Proverbs 21.8 says, The way of man is froward and strange, but as for the pure, his work is right. The way of man is stated as a general truth. The way of man is froward and strange. If you haven't learned that by now, you must be very young or very dense. Man is born with a sinful nature. Man loves himself and has a natural tendency to do whatever he thinks is in his own best interest. You may know of exceptions, but the exception proves the rule. As Matthew Henry puts it, if the man be froward, his way also is strange. And this is the way of most men, such is the general corruption of mankind." But as we mentioned, there are exceptions to that rule as we read in the second half of our proverb, but as for the pure, his work is right. You see, the pure are those made pure by God's word and spirit. In this generation, born again, filled with the spirit of God, living by the word of God, but they are rare. Even Christians, they may be saved, but they don't exemplify this in most cases. And that's why believers on earth have always been called a remnant because among us who really serve the Lord, we're a small number. Of course, you'll find the rare unsaved man whose work is on par with that rare Christian whose work is right. But again, that man is the exception. I remember men in our community who knew my grandpa, my uncle, different uncles I have local there, my dad, and they all said two things about these men. They were honest and they were hardworking men. I was pretty honest and could be a hard worker at times before I became a Christian, but after I was saved, there was a change in me and I became even more motivated to live up to that example, the biblical example and the example I saw out of the men in my family. I've told the stories of the times that my supervisors would sit me down for my job performance reviews, and they were almost always appreciative of my hard work and very positive in their reviews. There was one time I remember a lady supervisor kind of had it in for me for non-work related reasons that I won't go into, but she was in the wrong. We'll just leave it at that. But even then, she gave me high marks on what they call the documentation that went on file. In each case, I told them the same basic thing when they asked. In most cases, I was asked, what motivated me to work so hard, even when the boss wasn't around and no one was watching? And I told them that I worked as unto the Lord, because I believe in an omnipresent God. He's all places, all times. His spirit is within me. And His word teaches me to work as unto Him, because ultimately, He is my boss. Then I worked hard no matter who was around me. That used to be called the Christian work ethic, by the way. When anyone complimented my work, I was gracious and thanked them. But then I told them that my nature is to be lazy, but the Lord motivates me and commands me to work to the best of my ability and to provide an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. So that's what I do and why I do it. Lazy Christians are a contradiction and they bring reproach to the name and cause of Christ. My dad always taught me, if you don't work while you're being paid, you're a thief. You're stealing pay for time that you're not spending working. And God doesn't approve of such behavior, especially among his children. So work hard. impress your superiors, and then give God all the glory. That's what Jesus was telling us in Matthew 5, 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Christians should be known as being among the most honest, hardworking employees on the payroll. Make it your business to be that kind of Christian whether you're working for pay or doing the Lord's work.