“For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat" - 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV).
The idea of work has changed very much these days, far from the way it used to be from the days when a majority of people eked their living from farmland. Whereas a majority of people in the world still fetch their living from cultivating the ground, a lot more have since shifted to factories to produce goods and offices to supply services. More recently, as a result of the pandemic, there is a new move of workers from offices to homes.
Throughout all these avenues of work, whatever the means, God has provided that it is through hard work, where one can know of prosperity. The richest nations of the world also post some of the longest working hours. There are indeed industrialized nations, where work has become a sort of worship, such as in South Korea. There it has even become important to pass legislation for people to take rest. However, if anyone has any idea of enjoying prosperity it all starts with hard work!
The story of ants does reveal the value of work. These tiny creatures wherever they are dominate landscapes with mighty anthills. The interesting thing is, as the writer of Proverbs observed, they have “no commander, no overseer or ruler” (Prov 6:7). Ants are self-motivated. They rise on their own. Their work patterns involve plodding on in simple routine rather boring tasks but from which they raise castles. If a price could be put on all those anthills they raise, ants would certainly score one of the highest GDPs of all creatures in the world.
The scriptures remind us that if we do not take heed like ants, and rather, engage in “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man” (Proverbs 6: 10- 11). If we desire to prosper, and hate poverty, let us so cherish work!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, creator of heaven and earth, today I thank you for the gift of work, which you have given me, that through it I may prosper.
Related upcoming events
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28/04/2024 - 29/04/2024 All day"The Lord is my shepherd!" (Psalm 23:1)
Psalm 23 of David is perhaps one of the best prayers ever written, with nuggets and inspirations, of benefit to us since and
ever before. “The LORD is my shepherd, “David begins.” I lack nothing” (vv 1). What is it that you lack? In his life David had started out as a shepherd, and he knew very well, that a shepherd’s job is to watch over his sheep, feed and water them, and since the Lord is our shepherd, we his sheep shall lack nothing.Verse 2 -3 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” This exactly what a good shepherd does; he takes his sheep to the best fodder, ensuring that his sheep are well fed and rested. When the sheep are restless the good shepherd is troubled. Our God desires and is pleased when we are at peace.
Sometimes we may all find ourselves going through a storm. In Verse 4- 5, David says, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Christian life is not without difficulties, but here David points us to God as our comforter and deliverer. We always have the staff of prayer to lean on.
In Verse 5, he writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” In his tumultuous life, David had to battle with many enemies, ranging from King Saul, to foreigners and members of his own family. He knew a lot about betrayal. And, we too, may face enemies no less, from those that oppose us in our workplace for their ambition’s sake, to those who are not pleased because of the Gospel we preach. Yet here, just as David, we are assured that victory is on our side- this is why our cup overflows.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (vv 6). The one who walks with God has a fresh smile ever, for God is with him. The blessings of God are with him wherever he goes.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham,
maker of heaven and earth, as David prayed in Psalm 23, may I not be troubled, for you are my shepherd ever watching over me and your goodness goes ahead of me!
