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God blesses hard work, not laziness

‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’ 2 Thessalonians 3:10 NIV

Compassion without accountability is just indulgence. The Bible teaches that we have a responsibility to feed those who are truly hungry and can’t provide for themselves. But let’s face it; there are some folks who would rather go hungry than go to work. Solomon writes, ‘Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger’ (Proverbs 19:15 NKJV). Centuries later, the apostle Paul was even more explicit: ‘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)

Listen to what Solomon says about the sluggard: ‘The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting’ (Proverbs 12:27 NKJV). ‘A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again’ (Proverbs 19:24 NKJV). Talk about laziness! He wants his bread buttered, but he wants someone else to butter it for him. If he kills a deer while he is hunting, he won’t even clean the meat and cook it; he wants someone else to cook it for him and serve it to him.

What’s the Bible talking about here? It’s talking about the person who never starts a job, and if you give them one, they either won’t finish it, or they will do it only halfway. Then Solomon wraps it all up in one final clear statement. ‘The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labour’ (Proverbs 21:25 NKJV). There are no two ways about it; if you want God’s blessing on your life, you have to be willing to work!

SoulFood: Neh 8-10, Luke 22:1-13, Ps 78:40-55, Pro 24:1-4

Avoid strife

‘For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.’ James 3:16 KJV

The apostle Paul writes: ‘Make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.’ (Philippians 2:2-4 CSB). Strife wreaks havoc in relationships. It often stems from an inflated ego and leads to comparing, competing, and condemning. James points that out: ‘For where envying and strife is, there is … every evil work.’ (James 3:16 KJV) So be a strife-spotter! The moment it rears its ugly head – uproot it!

‘Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many’ (Hebrews 12:15 NLT). If you want to walk in God’s blessing today, try to live in harmony with others. Is that always easy? No, but the sooner you learn to do it, the better things will go for you. When God prompts you to turn the other cheek, or do the thing no one else wants to do, draw on His grace and do it.

Pray: ‘Lord, give me Your wisdom in this situation.’ He will. ‘But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.’ (James 3:17-18 NASB20). Bottom line: if you want God’s blessing on your life – avoid strife.

SoulFood: Heb 11:23-28, Exo 3:1-22, Exo 33:7-23, Exo 34:29-35

Think carefully before you speak

‘The one who guards his mouth protects his life;’ Proverbs 1 3:3 CSB

Here is a Bible verse we should all commit to memory: ‘The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.’ (Pro 13:3 CSB) Simply put, your tendency to speak without thinking will keep getting you into trouble.

The story is told of a vacuum cleaner salesman who had been given a remote rural area as his territory. He was going from farmhouse to farmhouse on his first day on the job, attempting to sell vacuum cleaners. When he arrived at one farmhouse, he knocked on the door and was met by a farmer’s wife who asked him what he wanted. Without asking permission, he shoved right past her into the kitchen and said, ‘I’m selling vacuum cleaners.’ Shocked, she replied, ‘Wait a minute!’ But he demanded, ‘Ma’am, before you say anything, I want to show you something.’ Then he reached into his bag, pulled out a bucket of dirt, and threw it across her kitchen floor. ‘If my vacuum cleaner won’t pick up all that dirt,’ he bragged, ‘then I’ll eat it!’ She looked at him and said, ‘Then you better get busy, ’cause we ain’t got no electricity!’

How often do we have to eat the words we so recklessly toss on the floor of everyday living? Be careful. Jesus said one day, we will give an account for every idle word we speak (see Matthew 12:36). So unless you want to eat your words, think carefully before speaking.

SoulFood: Neh 5-7, Luke 21:25-38, Ps 78:32-39, Pro 23:29-35

Don’t be afraid to go

‘You must go … And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.’ Deuteronomy 3 1:7-8 NKJV

When God tells you to go, remind yourself that every detail of your future is already known to Him. Centuries ago, when a mapmaker ran out of the known world before he ran out of parchment, he would frequently draw a dragon at the edge of the scroll. This was intended as a sign to explorers that they were entering unknown territory at their own risk. Many, however, didn’t regard the dragon as a mapmaker’s warning sign but instead as a prophecy. They foresaw disaster beyond the known worlds they travelled, and their fear kept them from pushing on to discover new lands and peoples.

