Open Heavens 3 March 2016: Thursday daily devotion

Open Heavens 3 March 2016: Thursday daily devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Topic - Work: A Divine Mandate

Memorise: But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.  – John 5:17

Read: Genesis 2:8-11 (KJV)

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

Bible in One Year: John 8:31-10:21, Job 31:16-28

MESSAGE:

It is amazing to know that even though the work of creation ended millions of years ago, the Creator is still working on His creation. The Father has not gone to sleep like many biblical scholars and theologians believe. The Trinity is still very much at work. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have not ceased to work amongst men. God, through redemption, is still working today in order to fulfill the reason for which the world was created.

There are many people who in the name of having faith have refused to do anything productive with their hands. They resign to fate and live their lives by chance. That was not the example God laid when He created the world. Despite His sovereignty, His work was still threatened by darkness and it was in the process of still working, that He pronounced the appearance of light. God went through the process of forming man and breathing into his nostrils, before man could become a living soul. God had to grow every tree in the garden before asking man to tender it. If God worked and is still working, what excuses do you have not to work?

Life is beautiful when you are committed to your work. Moses, Daniel and Paul were men who worked for the intellectual good of their time. They had to work hard to know a great deal about the world and the times they were in. through hard work they knew what their contemporaries did not know and this was why they remained relevant till the end of their lives. We should be ready through hard-work to contribute to the church and our immediate environment. There is so much beauty in working. Jesus did not avoid work and it sustained Him. He said that His food was to do the will of God and to accomplish His work (John 4:34). Philippians 2:12-13 enjoins us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

People are not ready to work any longer. They want to loaf around and settle for overnight miracles, but God does not operate that way. There are principles that must be followed for certain blessings to come your way, and stay permanently. Hard-work does not kill, and those who avoid hard-work at the time they are supposed to embrace it will end up with a hard life. Have you not seen people who at the age when they are supposed to be retired, still struggled to get menial job? Before Jesus healed that man who was born blind in John 9:1-3, Jesus rubbed clay on the man’s face which he had to wash off before the physical laws could be set aside in order for him to experience the supernatural law of God. If he had not followed the instructions of Jesus, he would not have been healed. Paul also said “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Colossians 1:29. I want to assure you that as you obey this divine instruction, things will begin to work for you.

Key Point: He who does not work hard now, will retire into hardship later.