DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: JULY 29 COMMAND TO WORK (1) SCRIPTURE: GEN. 2: 5, 15; 1 THESS. 4: 11 – 12

One of the saddest doctrines given to many Christians since the era of Apostle Paul was not allowing them to earn money for their living. The view was widely spread by the earliest Christ Believers. Those preaching this gospel felt once one accepted Jesus and become His worker, secular jobs should not be handled. Actually, some see church leaders, ministers and general Overseers who are engaged in secular jobs as sinners, worldly people who should be avoided. This accounts for the serious poverty rate seen among Christians across the globe today. In the days of Apostle Paul, some of the Christians in Thessalonica were living in idleness. He addressed them and commanded them to be working.

It sounds funny to hear some Christians condemning Heads of Churches who are civil servants, traders, business owners so as to earn extra money while running ministries. People in the world do not take these sets of Heads of Churches serious either. In other for Apostle Paul to convince the Thessalonica Christians the need to work for a living, he reminded them of his teaching and pointed them to see how he had lived a left of hard working man while he was with them. Apostle Paul concluded that those who refused to work should not be allowed to eat. This sounds good to the author of this devotional.

Today’s devotional sees the need for Christians, including Heads of Churches to be doing something that will earn them daily income for their needs instead of idling away smiling in poverty. Living a life of idleness expecting to benefit from the labour of others should be discouraged among Christians. God the Creator of all human beings told Adam and Eve to work with their hands in the Garden of Eden. Hear the scripture: “…for the LORD GOD had not caused it to rain on the earth, and put him into the Garden of he Eden to cultivate the ground…then the LORD GOD took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it” (Gen. 2: 5, 15 International King James Version). This sounds like New Gospel, may be. But it is a Biblical truth.

PRAYER:

O LORD GOD, inspire my heart and mind to what I will be doing to earn daily living without begging in the name of Jesus Christ.

bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch