Devotionals, January Third Week
January 15th, 2021
You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. Psalms 65:11
Today, we will start the third week of January with a theme for a new devotional that we are going to call “Redeeming The Time.”
We have only spent 2 weeks into 2021 and in the remaining 350 days we are always going to need a little wisdom in how we spend our time—what we ask for in prayer, how we exercise our faith, where our energies are focused, the plans we need to see executed, the distractions we should avoid, and how we can reach a God-ordained success for this year.
In Psalms 65:11, we see David talking about how God crowns the year with His bounty and His wagon tracks overflow with abundance. So, rather than start this meditation by thinking of all we can achieve in our intelligence, strategies, and strength—it is a great idea to seek what the Almighty God can do for us this year. This shouldn’t be difficult even for many who see little involvement of God in our day to day lives, considering that many who had planned certain things in 2020 did not see them come to pass, because it was the year of COVID 19, when the whole world was brought to a standstill.
The whole Psalms 65 is amazing.
We see David talking of praises awaiting God in Zion (verse 1). That sounds like a good way to start the year. We should learn to praise God more joyfully. He also talks about fulfilling the vows. This reminds us of being faithful in all our commitments to God and people. In verse 2, he reminds us that God answers prayers and all people in the world look to Him. In verse 3, he reminds us of God’s forgiveness. Verse 4 is thrilling: blessed are those who come near to God, they are blessed with the fatness or goodness or festivities of God’s house. So being in God’s presence this year sounds like a sure way to be blessed. A definite path to see reasons to celebrate God’s goodness. Verse 5 is even more comforting: “By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us” in KJV, which is translated as “You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds” in NIV. So we can expect the two-fold miracles of God this year: miracles of mercies to bless His people and miracles of judgments for those who have chosen to live in fearful expectation of His wrath that will consume God’s enemies. I am sure we will see tons of miracles this year.
Verse 6 reminds of us His power in creation. Verse 7, how He quiets the roaring seas—whether literal seas like those we see in hurricanes or metaphorical ones like the tumults we see in riots—“turmoil of nations.” In verse 8, we see that in all of these wonders, the earth stands in awe. God is always going to have something more to amaze the whole world. And yet, in all of these things, He calls us to shout for joy. Verse 9 reminds us rains that water farms come from God. In the 21st century when provisions may not necessarily come from farming, we can still trust that Christ is the rock that gives us water to drink in the wilderness. That rock is everywhere. Agriculture, education, technology, healthcare, retail, natural resources, and many other ways that God provides for people’s financial needs these days. The rock that provides for us is still Christ. Verse 10 reminds us that in all of those things the harvest is ordained by God. A hardened ground would not allow vegetation to germinate and that could lead to famine. A sick body would not go to work and that would lead to poverty, where paid medical leave does not exist. Productivity, fertility, and favorable results are all from God. It is after verse 10 that we see verse 11 we have for our meditation today to start this new theme.
“You crown” is “atar” in Hebrew. It means lay a wreath, surround, crown-bestower. He is the Alpha and the Omega of the year. Its beginning and its ending. For God, a year is not just a passage of time. It is crowned like a king would be crowned. The jubilation of the new year with firecrackers may be the closest to the Independence Day celebration and inauguration of a new head of government we see. Even without knowing what they are doing, people crown the year on January 1st, something that God has already done. But the year is not a king and it is not a god. The Hebrew word for it here is “Shanah” and it is simply a revolution of time, a period of the age. We see this word used in Amos 2:10 where God reminds Israel that He brought them from Egypt and led them in the wilderness for 40 years. So, a new year does not have an inherent virtue. It can be a year of wandering in the wilderness. In Genesis 41:50, we see the word used in the time before the years of famine came, the time Joseph had 2 sons. Again, we see that a year can be one of calamity and famine. If we consider the years that Israel wandered in the wilderness, we can see that was not God’s perfect will for Israel, it was a result of their rebellion. If there’s something we should hope for this year—we hope this is not the year we wander in the wilderness, simply because we refused to hear the voice of God. A year cannot be good simply because we wish it to be. We have to pray earnestly to the Lord who crowns it so that it can be a year of eternal achievements for His glory.
“Bounty” in Hebrew is tob and it means goodness, pleasantness, prosperity. So, if we want the year to be of prosperity—not one where government borrows trillions of dollars in debt to hand over a few hundreds dollars to people for survival, we have to look to the Lord who ends COVID 19, gives wisdom for the protection of people’s health, and returns all of us to normal living, and see prosperity flowing this year. We can be the land that flows with milk and honey like God had promised Israel to inherit because the Lord crowns the year to be so.
“Your wagon tracks with abundance.”- There’s a such thing as the God-train. What is it bringing to your house this year ? The Hebrew word is magalah and it means path, entrenchment, track. God’s paths are designed to lead to pleasantness and abundance. I know all the theology of Job—that Satan was jealous of Job because the Lord had blessed him with abundance—and the devil accused him before God—and God allowed suffering to come to Job. But James also reminds us that with patience, Job held firm to his God, and God gave him double for his trouble. So if you have been a Job-suffering type, James is challenging you that you believe God—for $1 million you lost, expect to get $2 million. If Job is our example in suffering, let him also be our example for restoration. James does not focus on the pain, rather on the double blessings Job received after a period of time. “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”—James 5:11. So, either way, God has ordained abundance.
Let us be be full of faith so that just like Job saw a divine turn around of everything that was unfortunate, we will see God’s favor and we will experience more blessedness, happiness, and prosperity flowing in our lives this year. We know that discipline is ordained for all legitimate children of God (Hebrews 12:6) and everyone who wants to lead a godly life is going to be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12)—that’s simply the nature of the fallen world we live in—but God’s grace overrides all of that in the end. He crowns the year to be prosperous and His wagon track brings us His abundance. As we put our faith in Him and persevere in patience, we will see His glorious works. “That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”—Hebrews 6:12. We cannot see that by being sluggish or lazy. God only responds to faith. Sometimes we may need the patience like that of Job, but faith has to be there and faith without works is dead. Spiritually and practically, we have to work hard.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you for giving us this new year of 2021 that you have already crowned with goodness. Lord, we pray that you give us the strength and health to be able to do our work this year. We pray that you give us the wisdom to be able to plan how we spend our time in the ways that will bring productivity for us and glory to your name. We pray that you will cause favor in unexpected ways to bring prosperity. We pray that you will end COVID and its accompanying losses. We pray in the compassionate name of Jesus. Amen!
January 16th, 2021
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16
We continue the devotional “Redeeming The Time,” for the third week of January. It was fitting to start with Psalms 65:11, where we read that God crowns the year with bounty and his wagon track brings abundance. If we are going to meditate on how we can spend this year for God’s glory and see God-ordained success, it is important to look to Him as we do that.
Psalms 65 does not seem to have an annotation of when this might have happened in the book of Samuel, but it reminded me of the time David tried to bring the Ark of the covenant from Baale of Judah where it had been left by the Philistines. This was the Ark of the chabod—God’s glory. It was the Ark of His presence. The reason I thought of this story in 2 Samuel 6 is because it is where we see the Ark being carried on a cart or wagon pulled by oxen. We read that after Uzzah died because of his irreverence, the Ark was left at Obed-Edom’s house and his house was so wildly blessed that the prosperity of his house could only be attributed to the presence of the Ark (2 Samuel 6:12). It just did not look the same like before. The cart of the Ark of God’s presence had brought abundance to Obed-Edom’s house quite literary. It is at that time, David hears the news and decides to bring it to Jerusalem—Zion—where he had recently established as the capital of his reign. We should not underestimate God’s presence and glory if we are going to plan our activities for this year successfully.
Seeking God this year is very important, but we also have to keep in mind that we are co-laborers. We know He is going to bless us, at the same time we should be working hard this year. Therefore, we should have a solid plan of how we are going to go from point A to point B, and work towards that. In Ephesians 5:16, Paul tells us about redeeming the time. The Greek word used for “redeeming” is “exagorazomenoi” and it is also used in Galatians 4:5, which we read during the Christmas season devotional—that Christ was born to redeem those under the law. It means to buy up at a marketplace and take out the merchandise. Christ’s blood purchased formerly enslaved people and brought them out of the slave market into liberty. That freedom cannot be cancelled. We are already out of the market. This word can also mean to take full advantage, seize an opportunity, and like the NIV translates it, make the most of every opportunity. The Word used for “opportunity” is kairon and it can also mean an appointed time, a fitting season. So, God wants us to take full advantage of opportunities He brings up—the seasons that are fitting for whatever assignment He has given us.
I can think of a number of opportunities in the past that I have taken full advantage of and saw great blessing. I can also think of a number of other opportunities that I did not seize appropriately, at least in my mind, it seems that I could have done much better. I have heard a number of Christians saying that they would not want to work in the government for various reasons, at certain periods or during certain administrations. Such a stance seems unwise when you look at the what the Bible teaches. For example, in the book of Daniel, we see 4 Jewish young men working for Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It might not have been as ideal as working for Solomon—but that was not the season—and we all can agree that they made the most of that opportunity. Even though they were tested in different ways, they determined to obey the Law of Moses and kept their integrity. The trials were nothing compared to their faith. They were willing to risk rejection, harassment, and torture, so that they can testify that Jehovah alone is God. Even a burning furnace of over 1000 degrees Celsius did not intimidate them. In the end, they triumphed. So, believers can make the most of every opportunity under any and every administration, employment, company, business, ministry, school, examinations, relationships, economic boom, economic recession, pandemic, etc . They have to be ready for anything that can advance God’s work in season and out of season. Yes, there are special occasions when they can have a higher yield and greater fruit— but they have to be aware that opportunity may present in surprising ways.
Kairos moments sometimes can be once in a generation or once in a lifetime or once in a decade. It’s quite amazing how many people will blow up those Kairos moments by not recognizing what God is doing and seizing the opportunity to make the most of it—only to lose all they have labored to attain at a great cost and end up in troublesome situations that border on going back to square one. This is probably why the verse that precedes Ephesians 5:16 is as important: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.” –Ephesians 5:15. There are Christians that have a mindset of “whatever happens-happens” or “anything goes,” so when they experience tragedy or loss , they will think that God wanted it to be that way—even if it is a consequence of their foolishness. Paul instructs us that this is not the case. Opportunities cannot be seized by fools. King Solomon wrote an entire book regarding this—it is called the book of Proverbs. The word translated as wise in Ephesians 5:15 is Sophos related to Sophia for wisdom. God is sovereign but He tells us to be careful, pay attention, work hard, not be sluggish, be wise, use our best judgment, take opportunities—all because He works through those means as well.
To be wise also means we will need to be “akribos” –careful. This would mean we would want to categorize people into fools and wise people—for our own protection just so we can avoid being contaminated by fools (2 Timothy 2:23).
I have seen a preacher in Oregon who likes to say that when Jesus comes the second time, he will not come as a judge to punish the wicked—even though there are a dozen Scriptures that say quite the opposite (Revelation 19:11; Isaiah 11:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Luke 19:27, just to name a few). Imagine people he is going to ruin with that nonsense. If you were to engage in a debate with such a person on another doctrine such as grace or finances, you may not realize how his eschatology influences his teachings on grace or money—and you could end up in ruins. All you need to understand the folly of that kind of “Gospel” and evangelism is to open the actual Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and see how Jesus warns again and again about the wrath to come and need to make repentance a priority.
There is a certain folly that is trendy, though, and it is often not easy to shake off: the love of money. Solomon said that “money is the answer to everything”—Ecclesiastes 10:9, and this is true in the world and how it operates. You can buy houses, cars, food, clothes, go on vacations, do Christian conferences, crusades, donate to political campaigns, build schools, pay tuition, give gifts to friends and family, go to a dentist and pay hefty bill, and do many good things with it. But it is also foolish to be possessed by money. There are just people whose identity seems to be attached to money. Think of some rap or pop music, for example, where a display of riches is boasted rather than seen for the vanity it is. That should never impress us no matter how powerful and exciting it appears. Several times, Scriptures warn us how that kind of warped identity can be dangerous. Greed—is a beloved sin of many people that ends up corrupting their identity. Sin and the identity of sinners are always intertwined just like righteousness and the identity of the saints are joined. We should learn to work hard and prosper financially and at the same time be content, discerning how destructive an identity centered on money and riches can be. (Proverbs 11:28; Luke 12:13-21; Matthew 6:19-20; 1 Timothy 6:3-17; James 5:1-3; Colossians 3:5; Hebrews 13:5; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalms 52:7; Proverbs 16:32; Proverbs 22:1; 2 Chronicles 26:16; 2 Maccabee 9:8; Acts 12:23; 1 Timothy 2:9; Luke 16:19-31; James 4:13-16; Luke 16:14-15; 1 Peter 3:3; Proverbs 16:18; Psalms 73:12; Ezekiel 28:5; Psalms 62:10; Proverbs 28:26; Psalms 49:5-6; Proverbs 13:11; Proverbs 6:6-11; Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 12:24; Proverbs 22:29; Habakkuk 3:17-18; Jeremiah 48:7; 1 John 2:15-17).