Other more adventuresome travellers, however, saw the dragon as a sign of opportunity and a doorway to new worlds worth exploring. Each of us has a mental map that contains the information we use for guidance as we begin each day. And like the maps of long ago, our mental maps have edges to them, and sometimes those edges seem to be marked by dragons or fears. We fear failing, or being rejected, or ridiculed, or that we won’t have enough, or that we will lose what we have.

If that’s how you feel today, read these words spoken by God to His people when they stood on the threshold of the promised land without knowing what awaited them when they went into it. ‘The Lord, He is the One who goes before you.’ (Deuteronomy 31:7 NKJV) So, write down your goal, work out a strategy, and set a deadline. Then commit it to God, believing that He has gone before you to prepare the way.

SoulFood: Neh 1-4, Luke 21:12-24, Ps 78:17-31, Pro 23:26-28

The two rules

‘From any tree of the garden you may freely eat.’ Genesis 2:16 NASB

Adam had the perfect job, perfect home, perfect marriage, and the perfect environment; all the things we strive for. So how did it come about? As a result of his relationship with God!

God basically gave him two rules to live by: ‘From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die’ (Genesis 2:16-17 NASB). So, the two rules are these:

1) With God, what you get back is always greater than what you give up. ‘From any tree of the garden you may freely eat.’ But what we so often do, and what legalistic religion does, is look at that Scripture and similar Scriptures and focus on what we can’t do. The truth is, when our list of can’t dos exceeds our list of what we’re free to do, we have gone far beyond what the Scriptures intended. The Christian life should be measured by what you’re free to enjoy, not by what you’re denied.

2) When you live your life according to God’s Word instead of your own impulses, you’re blessed. ‘Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!’ (Deuteronomy 5:29 NIV).

The only thing God denies us is the right to determine for ourselves what’s ‘good or evil’ because He knows we’re not qualified to do it. We must live by divine revelation rather than human inclination. God, in His love and wisdom, set this limitation in place to protect and bless us.

SoulFood: Col 3-4, Philemon, Luke 21:1-11, Ps 78:9-16, Pro 23:22-25

Grace and confidence

‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.’ Hebrews 4:16 NIV

If you feel unworthy to approach God in prayer, stop and read these words: ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). The word grace means undeserved kindness, mercy, favour, and help when you need it. Notice three important things:

1) When you need grace, you can approach God with complete confidence. Why? Because you’re coming to a throne of grace and mercy, not a throne of judgment. All your sins – past, present, and future – were paid for the moment Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ Satan, whom the Bible calls the accuser, wants you to feel condemned, guilty, and unworthy to approach God. But the moment you placed your trust in Christ, God clothed you in Christ’s righteousness. Therefore, you can always come to Him with confidence.

2) When you need more grace, pray more. God has all the grace needed to help you, but you must go before His throne and ask for it. A prayerless Christian is a graceless Christian. The Bible says, ‘Grow in grace,’ and if you’re not praying every day, you’re not growing in your spiritual life. So, what’s the answer? Spend more time hanging around the throne that dispenses grace.

3) God’s grace is given based on your need at that moment. He won’t give you tomorrow’s grace until tomorrow, so don’t bother asking for it. But don’t be concerned; the supply of grace you have in Christ will not run out tomorrow or ever! That means you can’t wear out your welcome by going to the throne of grace too often.

SoulFood: Col 1-2, Luke 20:41-47, Ps 78:1-8, Pro 23:19-21

Simplifying doesn’t have to be complicated

‘Do not worry about your life.’ Matthew 6:25 NKJV

We tend to complicate our lives unnecessarily. Jesus said: ‘Do not worry about your life … the birds … neither sow … reap nor gather into barns … yet your … heavenly Father feeds them’ (Matthew 6:25-26 NKJV). Charlie Shedd pastored a large church with many demands. He and his wife created this simplicity list:

Make sure you need to simplify. Your problem may be inertia … because you aren’t doing enough. Selfishness never simplifies – it complicates.

Remember why you’re here. Put God’s will first. You unclutter by having a pivotal purpose on which your life swings.

Drop useless goals. Don’t wear yourself out on meaningless pursuits. You frustrate yourself by dedicating your life to the unimportant.

