What Are the Best Bible Verses for Workaholics?

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Work itself is not sinful—our relationship to work can become sinful when we make it an idol. Like other addictions, workaholism is characterized by an unhealthy obsession that crowds out relationships, rest, and spiritual life. Read or listen to this material from Work and Rest God’s Way to learn the best Bible verses for workaholics.

The Workaholic’s Relationship to Work Becomes Sinful

Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made (Isaiah 2:8).

The people in Isaiah’s day worshiped their work, and we can worship our work too. Just as we can rest too much (laziness), we can work too much (workaholism). Work is moral. When we commit the sin of workaholism, work doesn’t suddenly become immoral and sinful. Instead, our relationship to work became sinful.

Workaholics have the same relationship to their work that addicts have to alcohol, drugs, or pornography. Everything else in their lives—family, friends, church, health, and rest—takes a backseat to their jobs. Time and energy committed to anyone and anything else are always rushed or neglected.

In the past, people couldn’t begin working before the sun came up, and they stopped working when the sun went down. Now, electricity lets us keep our lights, computers, and cell phones on at any time. Our twenty-four-hour days seem restrictive because it’s harder to fit in everything we think we need to do. Since society promotes “bigger and better,” we feel pressured to keep up and find ourselves busier than ever. Covetousness has never been a stronger temptation. The only solution seems to be more work. We can become like machines, moving from one task to the next. We end up overworked, under-rested, and spiritually undernourished.

It’s not wise, kind, humble, or impressive when we take on more than we can handle. It demonstrates a lack of wisdom due to the problems it causes. We recognize that our relationship with work has become sinful when it overshadows the areas of our lives that the Lord wants us to prioritize, such as our spouse, parents, children, friends, and church.

Answer these questions honestly to help determine whether you struggle with workaholism:

• When you’re supposed to be resting, does your mind return to work?
• Can you detach from your job, or do you bring your work home with you?
• Do you obsess about your job when you’re not working, thereby removing the distinction between work and rest?
• If you’re home, can you focus on your loved ones, or are you still preoccupied with your job?
• Can you name any of your hobbies, or are you unable to because work is your hobby?

If you want honest answers to these questions, consider asking your spouse or children what they think you should answer!

“Physician, Heal Thyself!”

I have difficulty sitting around. Even when I’m tired, I still feel the need to be productive. Katie has asked me many times: “Why do you always have to be working?” On the spectrum with workaholism on one side and laziness on the other, you can probably guess where I land.

In the last two weeks, I had an unexpected break from preaching. Whenever I don’t have a sermon to prepare, my workload is considerably lighter. I wanted to use the extra time to finish Work and Rest God’s Way. While writing this (talk about God expecting me to walk the talk), Katie said, “You’ve been using so much of your free time to work on your book. I know you want to finish it, but why don’t I make lunch for you and the kids, and you can go down to the lake to spend time with them?”

• The workaholic in me wanted to say, “I only have a few days left. Everything picks up again next week.”
• The justifier in me wanted to say, “I can make up the time with the kids in the future. They’ll understand.”
• The spiritual hypocrite in me wanted to say, “I’m doing this for God. He wants me to get it done so I can help others and further His kingdom!”

I took my kids to the lake and had a wonderful time with them, but sadly, these are the excuses I wanted to make. For me, pleasing God means resisting the temptation to put a book ahead of them. If we genuinely want to please the Lord, we must have our priorities in order.

The Consequences for Workaholics

Just as there are negative consequences to laziness, there are negative consequences to workaholism.

Physical Consequences

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published “Stress…At Work,” and found that overworking increases the wear and tear on our bodies and contributes to headaches, back pain, and muscle pain. There’s an increase in blood pressure and the release of the hormone cortisol, which is hard on the heart and raises the risk for stroke, coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer.

A 2010 study, “Overtime Is Bad for the Heart,” published in the European Heart Journal, found that working ten or more hours per day resulted in a 60 percent increase in cardiovascular issues. Many people have suffered heart attacks trying to climb the corporate ladder of success.

Emotional Consequences

A 2012 study, “Working Too Hard? Job Stress Doubles Depression Risk,” suggests that those working long hours are twice as likely to experience a major depressive episode.

Another study, “Overtime Work as a Predictor of Major Depressive Episode,” found that people working eleven hours per day are over five times more likely to battle depression than those working seven to eight hours per day.

Dr. Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health said, “Although occasionally working overtime may have benefits, it is important to recognize that working excessive hours is associated with an increased risk of major depression.”

Relationship Consequences

Workaholics often fail to invest an appropriate amount of time and energy in their family and friends. Spouses, children, parents, and friends suffer because they recognize the workaholic’s job is more important than a relationship with them. This can cause loved ones to become bitter and resentful. Many people have sacrificed their marriages and children for the next raise or promotion.

The fatigue and anxiety workaholics experience cause them to become irritable and impatient. Even when workaholics try to make time for others, the relationships still suffer because of their sour moods. Obsession with work affects not only the workaholic but also those close to them.

Performance Consequences

According to a 2014 study, “The Productivity of Working Hours,” published by The Institute for the Study of Labor, people working seventy hours per week didn’t accomplish more than their peers who worked fifty-six hours per week. Why? The productivity of workaholics suffers.

When people are unrefreshed, their minds aren’t as sharp, and they’re more prone to make mistakes. Workaholism typically yields many mediocre results versus a few excellent ones.

Workaholics might strive to assist others by taking on more of the load, but they often end up doing more harm than good due to their ineffective handling of responsibilities. This tends to frustrate the very people they’re trying to help.