In our modern age, being “Akribos” also means we should scrutinize our use of social media. Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter had no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube channel, and no website—and we all can agree that they brought to us the Gospel, and 2000 years later, it is still spreading. Now, people who have all of these tools of technology can barely hold up their faith in the midst of little inconvenience. They are not even sure they can transmit their faith to their own children. So, by that, they acknowledge they don’t possess the same faith Paul and Peter had. It is true that social media can be beneficial —but in the grand scheme of things it has never been the primary vehicle of the Gospel—it is not how the Gospel reached to us 2000 years later in the first place.
Paul also uses “blepete” in Ephesians 5:15 for using discernment. There’s a time for everything and we should be perceptive of what is appropriate and when that is appropriate. There are usually trade-offs of what we have to do—we lose some to gain some—and as Christians, we should rely on Scripture. Is what we are gaining worth it? Is it godly? Is it pure? Is it praiseworthy? Is it beautiful, precious, and pleasing in God’s eyes ? Does it make us more sanctified, confident, courageous, and effective for advancing the kingdom of God ? Do we sense the increase and taste more of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, namely, love, peace, joy, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, patience, and self-control ? Then that trade-off is worth it. I don’t think that by being careful he was encouraging Christians not to lose their lives—because that would have been antithetical to the Gospel (Matthew 19:25; Luke 9:24; Mark 8:34-38; Matthew 10:27-28). At the same time, it is possible to lose one’s life for foolish reasons. There are just Christians who seem to be in search for trouble rather than seek to advance the kingdom and trust God for protection when trouble seeks them.
Finally, Paul says we should make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Yesterday, we saw that there was no inherent virtue in a new year. Despite the jubilation many people have to celebrate the new year, it could turn out to be a year of famine or wandering. But that word “Shanah” we saw yesterday was also used for the year of jubilee. The year when slaves were freed and debts were cancelled. So, it can be a year of redemption. It all depends on what the Lord does in that year. Interestingly, the year of Jubilee was an appointed time—it came every 7 x 7 years (Leviticus 25:8-55; Deuteronomy 15:1; Deuteronomy 31:10; Nehemiah 10:31). You couldn’t decide if it was going to be Jubilee or not. God had already decided that. Because Paul says the days are evil, we cannot afford to let good opportunities slip. We have to be careful and pay attention how we deport ourselves, how we walk around, the way we carry out our conversation in the world. Another verse where Paul uses similar language to this Ephesians 5:15-16 is the Colossians 4:5: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”—in this Paul was more mission-conscious as we see in the verse that follows. Ephesians 5:15-16 can be applied to any opportunities we get whether secular employment or ministry but Colossians 4:5-6 is clearly focused on how Christianity is perceived in the eyes of the world. How would actions taken by Christians advance the Gospel and bring people to salvation? At the end of the day, this is how our lives will be measured in the opportunities we were given.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have put some Kairos moments into 2021. Opportunities will come to us that are once in a lifetime or once in a decade. Lord, we are inadequate to seize seasons of that magnitude, and we pray, Lord, give us the wisdom that we need to be able to succeed in taking full advantage of those opportunities so that your name will be glorified in our lives and the world. In the name of the Lord Jesus, who sees all of our situations, we pray. Amen!
January 18th, 2021
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10
We continue the devotional “Redeeming The Time,” for the third week of January. Today, we will be looking at this Scripture in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes is one of the books of wisdom of king Solomon—the one that is most popular is the book of Proverbs. These books have many wisdom nuggets—that tell us God’s mind about practical living. For some, Ecclesiastes is similar to Job—a mixture of godly and ungodly thoughts—in which a certain level of spiritual maturity is required to be able to discern what is the voice of God and what is the voice of sinful man. For example, Ecclesiastes 2 tells us more about Solomon’s own conclusions after experimenting with many foolish things—so that we do not have to experiment. It is not an idea of saying—go and try it for yourself and find out. He tried pleasure, it did not satisfy (Ecclesiastes 2:1). He tried alcohol, it turned out to be meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:3). He tried building large houses with beautiful gardens (Ecclesiastes 2:4-5), acquired slaves to serve him (Ecclesiastes 2:7), and then increased his wealth with silver and gold (Ecclesiastes 2:8), he even surpassed his own father David in fame and glory (Ecclesiastes 2:9), and yet after all of these things, he concluded it was equivalent to chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:11). So, we need this perspective not just for planning the year 2021 but also for life in general.
God put man in the garden of Eden to work the land (Genesis 2:15). Before the fall, this work was enjoyable and productive. But after the fall, God cursed the ground that man was supposed to work. He said: “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.”—Genesis 3:17. The Hebrew word used for painful toil is “Itsabon” and it can also mean sorrow as we see in KJV. It can also be translated as worrisome. All creation has been under this bondage, which it won’t be free from until the new earth is created by God (Romans 8:21; 2 Peter 3:13). The decay of this earth and universe—such as what some call climate change—or other things that are not the way they were in their initial state—are all consequences of the fall of man. People of the world fear rising sea levels, storms, hurricanes, and other elementary forces that could destroy life on earth. They are worried about that. You wouldn’t be able to promise someone to live 500 years, though you may work hard to save as many lives as possible, simply because the fall has limited the days man can live on earth.
Toil in work has been the story of man on earth since the fall, though perhaps some jobs may be more difficult than other jobs. People may be in different fields or sectors of the economy and earn differing incomes but, truly, when it comes to toil, we are all in this together. Even Jesus, when he was born as a man, he did not go directly into preaching and healing ministry—he first worked as a carpenter. So, He experienced the same challenges of labor and toil that man faces upon the earth. There’s no doubt that we should all call upon the Lord who invites us to come to Him and ease our burdens in such labors (Matthew 11:28; Psalms 68:19). This is not an invitation that is good only on Sunday when we rest—but an invitation we can take Him up on every day. When we do that, we will find His strength (Philippians 4:13; 1 Timothy 1:12; Judges 16:3;Psalms 18:29; Colossians 1:11; 29), as well as rest for our souls.
