LABOUR OF THE WISE

LABOUR OF THE WISE

The first year of  their  marriage was rosy. They were never short of  money because Ben was comfortable  in  his workplace. Although Mary was not working, his income was more than enough   to sustain  both  of them. Then children started arriving. Sam was born  in  the second year of the  marriage, followed in quick succession  by  two  girls. And suddenly, Ben ‘s  salary could no longer  meet  the  catalogue of  financial  obligation such as providing the family  daily needs, buying  baby things, paying all sorts of utility bills  and  shelling out  some good cash  for  unplanned  expenses  like  paying hospital  bills of a sick member of the family and fixing his  car. It became difficult for the couple to make ends meets.

With sadness , Mary   noticed  that Ben ‘s clothes and hers were faded, and he was very worried about their predicament. Twice,  she saw him brooding with his head  bowed sitting alone in the balcony, and every night when he returned from work, he was always surfing the internet in search of a higher/paying job  than the present one. She also noticed that she’d been snapping children unnecessarily herself. She knew these occurrences were signs of unhealthy family relationship, which could degenerate into a serious problem like the one next door, were having. They were  always  bickering over  money,  waking up  neighbours  every time  with angry outbursts and  deafening  sound  of objects  smashed on the wall.  The recollection of that daily quarrel next door jolted her into action. She sat down and prayerfully thought of what  she could do to augment her husband’s income. Having the knowledge of making confectioneries, she brushed up her and started selling   snacks in fronts her of house.  Her products were so good and tasty that she got a contract through one of her customers to provide snacks and tea every  morning  to the headquarters of a reputable  bank in town. With God’s help   and some financial support from  Ben , she purchased a tea set, employed  the services of few caters, and took her confectionery to the bank. The contracts turns  out to be  a huge success as her business  developed  into  a big fast-food restaurant with  branches in many  places.  Through the work was tedious, she kept at it until the tension at home eased.  Now, the couple is buoyant enough to provide the pressing needs of the family, as well as support their aged parent and the  projects  of their  local  church.  Working as the means of obtaining  the  necessities  of  life  is a universal  law [genesis 3:19]. In fact, there is a maxim in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that ‘’if  any   would not work,  neither  should he eat.  If you don’t work , you should not be supported  or  maintained  by anybody.  You cannot   stay idle and expect manna from heaven or someone else to put food on your table. 

God created you to work and sustain   yourself.  You work to live, you live to work.   Working  has a lots of  benefits  aside from   providing  you with money  to support yourself and explore your interests. Whether paid or unpaid,   working is good for health and well being. It contributes to  your happiness; helps you to build  confidence and self esteem;  keeps you  busy; and  gives you the means to develop yourself. It also  enables you to  socialize, build contracts and find supports; gives you sense of pride, identity and  personal  achievement; as well as   helps you  contribute  to development that  benefits  your  community and  society.

However, in  spite of it’s spiritual,  economical,  physical and  health    benefits and   the  facts        that it’s    an imperative for everyone,  not   all so-called work ,  job or  employment is good. That means you have to be   discreet in your choice of work.  Aside  from the legitimacy  and  decency of  work  you do, you should look  at  productivity; that is,  what you   can   and   must  do to be  efficient  and  get  the best out  of  your  work.  Lastly, ensure your  work  is yielding  good  and  expected results,  benefits and profits. The bottom line is, you should work hard or labour with wisdom.  Be purposeful,  productive  and  profitable  in  your  work.

BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.

Personal faith in God is indispensable in our daily walk with Him. It means having the assurance that when we pray, He answers. It also means being confident that as a child in God's kingdom, when you pray, God listens. This means you do not always have to depend on other people's prayers.

Too many people depend on the prayers of pastors, prophets and prayer warriors, without actually knowing that there is power in personal prevailing prayer to God. But with a fully developed personal faith in God and His promises, you will not have to depend on people's prayers. After all, you also have access to the throne of Grace as a child of God (Romans 5:2; Ephesians 3:12).

Note, however, that this is not to suggest that approaching a genuine and Spirit-filled man of God for prayer is out of place. But the danger inherent in turning this into a habit is that such a person may not always be there to assist you in prayer. and when this happens, it becomes very difficult to stand alone through the hardest of times. Moreover, you are liable to fall prey of prayer peddlers and false prophets who capitalize on believers ignorance as a to the privilege they have in prayer. Many people have been swindled of their money and other resources as a result. Others have become exposed to demonic attacks and influences. Yet others have lost their lives. Indeed, it is needless to expose oneself to such dangers and losses when you can prevail in personal prayer. 