Spiritual Consequences

When we overwork, the only thing easier than neglecting our sleep, health, and family is neglecting our relationships with the Lord. We’re too busy to be active in the local church. Our involvement might be a little more than irregular Sunday morning attendance. When the church offers events or opportunities to serve, we tell ourselves our work doesn’t permit us to go.

We don’t practice the spiritual disciplines. Prayer, time in the Word, and Scripture memorization take a backseat to our jobs. If we’re workaholics, we probably can’t remember the last time we sat down to pray or read the Bible for any length of time. When we reach the end of our lives, how much regret will we experience because of the time we invested in our jobs while neglecting God’s kingdom?

The devil loves little more than distorting God’s commands for us to work. He makes work so central to our lives that we become like hamsters on a wheel, and our relationship with the Lord is minimized, if not nonexistent. When Jesus taught the parable of the soils, He said, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Could there be a better picture of workaholism and its consequences? Workaholism is an obsession with the cares of this world. Workaholics are deceived into thinking riches are more important than their families and God. The spiritual is choked out, so they produce no fruit.

The Danger of Burnout for Workaholics

Burnout is an exhaustion that can be physical, emotional, social, spiritual, or any combination of these. People burn out when they’re under tremendous stress and overwhelming demands without adequate rest. Burnout can cause people to lose interest in relationships, hobbies, and even life in general.

There is nothing honorable about burning out for Jesus or anyone else. Sometimes, burnout isn’t the fault of a job or other people. It results when individuals work in one of the following ways:

• They exhaust themselves caring for others while failing to care for themselves.
• They neglect their needs in various ways, such as sacrificing sleep, overextending their schedules, or failing to nourish themselves physically and spiritually.
• They excessively rely on themselves without relying on others.

Burnout can happen in:

• Businesses, when individuals have ownership of plans or projects that should be distributed among team members
• Churches, when people take on work that should be shared with brothers and sisters in Christ
• Families, when people attempt to control the contentment or prosperity of parents, children, or spouses

A Great Leader Who Was Also a Workaholic

Perhaps the most evident instance of burnout in Scripture occurred with Moses. Exodus 18:13 says, “Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.” Moses thought he was doing a good thing, but when his father-in-law, Jethro, observed his behavior, he rebuked him: “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself” (Exodus 18:17–18). The words “wear yourself out” are a concise description of burnout. Jethro rightly recognized that Moses was doing too much. If Moses continued this approach, he and the people would suffer; therefore, Jethro counseled him:

Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace (Exodus 18:21–23).

What a wonderful picture of what should happen to prevent burnout! Let’s take note of a few phrases:

• “It will be easier for you.”—Moses was one of the greatest leaders in the Old Testament, but even he had to accept that he couldn’t do everything. God gave Moses responsibility for the entire nation, but that didn’t mean he had to perform every task. There were lots of needs, but they didn’t all belong to him. Likewise, regardless of the amount of authority we have, there can be lots of needs around us, but they don’t all belong to us.
• “For they will bear the burden with you”—The solution was for Moses to delegate some of the responsibility to trustworthy, faithful people. The load had to be shared. This allowed others to participate in God’s plan. Likewise, we often must delegate some responsibility—whether in the workplace, at home, or in the church—to trustworthy and faithful people.
• “Then you will be able to endure”—In other words, “Then you won’t burn out!” Moses was neglecting himself by overreliance, which is a recipe for disaster. Delegating responsibility would give Moses longevity. Likewise, delegating is what we must do to achieve longevity.
• “And all these people will also go to their place in peace”—When Moses experienced burnout, he wasn’t the only one affected. Thus, if he followed Jethro’s advice, he wouldn’t be the only one to benefit. Most of us have people depending on us. If we burn out, those around us will be affected as well. If we take care of ourselves, we won’t be the only ones to benefit.

Workaholics Should Expect Negative Responses

People won’t be happy when we say no. It’s best to assume that setting boundaries and expecting others to carry some of the load may not be well-received by some people.

If they are used to you always saying, “Yes,” then they won’t like your new approach. If you’re the person in the workplace, community, or church who regularly “does everything,” don’t be surprised if people are displeased. Though you’re doing what’s best, they might complain or accuse you of selfishness or laziness. It could even cost a relationship or two. Remember, this is a small price to pay in contrast to the even greater spiritual, emotional, physical, or mental price you’d pay from burnout.

Workaholics Should Repent

There are two categories of workaholics. The first category consists of individuals who are thankful that their jobs don’t allow them to work less. They enjoy the excuse this gives them. They’d rather be at work so they don’t have to invest in their families or churches; therefore, they don’t put forth any effort to make appropriate changes. The sad truth is these people don’t want to repent of workaholism.

The second category of workaholics wants to repent, but they don’t do so by swearing off work altogether. Instead, they make appropriate changes, which we can categorize as follows:

• Spiritually—They spend time praying, reading and meditating on the Word, listening to (or singing) Christian songs
• Emotionally—They seek counsel from church leaders or fellow Christians who can help them get things in perspective
• Relationally—They make time for friends, family, and fellowship, especially with those who refresh them
• Recreationally—They pursue hobbies and recreation they find to be life-giving, such as reading, journaling, drawing, cooking, or playing with children
• Physically—They get enough sleep, and take a day off (or two) and fill it with relaxing activities, such as walking, napping, or exercising
• Boundaries—They let the phone ring, put off responding to texts, leave the pile of work until the next day, and learn to say “No”
• Occupationally—They retire early, take a pay cut, or look for a new job

Since we know God doesn’t want us to be workaholics, we can pray with confidence that He allows us to rest, have time for our families, and serve the church. I’ve seen God answer by providing a different schedule, a new boss, or an open door to another job. We should consult with Him before saying “Yes,” and regularly ask Him to help us make the right choices and changes.