Ever get tired in the middle of a long work shift? For Peter, it had been a very long shift. All night long. All night, he fished the waters of the Sea of Galilee, hoping for a substantial catch. It was his livelihood. He had worked throughout the cool night - the optimal time for fishing - in the most profitable portion of the lake. And at the end of his shift: nothing!

You've probably had times like this in your work, no matter where you work. Long hours, good instincts, no short-cuts - but also - nothing to show for it. If so, you can appreciate the sentiments of Alexander. Alexander is the main character in Judith Viorst's children's book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." His story opens with these words: I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair, and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running, and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I think I'll move to Australia. In the car pool, Mrs. Gibson let Becky have a seat by the window. Audrey and Elliott got seats by the window, too. I said I was being smushed. I said, "If I don't get a seat by the window, I'm going to be carsick and throw up!" No one answered. I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. And, that's just the way it turned out. That night I told my Mom, "It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia."

Yes, even in Australia, hard work doesn't pay off. Just ask _____, _____, Elisabeth, Rodger, and the others who were voted off Survivor 2 in Australia after all of their hard work! They were not survivors, by definition of that game, but you can be a survivor no matter where you work or what you do!

First of all, if you want to survive what you do, remember that work is what God wants you to do! He directed us in the 3rd Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. Six days you should labor and do all your work..." Idleness isn't an option, unless, of course, health doesn't permit, or your job has been lost. Remember what our 2nd lesson said: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat. 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."

Regina Barreca wrote in an article for the Chicago Tribune, "Laziness whispers that you might as well do it tomorrow, that nobody will know if you cut corners, the world will be the same in a hundred years no matter what you do, so why do anything? Laziness says, "Don't strain yourself," "What's the big hurry?" Laziness hits the snooze alarm, hits the remote control, and hits the road when the going gets tough…Laziness cheats on exams, drinks straight from the milk carton, and leaves exactly two sheets on the toilet roll so that it will have to be replaced by the next poor soul who finds out too late that the remaining paper is nothing more than a mirage. Laziness has never written a thank-you note or sent a birthday card on time. All this simply asks too much effort."

It has been said: "God gives the birds their food, but He doesn't throw it into their nests." Or there's this story: Grandma was babysitting her grandson at her home. As she did her chores, he followed her around like a little puppy. When she put some clothes away in the closet, the little guy asked, "Grandma, what room is this?" "This is a closet," Grandma explained. "We don't have a room like this in our house," he answered. "Of course you do," Grandma said. "No," he insisted. Trying to lead him to the right answer, Grandma continued, "Well, where does your Mom keep all of your clothes?" "In the dryer," he answered with certainty.

These examples may or may not have pushed your guilt button. But if they haven't, does that mean that you have never been lazy? Even the most driven and directed people have been lazy at one time or another. Sometimes in little ways, sometimes in big ways. I struggle with both. There is a difference between well-needed rest and laziness. Laziness is a sin. One we are all guilty of. We need to be reminded that work is something God wants us to do!

But secondly, if you want to survive what you do, remember that work isn't all that God wants you to do! You need rest, too! The 3rd Commandment concludes, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

God commands that we take at least a one-day break every week for our spiritual and physical well-being. But, that doesn't mean we do it. In fact, many do just the opposite and work without end. You've probably seen the sign in a workaholic's office: "Thank God It's Monday." Or how about the first grader who became curious because her father brought home a briefcase full of papers every evening. Her mother explained, "Daddy has so much to do that he can't finish it all at the office. That's why he has to bring work home at night." "Well," asked the child innocently, "why don't they put him in a slower group?"

Good question. Better question: Why doesn't Dad take it a little slower and spend time with his family, with his Lord, and by himself? He probably would be a better person, live longer, and get more done. These words are true. I know they are true! But yet, my wife and my son, if he could talk, would ask this same question. In fact, they did this past week. Did I have an answer? Not a good one.

There are other kinds of work we need to do besides at the office or the factory or the store. We need to work on our marriages, our relationships, and our families. Most importantly, we need to work on our relationship with God. We need to share what God has done for us with others, too. That is why Jesus showed these disciples in our text that there was more important work to be done than fishing. But we all need to be reminded that REST is just as necessary. For ourselves and our loved ones. Physical rest. And spiritual rest - which God gives us.

If you want to survive what you do, remember that work is something God wants you to do, that it isn't all that He wants you to do, but, finally, whatever you do, He wants you to do it well! Work with integrity!

Martin Luther understood this when he wrote, "The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays - not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps, but because God loves clean floors. The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship." He is, indeed! Scripture says, "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." Without an eternal alliance with Jesus, of course!

You can work hard, with time to rest, with integrity, because Jesus worked this way. To save us from our sins, He did everything that was necessary. He completed all His Father asked of Him. The result was that He could say from the cross, "It is finished." Nothing was left undone. By his death and resurrection, we are forgiven for all of our sins, including the sins of too much work, work poorly done, and no time for our Heavenly Father or our earthly families. If you will work as He wants us to, you will more than survive! In Christ, you will thrive! You will thrive because his resurrection means an eternal alliance for you! Forgiveness! Peace! Joy! Hope! Amen.

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