You can’t do everything. If God intended you to be six people, he’d have divided you up! Leave some ‘world building’ to others.

Live one day at a time. Plan and hope for the future—but don’t live there. ‘Each day has enough trouble of its own’ (Matthew 6:34 NIV). Live well today, and tomorrow’s strength will come.

Wherever you are—be there. Stop thinking happiness comes at five o’clock, or at the evening’s party, or when you fall asleep. Live in the present.

Develop a hobby. A change of activity keeps you fresh. Time spent playing is time well spent.

You can’t slow the world, so slow yourself. Learn to gear down. When you can’t alter the pace, retire to the inner sanctuary and alter yourself.

Adopt the perfect pattern: Christ, whose life cut history squarely in two. Follow Him as He lives a mighty life in quiet confidence. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:5 KJV).

SoulFood: Josh 22-24, Luke 20:27-40, Ps 27, Pro 23:16-18

What are they saying about you?

‘It is reported … that you and the Jews plan to rebel;’ Nehemiah 6:6 NKJV

To prevent Nehemiah from rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, his enemies spread rumours about him. ‘It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumours, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king’ (Nehemiah 6:6 NKJV).

Now, you can’t control what people think or keep them from saying it, but you can determine your response. Nehemiah did: ‘I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner’ (Nehemiah 6: 3-4 NKJV). This story teaches you three important principles:

1) Refuse to give more attention to a critic than you would to a friend. To Nehemiah, the people who mattered were those who were for him rather than those against him. So instead of trying to change minds, he changed gears and moved forwards.

2) Realise that with opportunity comes opposition. Paul wrote, ‘There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me’ (1 Corinthians 16:9 NLT). Criticism is a sign of respect; if you weren’t succeeding, they wouldn’t even notice you.

3) Remember that it’s the big battles that produce the big victories. Satan won’t send you a congratulatory letter because you have decided to do God’s will; he will fight you every step of the way. ‘Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world’ (1 John 4:4 KJV). Today God is on your side, so your victory is assured.

SoulFood: Josh 19:24 – 21:45, Luke 20:20-26, Ps 112, Pro 23:13-15

Poured from experience to experience

‘And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel.’ Jeremiah 4 8:11 NKJV

God said, ‘Moab has been at ease from his youth; he has settled on his dregs, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel … Therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent has not changed.’ (Jeremiah 48:11 NKJV)

This Scripture paints two pictures for us; one is natural, and the other is spiritual. In the natural picture, we see how wine is made by being poured from one vessel into another. In the spiritual picture, we see how God changes us by pouring us from one experience into another. And just as in winemaking, when the wine is poured out of one vessel into another, it leaves behind the dregs, which must be removed in order to produce good vintage. Similarly, God will permit you to be poured into situations that reveal your weaknesses so that you can work on them. And no matter how uncomfortable it is or how badly you want to escape, God won’t let you until your issues have been dealt with successfully. How will you know when that’s so? Because as you enter your next experience, you will leave them behind you.

In the winemaking process, the wine doesn’t spend the same amount of time in each vessel. That’s because each vessel serves a different purpose. Only the winemaker knows the purpose of each vessel and therefore determines the amount of time needed in it. If you’re being poured from one experience into another, read this: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:6 NKJV).

SoulFood: John 14:6-11, Acts 4:8-12, Acts 16:22-34, Matt 1:18-21

The right people and the right environment

‘He put them all outside.’ Luke 8:54 NKJV

The Bible says: ‘Someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead” … when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately’ (Luke 8:49-55 NKJV).

There is an important lesson here for you. To experience the resurrection power of Christ, you need the right people and the right environment. Just as oil and water won’t mix, neither will faith and doubt.

Notice, Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the house with Him, and put all the others outside. Might some have been offended and criticised Him for this? Sure, but when you’re in a crisis, you need to surround yourself with people who can stand with you on God’s Word and believe Him for the answer. When Jairus heard that his daughter had died, he doubtless would have thought, ‘That’s it; nothing more can be done!’ But that’s not what Jesus thought.

In the original Greek text, Jesus said, ‘Don’t be afraid; only believe, and keep believing and she will be made well.’ You need people who will keep believing God with you for the answer.

SoulFood: Josh 16:1 – 19:23, Luke 20:9-19, Ps 20, Pro 23:10-12