The world thinks of strength only from a physical point of view, which is really a temporary energy. So, Paul had to remind Timothy that the Gymnasium work out was of limited value (1 Timothy 4:7-8). Paul instead prayed for the saints to be strengthened “in the inner man”—Ephesians 3:16. When I was a young born again believer, we had intense intercessory prayers with groups of people before church services, Bible studies, and conferences, and in good humor, we called them “exercising prayer muscles.” They were serious, the old-fashioned Pentecostal fire meetings, with shouts, noise, and groanings. I do believe certain spiritual things can be birthed through groaning prayers but we also need quiet prayers of contemplation as we often hear God’s voice in those moments of silence (Psalms 100:1; Psalms 66:1; Psalms 98:4; Psalms 47:1; Romans 8:26; Galatians 4:19; Isaiah 66:8; John 16:21-24; Hebrews 5:7; Ecclesiastes 5:2; Matthew 6:7; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Psalms 69:13; Isaiah 65:24; Psalms 46:10; Psalms 131:2; Psalms 62:1; Psalms 4:4; Habakkuk 2:20; 1 Kings 19:12; Jeremiah 12:5; 2 Corinthians 12:9). When they pray with vigorous energy, the saints are birthing people. It is true that in the natural the weights that the young Schwarzenegger could lift with his ripped biceps, rectus abdominis, and transversus abdominis cannot be lifted by people who do not exercise. It is also true that what Elijah, Paul, and Jesus could do in the spiritual realm are unattainable for many Christians who have not learned the prayers of the righteous that avail much. Every morning we should wake up with one desire: to bring our emptying heart-tanks, frail determination, and dispirited will to the divine power station, also known as the “throne of grace” so that we can get filled up again, receiving fresh fire and be endued with power from on high (Psalms 73:25; Psalms 27:4; Psalms 5:3; Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:22-23; Isaiah 32:15; Luke 24:49; Ephesians 5:18; Jude 1:20; Jeremiah 29:13; Colossians 1:7 & 4:2; James 5:15-18; Isaiah 60:22; Zechariah 12:8).
While strength in the inner-spirit is our most prized strength, God is not against physical vigor. He is the one who promised “as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”— Deuteronomy 33:25. So, God wants us to eat healthy and have healthy habits of sleep and rest as well as exercise to make sure we maintain the health and strength our bodies need to work hard. Samson may have had a special calling that required physical strength and we may never reach his supernatural ability to use our bodies to do astonishing things, but that testimony alone shows us what the Holy Spirit can do goes beyond the human spirit alone, even the bodies can be taken over by the Spirit of God and strengthened. In the New Testament, supernatural abilities of body strength or teleportation have been given to missionaries, evangelists, and revered saints in church history, on some occasions, to accomplish God’s intended plan to save souls, provide supernatural revelation, or rescue those in danger; however, such supernatural abilities will only be permanent after the resurrection ( Luke 24:31; Acts 1:9; Acts 8:39; 2 Corinthians 12:2; Revelation 11:9-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Thessalonians 15:48-53; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Kings 18:12). While we may not need that power to do our work now, at least we understand that God has the ability to give us physical strength we need to carry out our duties as well.
Solomon encourages us “whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.” There’s something God has for everyone at a particular point in time. Assignments may change with seasons of life but there’s always going to be something the Lord has for us. Even people who consider themselves unemployed may have certain skills that they can use for something beneficial. The jobs that we have are usually not as random as we may think they are—they have been given to us by God. In the “New Journey Begins” devotional for January 7th, we mentioned that many things related to our biography have been planned by God (Acts 17:26-27). The same is true with our jobs. With this understanding, we should throw our whole hearts, minds, and strengths into such work. Working with all our might does not mean overworking or not taking rest—because that’s just unhealthy and not practical over long term. But I find that I can wake up at 6 am-8 am and go to bed at 10 pm- 11 pm during the week and still rest well. That can give me 14-17 hours of work—though I usually take lunch breaks and I have times I read news to keep myself informed. On weekends, I can be more relaxed. With the convenience of smartphones these days, we can even read news articles while at the airport waiting for a flight. Doing something like that doesn’t have to be scheduled.
When Paul talks about work, he says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”—Colossians 3:23. Some people have called that the Protestant work ethic—but I certainly hope all people who are Christians, whether they consider themselves Protestants or not, they should find this teaching valuable. Even when I was still a Catholic I used to do the same thing. Not only has God given us the jobs that we have, but we also work for Him—as our boss. If this is the case, then murmuring or grumbling with such work would be equivalent to the behavior of Israel in the wilderness—a rejection of God’s lordship and provisions.
Solomon tells us one thing to keep in mind: for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Many of us are going to die—except, of course, Christians who will still be alive the day Jesus comes to take the church for rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51)—but generally we all die— and after that we face God for judgment (Hebrews 9:27). That would involve accounting for our time on earth in everything. There’s a tendency for Christians, once they are born again and they are heavenly minded, to compartmentalize what they consider to be secular work and not have the consciousness of working unto the Lord as mechanics, teachers, chefs, drivers, nurses, politicians, engineers, doctors, construction workers, or bankers. This could make the day of accounting after dying very challenging. Work is often not even about us but can also bless our families and other people—and considering that we have limited time on earth—what are we going to leave behind that will be of value for those who will still be alive ?
Every second, every minute, every hour—will be accounted for before our Lord, the Judge, after we die—and considering that many are not in pastoral or evangelistic ministry—this could, mistakenly, seem to have less weight in terms of eternal accountability-which is why we need to keep in mind Paul’s encouragement. It matters even more so because we can support God’s work such as missions from what we earn in our work.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have blessed each of us with a calling and within that you have also charted trajectories for us in which we find our jobs and businesses. We pray, Lord, that you will help us carry the burdens that may be involved in such jobs, so that we can be at rest as we do our best to be productive. We pray that you keep in our minds that in all things we are working for you—so that we can sanctify all our labors and see them bring you glory—not just in the fruits they yield but also the attitude with which we approach them. In the name of our yoke-bearer, Jesus, we pray. Amen!
January 19th, 2021
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you. 1 Thessalonians 4:11
We continue the devotional “Redeeming The Time,” for the third week of January. Today, we will be looking at this Scripture of 1 Thessalonians 4.
There are many references about temporal work in the 2 epistles of Thessalonians. For example in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 we read: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” There are divine commands for helping those in need as we shall see in our devotional tomorrow, but such assistance is usually limited to special circumstances for verifiable reasons. It is not meant to be for anyone who just so desires to get help. Food assistance or cash-for-food simply wasn’t Paul’s idea of what Christianity should be about. Even widows, who we may think are supposed to be in that category for special assistance, weren’t guaranteed to be on the list of those supported by the church. Paul told Timothy to focus on older widows instead because he preferred those who had vowed to remain widows to be on such lists and it was more difficult to get that kind of commitment for younger women. “But refuse younger widows; for when they might grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry.”—1 Timothy 5:11. Since they were widows, it was their right to marry, but it was not their right to stay on the church’s financial assistance lists after being married—especially if their new husbands were men of economic means. Paul reasoned that since they were likely to remarry after their husbands died, their husbands should take the financial charge and they should not be considered for financial assistance by church elders.
