As seen in yesterday’s devotional, it is clear that Christians are to work so as to earn their living. Let it be accepted that the few lazy believers who first accepted Jesus Christ as their LORD and Saviour sold the idea of not combining secular works with God’s works. In the Old Testament, Levites and Priests were asked not to work for salaries (Deut. 18: 1 – 5). This law was made so that they devote all in them to the Temple works faithfully. Provisions were made to take care of them by the congregates. However, passing this idea to Christians not to work is seen as correct. Earlier teachers of the gospel, especially in Africa, made people believed that doing secular works for a living is carnal and sinful. As learnt yesterday, God did not drop Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to be sitting idle and eating when food comes. They were to cultivate the ground, keep the trees and flowers growing in good shapes (Gen. 2: 5, 15). Therefore, use their labour to produce the fruits for foods, tend to the animals and the fish for meat.
Christians are commanded to work, first for their benefits. They are to work so as to have their own foods to eat. Apostle Paul did this that he made himself as example of hard working Apostle. If Christians refuse to work for a living, they will become burdens to those who work and earn foods and money. Apostle Paul detested this. He said about this: “Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you” (1Thess. 2: 9 Africa Study Bible). We have, among the Pentecostals churches, people laboring in fasting and prayers, interceding for people who refused to work for their living; believing they are doing the works of the Cross while nobody cares for them. These set of people have constituted nuisance to the society as they beg about for money and materials.
Apostle Paul commanded Christians to work with their hands, earn their living so that they earn themselves personal respect and honour among their neigbhours (1Thess. 4: 11). Whatever is given to a lazy person going about begging is given with inner grudges and insults. Reason beggars hardly prosper through begging. Working to earn oneself a living is ordered by God as read yesterday in Gen. 2: 5, 15. Besides this, it affords Christians feeding themselves with foods and thus give them respect by people of the world. The devotional will look at Biblical Concept of work tomorrow. Follow us!
PRAYER:
HOLY SPIRIT OF JEHOVAH, show me and fellow Christians how to make use of our hands to earn ourselves honour and respect through what we do in Jesus name.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch