FOOD FOR TEENS: DILIGENCE (GOD'S WAY UP)

A lot of Christians have this notion that as believers we are supposed to work as ants and eat like elephants, this is a very nice idea but the true question I would like to find out is “where in scriptures did God promise us this?

I want us to understand the true concept of work as believers, work according to scriptures was never meant to just feed a man, it is supposed to be a way for us to do God’s will concerning our lives.

Ephesians 4:28; "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." As believers our work is not primarily to feed our stomachs or take care of our physical needs only but to ultimately be a blessing to others, it goes way beyond us, look at the rich man who was so particular about storing wealth for himself in Luke 12:16-21, "And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 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."

Do you know that most present day believers have exactly the same mind set as this rich man? They want all they can get to keep, there is no underlying purpose behind their work except to gather and gather and gather and enjoy life. Do you know that no matter what you do as a believer God has a purpose tied to your work that you may be a blessing unto Him? People who have this mindset always carry their purpose at the back of their mind, it is what drives them to desire success that they may have to give and do good works. Ephesians 2:10; "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." This is exactly why Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Now that we have established what work is to a believer, next thing we should look at is what our attitude should be towards it. God expects only one attitude from us when we do our work and that is diligence. When you look through scriptures you will understand that God Himself is a diligent God, very attentive to details, look through creation and you will observe that The God who created everything on earth is a diligent God. Jesus gave us a glimpse of this in Matthew 10:29-30, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." That’s our father. A believer who has the right understanding about work and does his work diligently is the man that will leave his footprints in the sand of time by fulfilling God’s purpose for His life. Proverbs 22:29, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." The reason why we see some people excel and others not excelling in their jobs is simply because of diligence. The rain that God sends to our work will only produce good fruit if it falls on a diligent soil. In the story of the rich man we were told that The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. In this part of the world, one thing lacking in our work is diligence that’s why we see as a people that the growth is stunted. There is a big difference between diligence and hard work. Recently the president called Nigerian youths lazy and a lot of them were seriously displeased with that statement because truthfully a lot of them are hardworking but what seems to be lacking is diligence.

Now what is Diligence?

The Bible perfectly defines it in two passages; Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” To further explains what it means to seek God diligently let’s look at Deuteronomy 4:29, “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” To be diligent means to engage your work with your spirit, soul and body as unto the Lord. This is the reason why God says in Colossians 3:22-24, "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

Apostle Paul told us to work with a singleness of heart as unto the Lord. Remember Jesus Christ told us in John 4:24; that “God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” So even in our work we must do it from our spirit because our reward is from God and not from man. When you work with your main focus to please God, you will discover the following:

1.You won’t bother who gets the credit for work done because God sees who truly did the work and He is the one who rewards ultimately. Remember Haman and Mordecai?

2.You would work from your heart because God dwells in your heart, that is, you will completely give yourself to the success of your goal because the evaluator of your work resides in your heart and not outside

3.You will discover that when you work like this, excellence become synonymous with your work

4. Your work will begin to speak for you even in your absence

5. By the help of the Holy Spirit in your heart you will begin to come up with ideas that are extremely brilliant to set you apart from your counterparts

6. You will find true fulfillment in your work knowing you are doing the will of God even through your work.

7. You will greatly prosper through that work. 

 

Lastly, you need to know that wherever you are when you receive Jesus is exactly where God wants you to be at that time. 1st Corinthians 7:20-21; “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.” Where you are is where God wants you to start changing your world from through diligence in seeking Him in your work. Go do this and see if you will not fulfill His purpose for your life.

God bless you, see you next month.