The rule that those who do not want to work should not eat seems to be an echo of the creation’s mandate for man to have dominion on earth and work the land as well as the rule—we will use that term rather than the term “curse”—of the fall—that we alluded to in a previous devotional (Genesis 3:17-19). Work was instituted before the fall of man. Sweating for bread was a rule decreed after the fall. No man, president, king, political party, or economic system can escape the reality of this rule. While there have been suggestions of “Universal Basic Income” by some sociologists and politicians as the solution for the coming artificial intelligence revolution that could result in high unemployment, the UBI is unlikely to provide sufficient finances for most people to pay housing, education, healthcare, food, and transportation. If such “free money” was significant, it would be unsustainable. If it is small, it will not replace the necessity of work. If the technological revolution threatens some sectors of the economy, people have to adapt fast to find other means of income generation before their jobs are taken over by robots.
In the first phrase of the Scripture we read today “that ye study to be quiet,” the word that Paul uses for “study” is “Philo-timeomai”- with ”philo” being friend or lover and the Greek “time” being acknowledged honor. So, it can be translated as showing affection for what one acknowledges as valuable. Having aspiration for what is honorable.
The first thought I have is that this is literary contrary to what many Christians in certain denominations think or are taught they are supposed to think. It seems like there are always 2 camps about any doctrine or teaching in Christianity—be that as it may—having this ambition for what is honorable or acknowledged to be valuable is the Bible’s teaching. There is no shortage of arguments and strife over topics like these, but at the end of the day, all Christians agree that Scriptures are authoritative. Even when the Bible strongly teaches to help the poor, those who beg for bread or survival are seen as miserable both in society and in Scripture. It is not honorable to beg for bread. One has to toil for it. It is ingrained in human nature to despise financial dependence and the glory of God that God placed upon man when He created him in His image should stir him to work hard and be economically productive. Even for people who earn a living by their sweat, who can afford their basic necessities without begging , and yet are in the lower class with little means or are paid minimum wage, are as outcast as the beggars. (Psalms 37:25; Psalms 109:10; Proverbs 6: 6-11; Proverbs 14:20; Proverbs 19:4). There are many opportunities for upward mobility and social connections that are simply out of reach below certain income thresholds. We know how a university education is important these days, yet we also know that it may be unaffordable for many, even the brightest students. Some students may be forced to choose between excellent academic achievements and working to earn a living for their basic necessities. Short-term pragmatism affects many people’s long-term prospects for this reason.
Despite the contempt the rich show the poor, God does not approve those who demean them (Proverbs 17:5; Proverbs 21:13; Proverbs 28:9; Proverbs 14:31; Obadiah 1:12; Proverbs 11:21; 1 John 3:17; Proverbs 11:24; Leviticus 25:35-37; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Proverbs 22:22-23; Isaiah 11:3-4; Job 29:12; Jeremiah 22:15-16; Psalms 113:7-8; Psalms 72:12; Psalms 82). In June 2019, photos circulated in the media that Oscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his nearly 2-year-old daughter, Valeria from Salvador had drowned while trying to cross into the United States. Some people politicized that tragedy. It is possible to argue that countries should have reasonable immigration laws that are obeyed without cruel comments about these poor people who unsuccessfully tried to immigrate to the United States. Many poor people break their necks while trying to pull themselves by their bootstraps and the last thing they need is the mocking of foolish souls because of their unfortunate demise. Losing one’s soul is not just about the dangers of eternal torments of souls in hell, it is also about losing the compassion, decency, purity, justice, holiness, truth and benevolence that God created the soul to express (Mark 8:36; Matthew 16:26; Revelation 2:4-5; James 2:14-26).So, advocating for reasonable laws and principles in society should not be confused with such wickedness. It is possible to encourage responsibility without partnering with demonic activity.
Since Paul wanted people to be financially self-sufficient and earn their own bread, they had to value that lifestyle. You can’t value it by creating a mindset of long-term dependence. You do not value it by spending time in things that are less rewarding financially or decrease economic productivity. You do not value it by procrastinating important work projects or giving priority to things that do not produce. Also, the more knowledgeable one becomes about wealth creation, the clearer it becomes that working hard is simply one item in the equation. It is possible to create wealth by working smarter rather than working harder. It is true that there are certain activities that may be necessary that are not always going to be scored financially into bank deposits—as we shall see Paul had determined to preach the Gospel for free (1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Acts 20:32-35)— but we also see here that Paul is saying that we should study to be quiet and study how we can maximize our productivity for the sake of God’s kingdom and His testimonies in the world. God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants ( Deuteronomy 8:18; Psalms 35:27; Proverbs 10:22). If financial assistance is given to some, there has to be a detailed plan and audits of periodic goals so that even for those, it will be temporary— this could work by understanding the challenges involved and offering sustainable solutions that will have long term benefits. At a certain time people who are assisted should be able to graduate to finance their own expenditures. It is possible that length of time will vary depending on circumstances. The Bible offers objectives but specifics should be decided based on what God is revealing for a particular situation.
The word that Paul uses for “quiet” is” Hesuchazo.” It means to be at peace or rest. To be still, refraining from speech, and not being meddlesome. We see it used in Luke 14:4 after Jesus asked the Pharisees whether it was lawful to heal leprosy on the Sabbath or not. They kept silent. They had no answer. They probably did not want him to heal on the Sabbath but they also knew that it was right to do good on the Sabbath.
Studying how to lead a quiet life takes time but it is worth studying. There are alternatives. I have heard someone say that there are people who are just “party-iers.” That’s their life. They are in the bar almost every other day and some other public entertainment and party locations every week-end. I have many cousins and I am amazed at how their lives have progressed differently. One older cousin loved to party—when I finished high school he asked me to tutor him Calculus so that he could study electronics—somehow he never made it. Another younger, I tutored him and he studied engineering and he was kind of a focused guy—no partying—and he is a quite rich guy now. In just one large family with close cousins—you can see how being focused on a certain goal produces differing results over time. Unfortunately, neither is born again—though they are both religious, but hopefully, eventually they will be. We can always improve on how more focused and quieter we are.
Partying is not the only distraction. The stressful events of the last days as we see in Luke 21; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; 1 John 2:18 can create a certain level of worry or anxiety that could cause many to spend quite a significant amount of time focused on those things. If someone is a TV anchorman and makes a living out of scaring people, that’s probably good for business. But for many people, that kind of anxiety can have a destabilizing effect, especially when presidential elections are coming up. It’s a kind of situation that is hard to ignore because results of elections can affect everything you are working towards or you are trying to avoid. Since not everyone will make a career in politics or news coverage, it’s important to strike a helpful balance of how much time one deems useful in watching world events unfold and what they intend to do with that kind of information. It might be helpful for research purposes. God’s people should be aware of how to navigate the world around them.
