Christians need to find balance.
See Psalm 115:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Proverbs 27:23-27.
Christians can fall into the bad habit of posting Bible verses on social media all day, but not getting anything done. Sometimes they don't understand the Bible passages they post.
We can become ‘so heavenly minded that we're of no earthly use’, as the accusation goes. Which brings our faith into disrepute in the eyes of outsiders.
Some important balances we need to have
- Between hearing the Word, and doing it (Matthew 5:14-16; James 1:22; 27)
- Between our spiritual and earthly responsibilities (1 Timothy 5:8)
- In reaching out to the lost - we need to associate with them, without taking on their sin (James 1:27; Mark 2:15-17; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
- We need to be useful, and not a burden on others (Ephesians 4:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)
- Looking after our wellbeing: spiritual, mental and physical (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:28-29; and this includes ‘time out’, Mark 6:31-32)
- We also need to be informed and alert to what's going on around us, so as to make wise decisions (Matthew 10:16).
Indeed - God comes first in our lives
(Matthew 6:19-24) and His Word is the primary source of our guidance (Proverbs 3:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
And yes, our faith needs to be active - not only going to church every Sunday (Titus 3:8; 14)
But with discipline and organization, we can - and need to - attend to the other requirements in our lives
Also it's good to learn new skills which will enhance our service, as well as keep our brains active, keep fit, etc.
Consider David, Daniel, Peter, Paul, Luke, Jesus Himself. They were preachers and missionaries; but they also worked and had earthly skills. They were shepherds, soldiers, musicians, kings, prime ministers, carpenters, fishermen, tent-makers, doctors, ... .
Paul knew Roman law (Acts 16:35-40; 22:24-29; 25:7-12) and he knew Greek poetry (Epiminides and Aratus, Acts 17:28; the playwright Menander, 1 Corinthians 15:33). And he was able to use these things to advantage.
A note about missionaries
In the first century missionaries worked to support themselves when possible. Which has great advantages - Eugene Bach makes these points about doing business at the same time as doing missionary work:
- It allows entry into countries which, for instance, may allow English teachers who happen to share their religion as opposed to missionaries per se
- Working with others builds contacts, and contacts/relationships are important in furthering the gospel
- Being self-supporting is a good thing as this increases your financial stability, as well taking the burden off the church.
.. but for some reason, this practice largely has gone out of fashion in today's churches.