Every believer must know that there are situations when he or she has to trash it out alone with the Lord. Jacob had to, at Jabbok (Genesis 32:24). He was facing a challenging situation. He had to make all his people to pass over while he spend the night - alone - travailing in Prayer until his life was turned around. Isaac too personally entreated God for his wife and her womb was opened. Never did the Scripture inform us that he sought the help of prayer champions. Jabez also cried out to God for a definite change and God changed his pain filled and sorrow-ridden life (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). It was Jabez' prayer that was recorded to have received an answer from God, not the prayer of some prophet or prayer peddler. 

Invest In Your Eternity

WHAT ARE YOU DEPOSITING INTO THE BANK OF HEAVEN?

You have often heard that “The way up is down.” But do you also know that “The only way to receive is to give?” The Scripture succinctly expressed this in Luke 6:36, “GIVE, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measure to you again.” God included a clause in His prosperity plan for His children and that is; you have to give in order to get. This is the only way of multiplying what you have. If you want more money, give more of the one you have. The same thing goes for other material things that you possess. In essence, the way to multiply your (money) is to give it out to God and fellow humans. 

One major way to give your money to God is through the work of God when you see pastor or Evangelist want to go for missionary or like this website you are reading this content you can donate to the work of God to continue or through paying of your tithe and giving offerings through this website. Unfortunately, the subject of tithing is one that is being trailed with controversy in Christendom today. There are some who argue that tithing is an Old Testament practice while others disagree with what the parameters for tithing should be. However, the word of God is quite clear on this. Leviticus 27:30 says, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.” Your tithe is exclusively for God. The Lord himself commanded in Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house…”Tithing, contrary to some opinions is God’s mandate not because He is hungry and needs to feed with your money, or that he wants to amass wealth for Himself but because He is God; Giver of all things and He wants to help multiply that gold in your hand. 

Why Go to Hell

Many scientists and researchers have argued against and dismissed the existence of hell. But some of them have had to reconsider their stance after the famous “Well to Hell” story of the early 1990’s. According to the story which some call a hoax, myth or legend, a group of Russian geologists, in an unnamed place in Siberia, drilled a hold that was 9 miles (14.4km) deep before breaking through to a cavity. Intrigued by this unexpected discovery, they lowered an extremely heat tolerant microphone, along with other sensory equipment, into the well. The temperature deep within was 2,000 ^oF (1,090 ^oC)-heat from a chamber of fire from which the tormented screams of the damned could be heard. The story said a certain Dr. Azzacov, who was the project manager, gave this account: “As a communist I don’t believe in heaven or the bible, but as a scientist I now believe in hell. Needless to say we were shocked to make such a discovery. But we know what we saw and we know what we heard. And we were absolutely convinced that we drilled through the gates of hell!...

Whether the “Well to Hell” story is true or fictious, hell is not a myth; it is real. The Bible offers us a glimpse of it. It is a place of everlasting suffering and destruction, a place where undying worms feed on the inhabitants – unrepentant sinners and backsliders – and everlasting fire burns them and they feel the pain consciously, though they’re not burn into ashes (Mark 9:46).

The horror, torment, and suffering in hell is beyond human description and imagination. Hell was prepared originally for the devil and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:41), but God has decreed that those who forget Him and reject Christ will also be cast there because of their sins and neglect of His salvation (Psalm 9:17; Revelation 20:10).

God’s love for humanity is incomparable. He doesn’t want anyone to end up in hell (2 Peter 3:9), but there must be a punishments or judgment for sin and disobedience. 

So friend, why will you suffer for all eternity because of a moment of sinful pleasure? Why will you spend zillion of years in hellfire because of a lie you told for just two seconds? Why end up in hell when Jesus Christ has paid the price for your redemption? Why go to hell when you can have an excellent home in heaven with Him? Why, friend, why? Ponder on these soul-searching questions and surrender your life to Jesus, for what could you possibly lose if you give your life to Him? Is the life of sin really worth it? Jesus is the only way to eternal bliss in heaven. Why not follow Him and escape the danger ahead? Nothing, no matter the glamour and pleasure you get from it, it worth going to hell for, even if you get the whole world as a reward. Jesus says, “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul” Mark 836).

Please, drop this stop the reading momentarily and kneel before the Lord in repentance. Confess all your sins to Him and plead for His forgiveness. Jesus Christ, the creator of heaven and earth (John 1:1-3), spoke so much about hell than any other person did in the Scriptures. Believe Him, and avoid everlasting torment in hell. God help you.