The word used for “business” is “Prasso.” It can also mean to practice, perform repeatedly, accomplish. Isn’t it awesome that God actually instructs His children to run their law practices, restaurants, retail stores, manufacturing companies, medical practices, education centers, security firms, technology companies, etc ? I find that amazing. God considers it honorable to be successful in these things. I often hear Christians talk about how they could be locked out of social media platforms. How did that happen? Definitely, not because they have been obedient to 1 Thessalonians 4:11 for the last 100 years. If they did, many major banks CEOs would be Christians. World-reknown technology leaders or those who are “acknowledged as honorable” in Silicon Valley would be Christians. They would have practiced their coding skills and become fluent in different coding languages and discovered all the social media platforms that we see and perhaps even more. These things are not results of luck. Christians are not excluded from them. They have a divine commandment to do them. So what went wrong? Christians believe in divine sovereignty but they do not believe in fatalism. If belief in divine sovereignty means that Christians should not go to university, be successful students, and get good jobs after graduation—then that’s a misunderstanding of Scripture. Andrew Wommack teaches how a false belief in divine sovereignty prevents some people from experiencing divine healing but this is pretty much true for every redemptive benefit we have in Christ. Nearly everything that God gives to us by His grace or blessing is conditioned onto certain principles of faith and work. If you believe that God wants you to be sick, it is almost certain that you will never be healed. Yet, many Christians believe this despite Scriptural evidence to the contrary (Psalms 103:3; Exodus 15:26; Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:3-5; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Acts 5:16; Acts 19: 11-12; Hebrews 13:8). The same is true with our attitudes towards economic activity with financial rewards. God commands work, He also blesses such endeavor to be profitable and bring abundance ( Proverbs 3: 13-16; Colossians 2:3; Proverbs 14:23-24; Proverbs 15:6; Proverbs 21:20;Deuteronomy 11:11-15; Deuteronomy 28:12; Deuteronomy 29:9; Deuteronomy 30:9; 1 Kings 2:3; 1 Chronicles 22:13; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Psalms 75:6-7; Ecclesiastes 5:19; 1 Kings 10:23; Leviticus 26:3-5; Acts 14:17; Proverbs 3:10; Malachi 3:10; 2 Chronicles 25:9; Matthew 6:32-33; Ezra 6:8; Matthew 10:10; 1 Timothy 5:8; Romans 4:4; Luke 19:13; Psalms 36:8; Psalms 1:3; Galatians 6:9; Isaiah 48:17; Psalms 128:2; Psalms 90:17; Proverbs 16:3; Genesis 30:43; 1 Chronicles 4:10; Genesis 22:17; Genesis 13:2; Galatians 3:29; 2 Corinthians 8:9).
The word used for “ergazomai” is work and can be engaging in any task. Not all Christians are going to be business leaders whether small or large enterprises. Some are going to be teachers, work at McDonalds, in farming, as sales agents, as drivers, as retail stores clerks, as park attendants, and as construction workers. They are all earning their own bread—perhaps in differing roles with those in managing and leadership roles—but the bottom line is that they are earning their own bread. The whole point of all of these instructions and commandments is to “lack nothing.”—1 Thessalonians 4:12. This is a divine command, a charge, the Bible’s message. The initial command that God gave to man in the garden of Eden remains in force today—and Christians are definitely expected to be good examples in doing everything they can to be excellent at their jobs—working as unto the Lord—and not for pleasing human masters. A much higher standard of service is expected of all of us saints who are in Christ.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have helped the world move along through the industrial revolution and now we are in the information age—with a multitude of sectors in which your people can work and earn their livelihood. Lord, we pray, that you help all Christians around the world to be attentive to these instructions so that they will be able to work and succeed in their labors and will not lack anything. We pray that you will raise many godly servants of God in technology, banking, government, education, healthcare, legal field, and media—so that your name will be magnified through them as they do their best to serve others and also lift up their own families. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!
January 20th, 2021
You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” –Acts 20:34-35
We continue the devotional “Redeeming The Time,” for the third week of January. Today, we will be looking at these words of apostle Paul in Acts 20.
Paul is one of the most inspirational figures in the New Testament and the whole Bible. There are many examples we can learn from in the New Testament, but considering Paul’s extensive ministry, he is probably one of the top 5 New Testament figures besides Jesus, Peter, John, and John the Baptist. I love apostle Paul. He is both deeply spiritual and seriously pragmatic. He understands what it means to be heavenly minded and how to have feet planted on the earth and to live among men. He lived in a different time and period of history that is different from ours, so there are examples that we will have to adapt to our own 21st century, but overall, many of his teachings and comments are derived from Old Testament Scripture, so they have universal application.
Though Paul was entitled to have the support of the churches that he was shepherding (1 Corinthians 9:14), He did not rely on the financial support of churches all the time. Sometimes he did accept offerings (Philippians 4:16). Other times he decided to forego them because he had his own business. Apostle Paul was a tentmaker by profession (Acts 18:3). The Greek word used in Acts 18:3 is “skenopoioi, ” which is a combination of “skene” that means tabernacle or dwelling and poieo, which means manufacture, make, construct. Man is always in need of housing and habitation, so real estate is a sector of high demand. The materials used to build, design, technicalities, and standards may have changed over the last 2000 years, but demand remains high. These were technically mobile homes. It is cool that apostle Paul worked in the manufacturing and real estate industry of his generation. A person who is in real estate industry today would never find his career to be an excuse for not serving God and obeying the call. Jesus taught that for every excuse people make for not obeying their call, there will be someone to judge them on judgment day who has been able to overcome in that area. The queen of Sheba will arise and condemn the Israel of the days of Jesus because she came from Ethiopia to listen to the wisdom of Solomon and yet Israel refused to listen to the One who created Solomon, a greater than Solomon who was in their midst. Those who make certain jobs their excuse not to obey God’s call will find this quite terrible on judgment day (Luke 11:31; Luke 14:18; Luke 13:29-30; Deuteronomy 28:47; 2 Samuel 11:11; 2 Samuel 24:24; 2 Corinthians 8:1-9; Matthew 22:37; 1 Corinthians 7:20, 30; Proverbs 3:9; Exodus 22:29; Revelation 2:4-5; Revelation 3:14-21). If Paul could do all of this, what excuse do we have not to do the same ?
I will suppose that Paul was not a manufacturer on a large scale as to employ 1,000 people in that kind of business. But he made quite enough money to cover his ministry and personal expenditures as well as the needs of his ministry associates.
