieving in one area if they are neglecting another. A man’s responsibilities are not simply and only to provide financially.

God Is The Ultimate Provider

Dr. Caldwell talks with Dr. Philpot about Matthew 6, a text they’ve previously discussed in another podcast. The context of Matthew 6 speaks of things that men are anxious about. It affirms God is the ultimate provider and that men aren’t to be anxious about these things seeing God knows what we need. In verse 33 of chapter 6, Christ calls men to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and in doing so, we can trust that God will provide all these things we need. Dr. Caldwell goes on to say what often drives the “workaholic”, is the sense of satisfaction he finds in his work.

In doing this he feels that he’s in control of the circumstances of providing for his family. Thus he forgets who his provider is. He forgets that the ultimate provider is the Lord and that the Lord calls him to make living for Him preeminent. We are to seek and pursue the things that produce the fruit of godliness, things that belong to the realm of righteousness. It’s not righteous and it’s not godly for men to neglect their wife, their children nor their church. Dr. Caldwell says if your job or work life makes it impossible to pursue righteousness in these God-given areas, then you need to adjust what you’re doing at work.

God Does Call Us To Work Hard

Dr, Caldwell affirms that God does call us to work hard. He even gives a wonderful example of this that relates to the agrarian culture of biblical times. He explains how people worked hard six days a week and were given one day for rest. Development and advancement in our days have significantly eased these long, hard days of work for our culture, but not removed the necessity of it. So work continues and taking care of families doesn’t mean that men will be home all the time. Men will still have long and often hard days. But at the end of a workday, men still need to have enough left over to invest well in their wives and their children.

Dr. Philpot says that it seems that being removed from the agrarian culture, in modern and developed countries, we have sort of come to a five day work week. How does this compare to the pattern we see that God set forth for the Israelites in the Old Testament?

Dr. Caldwell shares that it sort of speaks to the mindset adjustment about work that we as a culture ought to have. He says that we are given five days to work hard and two days to rest and invest in our families – this is a blessing. We aren’t being overworked by having to work five days a week, nor are families being neglected by men working hard five days a week. We are truly blessed, God has given us ample time to work at both providing and lovingly care in leading our families well.

Responsibilities That God Has Assigned

What’s more important than trying to truncate their work-life is that men realize when they come home that their work hasn’t ended. The work of provision has been taken care of for that day, but the other work and responsibilities that God has assigned still await the days’ completion. Men have been given this role that is servant oriented. They must be prepared to sacrifice, give, and serve their families. The perfect example we have for this is our Lord Jesus Himself, His mindset ought to be that of every man’s. There was a joy that He knew in the work that was set forth before Him. While not the same and not comparable, there is a joy that men can know by being faithful to work hard at all the things God has assigned to them as well.