NO WORK, MORE WANTS

Work is a physical or mental effort or activity directed towards the production or accomplishment of something, and such effort or activity by which a person makes a living. It is also any meaningful and productive daily life activity – doing, making or performing something, serving someone, or providing something of worth to others – which is not an occupation or a paying job. As these definitions suggest, there are different kinds of work: physical or manual, mental or creative, occupational or organizational and chores. The opposite of work is idleness, or better put, indolence. This is an attribute that God detests. The Scriptures tell us in Genesis 2:15 that God created humans to work, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” You’re made in God’s image and likeness, and God is a worker (Genesis 1:1-31). He is never and will never be idle; therefore, as a reflection of Him, you must work and not be idle. 

When you’re idle and don’t work, you defeat the purpose of your existence; that is, you’re not fulfilling your purpose of living. Not just that, you create room for Satan to manipulate and lure you into something evil, for an idle hand is the devil’s workshop, says an old cliché. Also, you impoverish yourself, for the Scriptures say, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man” (Proverbs 24:30-34). If you’re a sluggard – a lazy person who avoids work or physical exertion – and you don’t have any gainful employment, you don’t give any humanitarian service or preach the Gospel, you will be physically and spiritually poor. 

Economists posit that human wants are insatiable, and they are right. We have catalogue of wants ranging from spiritual, financial, material to emotional, but God has provided one means of meeting our most pressing needs – work. As a man or woman, you cannot sit down idle without working. God wants you to work in order to support yourself and not to depend on others for sustenance. The Bible commands, “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This is a just maxim meaning you shouldn’t be supported by anyone or organization, be they close relations or the church, unless you’re willing to fend for yourself by working. Actually, the maxim, which is foundation on the words of the Lord in Genesis 3:19, was a proverb among the Jews that an able – bodied person who can work but would rather support himself by begging from door to door should not get one morsel of bread.

Idleness or laziness brings more wants. As a sluggard, you desire or crave to have but get nothing because you don’t work (Proverbs 13:4). Aside from more wants, idleness or laziness is a sin. The word of pronounces Christians who don’t work to fend for themselves and their families as backsliders, “If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8). Now, what will you rather do: be idle and be in want or work and be satisfied? The choice is yours to make.   

Rest is Sweet after Toiling

In this world of hustling and busting, some people see rest as a waste of precious time. But God who created the human body knows what is best for it; hence, He commands everybody to rest after working: “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings” (Leviticus 23:3). He wants you to cease from all forms of labour in order to get some rest and be refreshed bodily and spiritually. He instituted the Sabbath because rest is not only beneficial to the health and comforting to the body but also beneficial to the soul. God himself rested after the work of creation and made rest after toiling a perpetual obligation for all humans because it is good (Exodus 20:11;34:21).

Work and rest are like two sides of a coin. Resting is as important as working because it’s an integral part of the total process required to build strength, muscle, and endurance. You work before resting and rest after working you don’t need to overwork yourself to show that you’re working and at the same time, you can’t claim to be resting when you have not done any work. God frowns at laziness and idleness (Proverbs 18:9; Ezekiel 16:49) but cherishes the proper balance of work and rest, because it’s only when this is done that you can enjoy the fruit of your labour. It is vanity to work without resting (Ecclesiates 2:22-23).

Some people are workaholics. They literally work every day of the year without taking time to rest or go on vacation. They give an inordinate amount of time and energy to their career because they are obsessed with achieving a feat. They feel the urge of being busy all the time, to the point that they often perform tasks that are not required or necessary. As someone describes them, they are cursed with an unconquerable craving for work. Workaholic is a negative behavioral pattern that injures your health, social life and soul. Workaholics often suffer sleep deprivation, which results in impaired brain and cognitive function as well as other stress-related illnesses because of overworking themselves. They also neglect family, other social relations and their spiritual life due to spending an excessive amount of time in working.

As a Christian, God intends that you work very hard but not at the detriment

of your health or soul. He doesn’t want you to overwork you body or neglect your social and spiritual life; rather, He desires that you be in total health by resting properly. Rest helps your body to recover or heal faster from the damage caused by stress. It improves your relationship with others and puts you in a good frame of mind. It facilitates better and healthier eating habits; rejuvenates your body and mind; regulates your mood; helps you to enjoy life more; reduces the risk of you having heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke; as well as makes you more effective and efficient at work, since your focus is on being productive and not on being busy. 

So make out time to rest because it is sweet and satisfying. But remember that rest can be sweet only after you have toiled, for there’s great gain in legitimate honest, and God-honoring industry (Ephesians 4:28). It’s a good remedy against poverty; it gives meaning and satisfaction to life, and it ultimately prepares you for eternal bliss. May your rest be sweet after toiling in Jesus’ Name.