He calls them to witness that they were aware of His commitment to pay for his own expenses and those of his associates. While it remains true that “ a worker is worth his wages.”—Luke 10:7, as Jesus expected that those who preach the Gospel should also live by the Gospel, Paul had not been asking payments for his epistles or producing Bible studies that would be distributed with payment of a fee, or any other appropriate charge of costs for spiritual courses. He had determined to preach the Gospel for free (1 Corinthians 9:18), while making sure he did not stay behind financially by working with his own hands. This was not a requirement; it was a personal choice. A Faith Communities Today survey conducted in the United States in 2015 found that 62.2% of pastors in US churches worked fulltime in the religious field and 37.8% of pastors were bivocational—that is they were both pastors and had another job in the secular world. So, “tentmaking” is a practice that seems to have endured for 2000 years since the days of Paul.
Paul not only covered his own expenses, he also covered the expenses of his associates—and just like his own needs that could have been met by the support of churches—this also wasn’t a requirement. Why did he do that, then? Didn’t he want to save money for retirement? Didn’t he want to save money to buy houses in different cities he would be travelling to? Didn’t he want to take vacations ? There are always a lot of things you can do with money. He is not saying that they were assisting him in tentmaking—I will assume they might have helped—in that case it could have been a collaborative venture. He only says he supported them. So he was earning above his own personal and ministry needs. This is a good example that those 37.8% pastors who are bivocational can learn from. He says “by this kind of hard work,” he was setting 2 examples. The first is that it proved that it was possible to do. No one can say that Paul compromised on ministry effectiveness by doing this. None of us will ever attain the power and reach of his ministry. The effects of his ministry are still felt 2,000 years later. Just look at the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, and Timothy epistles. You can learn far more divine revelation and wisdom in those than in all modern Christian books combined. The second example was to help the weak. The Greek word used is “asthenounton.” This means to be sick or feeble or languish or be without strength. Paul wasn’t one who would have thought that those who are weak are burdensome. He worked hard for them. The Greek word used is “kopiontas” and it means to labor diligently, to feel fatigue, to strain oneself.
As we see in this Acts 20 passage, Paul lived the example that he wrote in the epistle to the Thessalonians “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”—1 Thessalonians 5:14.
He did not want people to be idle. He wanted people to be busy working. He did not want people who were disruptive or insubordinate, people who refuse to perform the duty required of them. Those had to be admonished. Not rejected or hated, but warned in hope they would repent and purpose to do what is right. He also asked the church to encourage the disheartened. Sin is not the only thing that causes people to be left behind in the church. Some could be disheartened and give up. The Greek word used is “Oligopsychous,” which means to lose heart, be faint-hearted, or have small courage. I am sure this covers those who are depressed. Life is harsh, full of losses, demonic attacks, financial hardships, persecutions, relational challenges, diseases, pandemics, and people’s own spiritual struggles. Not all Christians deal with these things in the same way. Paul knew that discouragement of some Christians, regardless of the cause, could ruin them spiritually (2 Corinthians 2:7-11). So, he asked the Thessalonians to be near them. Being near here doesn’t mean to live in the same house, but visit, write, invite, spend time, break bread with. He also asked them to help the weak. So, not only he was doing it himself as we read in Acts 20:34-35, he is writing another church to do the same. It was a pattern to be emulated by all New Testament churches.
I thank God that, in my life, though I have had challenges like many other people do, I seem to carry a huge dose of confidence and courage, springing from within. Knowing Scriptures thoroughly has certainly helped and without them it is impossible to build secure faith that is always a constant no matter what. I have discovered that this gives me joy and encouragement, helps me to stand strong at all times. I believe it is a Christian identity everyone needs to have. God wants no depressed children. I hope to do my part to be an encouragement for those who may need that. I think there are Christians who have some kind of wrong belief systems that, unless people are sad or in some kind of misery, then they are not godly. I do not think that’s Biblical faith. Christ is our rock and He wants us to be rock solid.
Finally, he asked them to be patient with everyone. There are just some people that may need more than one encouragement, more than one request, more than one message, more than one visit, more than prayer once. Since the church is the body of Christ and that means the members have to work together for the body to function, patience is an important fruit of the Spirit that we all need to grow into, to be able to bear with those who may not meet the standards we expect them to meet immediately—standards we hope they would all eventually attain. There are people we may have to work with that are not necessarily easy to work with. It requires discernment, encouragement, helping, and patience.
As I was thinking of how to end this devotional today—I remembered the words of Jesus: “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”—John 9:4. It would not help us to learn all these things without practicing them and there’s an appointed time to finish them. Naturally, we all die—so we won’t be here forever. We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of these things. Moreover, when the great tribulation sets in, when the Antichrist comes, Christians will hardly be able to do anything—so whatever energy they may have been saving—they might as well use it now—because at one point, darkness will cover the whole earth—deep darkness and a great tribulation—and Christians won’t be able to do God’s work. (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 13:17; Daniel 7:21). I believe the church will be raptured before that tribulation—but that’s a topic for another day. In the meantime, we have to redeem every hour and every second, working hard, because there’s an appointed time when all Gospel work will be over, a time when no one will be able to work.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have given each of us certain talents, skills, gifts, abilities, education, knowledge that we can use to be able to support ourselves financially and also be able to support those who are weak in the church, our families, and friendships. We pray, Lord, that you enable us to have both the wisdom and capacity to be more efficient to follow this example of apostle Paul—so that your name will be glorified in our lives and the world. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!
January 21st, 2021
Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Psalms 127:1-2.
Today, we will try to finish the devotional “Redeeming The Time,” for the third week of January. We will take a look at these verses in Psalms 127.
We started this theme with Psalms 65:11, where we saw that God crowns the year with His bounty. We saw that His wagon track brings abundance. We mentioned how that happened, quite literally, when the Ark of God’s glory was brought to Obed-Edom’s house in 2 Samuel 6:12. We concluded that if 2021 is going to be a great year for us, God’s presence will be paramount. There’s abundance that flows from the glory where the Lord rests between the Cherubim upon the Ark of the Covenant. We should approach that throne with boldness to receive His favor and grace. Then, we looked into practical aspects of abundance, success, and being good stewards of the days that the Lord has given us on His earth, right here. We talked about redeeming the time because the days are evil. We must seize those unprecedented opportunities that God brings our way. We also learned that, even in secular jobs, we actually work for Jesus, not human masters, therefore, we should do it with all our might as we will give account for that work after we die. Sanctified work is not just for pastors and evangelists. We talked about the value of being focused and staying quiet to do our businesses. We also saw Paul’s example as a bivocational minister—who not only paid for his own personal and ministry expenses—but also financed his ministry associates—while also helping those who were weak in the churches he was involved with. We must know, understand, and practice these things as the night is coming when no Christian can work ( Revelation 13:17; Daniel 7:21; 1 John 2:18; Matthew 24:21). Many Christians who have ignored these truths have seen Satan and the antichrists beat them in many states, cities, and countries. We cannot defeat the Devil without understanding, practicing, and preaching these truths.
