Grace and Favour are not a license for laziness and mediocrity
So, how do I start this post? Emmm... Okay, let me lay a foundation.
First and foremost, my God is a Great God. Secondly, He is not a lazy God, and; Thirdly, He is thoughtful. He thinks things through, starting what He has already finished and finishing what He starts.
I write this post this day to address no body else but my brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, it's you I want to address - brothers, sisters, daddies and mummies, workers, pastors and members.. This one is for you..
I have read through and through the Bible, and no where have I seen God prescribe Grace without Labour. No where. Yes the Bible say in Isaiah 1:9 - "If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land " and in Philippians 4:19 - "my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in Glory". But same Bible also says in Proverbs 6: 10-11 - "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands... so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth". Proverbs 10:14 reads: "The LABOR of the righteous tendeth to Life".
Apostle Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3: 10-11 - "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat, for we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies".
Today many Christians in the name of miracles and my God will do it for me have turned to laziness, and idleness, and they back it up with the Scriptures. Please, stop embarrassing Christianity. We are not called unto laziness and idleness, but righteousness and holiness.
You need a job, pray about it, fast, but go and submit your CV, read about job opportunities, network with people, go for course training, your God can do it? Of course, I know, if you submit your CV, and you get the job, is it not your God that did it?
As a student, you will not read your books, be praying and fasting, because you are a Christian, Good luck.
As an undergraduate in Pharmacy school many years back, I remember how active I was in church activities, I was in prayer band, Sunday school, Ushering, evangelism, and a Minister. I held several posts at parish, area and zonal level. I would hold and attend several church meetings as a Pharmacy student, but I remembered reading till the point that one day, I was reading and tears were dropping out of my eyes. I was tired, but I had to go on. I didn't say well, I am a child of God, I cannot fail, and then go and sleep. I read till a point my buttocks became numb from sitting down on the plastic chair in my room. I had to put a pillow on the chair first before sitting before another thing will result.
Some days, I will put my leg inside a bucket of water, yet sometimes I would fell asleep, but I still served God and prayed like I hadn't read and read like I hadn't prayed and God saw me through.
Please stop making God look like a failure. Apostle Paul said - "I am what I am but by the Grace of God, nevertheless I labored more than they all".
Grace and favour aren't a license for laziness and mediocrity. Your Marriage is in shambles, you keep praying, "God put fresh wine in my marriage", is it God that will come and take your wife out on date nights? Ordinary 'I love you", you can't tell your wife. The only time you use sweet voice is in the night when you are in the mood, you want new wine in your marriage like that?
Dress well for your husband, look fine, smell fine, tantalize him, seduce him, he is your husband, you say No. You make hairstyle that doesn't have name, tie big bouber and wrapper like Iya Shakira, and you want him to rush home from work, you lie oh, you will nag him from morning till night, you want him to spend time with you, and be doing what? Listening to your complains abi? Package yourself, you refuse to hear. Common sense have eluded you, because you are a Christian na, demon destroyer. The Bible is clear 'Wisdom is profitable to direct". Christianity doesn't stop us from applying simple common sense, sometimes you may not need to pray in certain issues, just apply principles and you get the results.
Doesn't the Bible say in Hosea 4:6 "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"? Balance this with other scriptures on giving, prayer, fasting, saving, planning, living holy, marriage ethics, hard work and you have the balanced Christian who cannot but excel in all he puts his hand to do or am I wrong?
The one that annoys me more are those praying for their landlords to forget the rent they owe, or ask them to stop paying rent. Some just want the man to die kpatakpata so they can inherit his house.
2 Thessalonians 3:12 goes thus - "Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat THEIR OWN bread". Work hard, stop eyeing your landlord's compound, you can build your own.
Pastors, please let's teach our congregation to be hardworking, diligent, creative and innovative, to read books. Many Christians prefer to pray than to read. They fast, pray and sow seeds, but is that all?
The word is full of Unbelievers who are helping to make life better through hard work, diligence, innovation. We have authors, scientists, entertainers, speakers, CEO's. As Christians we should be doing more, we enjoy technological innovations, apps, gadgets, we even use them in our churches, what are our youths doing? What are we doing?
We sow seeds and fail to think. We make hard decrees and fail to work hard. We pray and fast to succeed yet fail to seek requisite knowledge for success.
I will not be among Pastors who make their congregation to believe that all they need to do is to sow their one month salary, give sums of money they don't even have as seed of faith and go to sleep, that they will never suffer in life; because that is a lie! Even after paying your tithe, things can and will be tight for you, in fact very tight if you fold your hands and do nothing. If you won't save, invest, remove your hands from iniquity and wreck less spending.
Christians have come to see God as a police officer abi Lassma official, that collects bribe, just PAY your offering, PAY your tithe, no vision, no planning, no budgeting, spend recklessly and God will still prosper you. No.
God doesn't bless you because you give him money, what he does is to bless the work of your hands.
"21 people with half a million naira to sow as seed to tap into greatness come outside before I count to 21"
Now I am not against sowing seed, and giving but what of other seeds of greatness like; hard work, focus, insight, patience, starting small, information, keeping the right company, pursuing knowledge, living holy, abstaining from sin, hunger for success, living for others, saving, investing.
The average christian is more prayerful than he is thoughtful. Watch and Pray.
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