MEN ARE NOTHING WITHOUT GOD

“Except The LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except The LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” PSALM 127:1

“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill…” ECCLESIASTES 9:11

 

Apart from me you can do nothing was Jesus’ counsel or warning to us (JOHN 15:5). No man ever makes it to the top on his own. The world knows how to take care of their own. The prince of this world knows how to promote them that are his. You either belong to Christ or you belong to the prince of the power of the air, the power which works in the children of disobedience (EPHESIANS 2:2). Labouring in vain is a sad thing. The satisfaction of all the labour and hard work exercised in our endeavours is to enjoy the fruits. To labour and not enjoy the fruits is to labour in vain, to have all that your soul desires, to lack nothing, and not have the power to enjoy is an evil disease. To enjoy the works of your hands is a gift from God, ” And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God” ECCLESIASTES 3:13. Wherefore scripture says that it is vain to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He gives His beloved rest (PSALM127:2). Apart from Him we can do nothing. It vain to rise early and work from dawn till midnight when God is not in the equation. His blessing makes a man rich and He adds no sorrow to it (PROVERBS 10:22). There are those who die or have nervous breakdown out of work related stress. They tried it on their own, they tried building all by themselves and in the end saw their labour in vain. He told Moses His servant, My presence will go before you, and I will give you rest. God coming in will change the whole situation, He will make all things work together for your good. The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. His folly through pride made him err. He failed to acknowledge God who gave him the power to make wealth. His pride made him boast even of long life, and also tearing down his old barn and building for himself bigger ones. That same night he died, and a man who laboured not enjoyed his labour “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” LUKE 12:20-21

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Alexander the great, one of the greatest generals and battle tacticians that ever walked this earth never once went to battle without sacrificing to the gods (his gods). Every where he fought and won his battles, altars were raised in honour of his gods . A warrior and a great general he was, but he knew that men are nothing without the gods (his gods). King David of Israel, again one of the finest warriors of all time never once lost a battle. He always inquired from God, he always sought counsel from the Urim and Thummim. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (EPHESIANS 6:12). All the animosity you see at work is not physical but spiritual. You do not fight spiritual battles with physical weapons. Take it to The LORD in prayer. Our weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds (2 CORINTHIANS 10:4). The desire of the devil and his cohorts is to see your labour in vain. God wants to build you up, and keep you. That which God builds, He maintains, and whatever He gives, He keeps. No devil can pluck you out of His hands. Your labour shall not be in vain, He who watches over you, neither sleeps nor slumber. He will preserve your soul from now, even to the end. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

THE BELIEVER PUT TO WORK

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” GENESIS 2:15

“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great” GENESIS 26:12-13

 

Work and it’s ethics are in God’s nature and it’s something He instilled in man right from the beginning in the Garden of Eden. He is a worker Himself “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” JOHN 5:17. God has been working from the beginning and still works as revealed by Jesus to the Jews. Jesus Christ The Son of The Living God Himself worked during His time here on earth. His ministry on earth began at the age of thirty but before He embarked on His spiritual work, He had a secular job, He was a carpenter “Is not this the carpenter…?” MARK 6:3. He was a diligent worker also when He started full time ministry “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” JOHN 9:4. Work is a responsibility and charge by God, again it is a privilege given us by God and as long as we are fit and well able to work, we must work with all our might. A time will come when this blessing and privilege will be there no more. What ever your hands finds to do, scripture says to do with all your might “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” ECCLESIASTES 9:10. Paul the Apostle was a tent maker before his calling and still wrought the same to support himself in ministry, so was Priscilla and Aquila “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tent makers” ACTS 18:1-3. God has a strict way of looking at and dealing with the sluggard. He commands the sluggard not to eat “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” 2 THESSALONIANS 3:10.God never condones the sluggard, the first thing He does when He calls a man is to put him to work. In one of Jesus’ parable on the Kingdom we find out how God moves around looking for people, hiring them and paying them. He also go about looking for those who are idle and put them to work “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive” MATTHEW 20:1-7

God is not interested in lazy folks, He calls the idle and put him to work and then give him his wages. Everyone God called and used in the bible was a hard worker prior to his or her calling. Elisha was plowing when he was called of God, found by Elijah and anointed with oil as a prophet (1 KINGS 19:19). David was on the wilderness taking care of his fathers flock when he was called and anointed by samuel in the presence of all his brethren (1 SAMUEL 16:11), Amos the Prophet was a herdsman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit “Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel” AMOS 7:14-15. Peter, James, and John were busy fishermen (MATTHEW 4:18-22). Go through the whole bible and is hard to find God overlooking being idle. God does not hand out anything on a silver platter. The wife of the prophet who in the days of Elisha came and besought Elisha with her financial problems was not just handed the money to pay the debts, she was put to work even after the miracle of multiplying the oil “And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest” 2 KINGS 4:6-7. My Father work hitherto, and I work, Jesus said. God works even till now and we His children must work as well. We must carry the same work ethics our Father in Heaven has and be diligent in all our labours. There is this saying which goes like “there is dignity in labour”. Diligence in labour is a virtue which is not overlooked but rewarded by God. Adam in the beginning, after creation, before the fall when everything was prosperous was put to work. He was again sent out of the garden to till the earth and eat out of his sweat even after the fall. Isaac in a time of famine and drought was commanded by God not to go to Egypt but stay in Gerar. He obeyed God, he stayed and planted, and in that same year reaped hundred fold. God is always looking for something to multiply and He blesses and multiplies the works of your hands. If you don’t plant anything, you don’t reap nothing. God cannot be mocked “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” GALATIANS 6:7. It is time to arise and build for God will prosper us just as Nehemiah said. He who gives seed to the sower, and bread to the eater blesses the works of your hands as you do all things with diligence, in The Name of Jesus Christ His Son.Amen and Amen!