Democratic rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a revealing statement about her views on work during an interview with Vice News.
In the preview clip posted to the Vice YouTube channel (which made the rounds despite currently being marked as “unlisted”) Ocasio-Cortez said that when the country re-opens, many people shouldn’t go back to work.
“We talk about this idea of ‘re-opening society’ you know, only in America, when the President tweets about ‘liberation’ he means going back to work,” Ocasio-Cortez says with a wry smile on her face. “I think a lot of people should just say no, we’re not going back to that. We’re not going back to working 70 hour weeks just so we can put food on the table and not even feel any sort of semblance of security in our lives,” she concluded.
This line of thinking has become more appealing to younger generations, and it’s a worldview that stands in direct opposition to the values taught in the Bible.
Pastor Jeff Durbin responded to the clip by addressing how the concept of avoiding work and demanding some sort of “security” from the federal government flies in the face of Biblical values.
“Now we see their worldview coming out. This is the party of slothful lifestyles. She mocks the idea of being set-free to work and be productive,” Durbin said. “The discerning person should pay attention to the underlying presuppositions that are driving her (and her cohorts) political moves at this time. The virus is an opportunity to gain ground with a new ideology. It’s an ideology that praises idleness, poverty, despotism, and theft. Make no mistake: There’s more happening here than fear of a virus.”
What Does the Bible Say About Work?
Even in the garden of Eden, the very first human created and put on earth was given a charge to work. Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
God explicitly commands us to work! Exodus 34:21 “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.”
We must be willing to work: 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”
We will be rewarded — not on earth — for our work! Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ”
These are just a few of the verses that speak to how God wants us to respond to work. We are to serve Him in all we do, no matter what our job title. Furthermore, the concept that we have no security outside of the government providing for us also runs counter-intuitive to placing our faith and trust in God to provide for us. He promises we are more valuable than the birds, who get fed, and the flowers, who don’t make their own clothes — how much more valuable are we? So why do we fear, when we know God will provide what we need?
Always filter comments like these from politicians through the Biblical view. Sometimes ideas sound good on the surface, and are often well-meaning. However, God has a better way for us to live — the only way to true peace and contentment in this life.