Today, we will come back full circle and will again try to see the Lord’s help we need in our labors, rather than just the hard work we should be doing. I have read a famous quote that goes like this: Pray hard as if it all depends on God, work hard as if it all depends on you. Most of us have heard this quote so many times. Some say that this was spoken by Saint Augustine and others say that it was spoken by Saint Ignatius. I will admit that there’s a certain truth to this—and if it helps some Christians to summarize what they need to do to be effective—so be it. Personally, I like to challenge accepted aphorisms like these and modify them based on what I find is taught in Scripture. I am not one to just accept quotes 100% simply because they were spoken by a well-known Saint or Christian figure. I want to apply them to the 21st century in general and what I have observed by experience in particular. As far as I am concerned, every quote has to be scrutinized through Scriptures—just like the Bereans did for Paul’s teachings (Acts 17:11). So what do I find wrong with the above quote? It’s the work hard part. I would rather modify this to say: “Pray as though everything depended on God and work as though God would be the one evaluating the diligence of your labor and its success depended upon His approval of your life.” In the first aphorism, you could pray hard and then become independent from God to go work hard on your own; in the modified quote, both the success of prayer and work depend on God’s approval, regardless of how hard working you are. God should not be left in the prayer room while we go out to sweat and toil in the field (Genesis 39:4; Genesis 41:8-41; Proverbs 16:3; Proverbs 19:21; Exodus 33:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Psalms 75:6-7).
Psalms 127:1-2 is where we see these 2 assumptions of prayer vs hard work face each other and we see how God’s sovereignty outweighs everything man does on earth—no matter how hardworking people are. Hopefully, this could stir us into greater intimacy with Jesus and rather than our motto of “praying hard” being a simple 10 minutes of brushing off our responsibility to seek God—and then running fast into our daily businesses—we can actually start to see prayer itself as the hard work it is—and schedule blocked times to focus on this throughout the day—moments when we consciously ignore everything else and focus on fellowship with God and falling in love with Jesus. Only prayer should be our priority in those time blocks.
The Psalm starts by saying that “unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain those who build it.” How much they work hard is irrelevant. Their skills are irrelevant. The numbers of those who build are irrelevant. Unless God Himself builds it, they shall be working in vain. People who are in areas prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes would probably understand this more easily, but it should be a concept we all understand, regardless of the frequency of natural disasters wherever we are. The same is true with building a family. This Scripture is one that motivates many Christian homes to have Bible reading and fellowship time to seek God as the one builds the home. It can also be used for church—as the house of God—that no matter how well articulated the sermons are, how solid is the doctrine, how pure are the ministers, how enthusiastic are the church volunteers—unless the Lord builds His church—His house (1 Timothy 3:15; Matthew 16:18)—then that church will not see revival or an awakening or the miracles we see in the New Testament that exploded in Jerusalem, Samaria, Antioch, Damascus, and beyond. It can also be applied to anything else men will try to build—whether it is the tower of Babel—a political empire of dominance—defending the nation against terrorism or foreign threats—building a profitable company—or a non-profit organization (Genesis 11:4-8; Psalms 9:17;1 Kings 22:48; Isaiah 31:1; Revelation 3:17). Unless the Lord builds that, it’s all in vain.
We see this principle at work in the life of Simon Peter. He was a fisherman before He was called to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. One day, Jesus approached him by the sea of Gallilee and told him to cast his net in order to catch fish. “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”—Luke 5:5. Peter had not been able to catch any fish despite toiling all night. What was the point of losing sleep over such fruitless hard work? Anyone could have been as discouraged as Peter had become. Was it because other fishermen had taken all the fish? Was it because it was bad time? Was it because he had no good skills to catch them? Any of these 3 can be blamed when people do not succeed in their labors. Fierce and rapacious competition in the fishing waters or in the labor market can leave many frustrated (Jeremiah 12:5). Wrong seasons of hunting game can leave hunters frustrated just as they can leave fishermen discouraged (Psalms 34:10). Poor skills can also be problematic in fishing or any other job (Luke 16:2; Proverbs 26:15; Proverbs 22:29). Yet, Jesus blames none of these things. He could have said “maybe you can try again tomorrow.” He could have said “who taught you how to fish?” He did not. He just spoke the Word. The Greek word used is “rhemati”—for “say so.” Peter obeyed because the Lord said so. We are seeing that it is not just hard work we need, we need the rhema of God—we need the Word of God spoken to us.
As Peter followed Christ and became more and more a witness of His majesty and the power of His words, he was attached and joined to Him for good. One day, several disciples deserted Jesus because He had said that they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood to have life in them (John 6:53-55). Though it is unlikely this meant the doctrine of transubstantiation that the Catholic church believes, clearly regeneration, sanctification, and communion with Christ are life-giving. There’s abundant Zoe in Christ. Some of the disciples, however, understood this quite literally and they decided He was out of His mind and they could no longer entertain His doctrine (John 6:59-66). Jesus started to wonder whether the 12 disciples were about to abandon Him as well. Peter who had become acquainted with Christ in a more intimate way at this point said ” Where shall we go ? you have the words of eternal life“— John 6:68. This reminds us of how Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, that man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). In both instances, it is “rhemata” and “rhema” we see.
The Rhema is the Zoe-giving Word of God. If the Holy Spirit quickens Hebrews 7:16 in my spirit, it will be more fruitful to meditate on that and receiving a power-impartation of that Scripture than spending hours explaining the mysteries of election in Romans 9-11 to a class of Bible students. Make no mistake, we must know the Logos. I love Bible studies. I read Scriptures intensely. We should never underestimate what a strong Bible knowledge can do for us (Acts 20:32; John 17:17). All Scripture is God-breathed and cannot be broken. We cannot just pay attention to the living and piercing Word of the moment (John 10:35; Ephesians 6:17). Our Rhema Word of the moment must fit into the whole counsel of God of the Logos. A preacher cannot make up a doctrine by saying “I really feel the breath of God on this particular verse” if the conveyed message is being used to contradict and break a dozen other Scriptures in the revealed Logos. With that being said, we must acknowledge the difference between learning the Word and eating His words (Job 23:12; Jeremiah 15:16; Psalms 119:103; Ezekiel 2:8; Revelation 10:9). There’s a difference between searching the Scriptures for “gnosis” (2 Peter 1:5) and hearing His words spoken into our spirits for “epignosis” (Ephesians 1:17; Romans 8:26-27; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:3; Matthew 11:27).
There’s a difference between being a seminary graduate and enrolling in the school of Christ’s inheritance at His feet (Luke 10:38-42). Diligent study and communion produce different results. One gives us knowledge, the other imparts to us faith. One is a result of years of rigorous research (2 Timothy 3:15-16; John 5:39), the other is the quickening life-giving insights by the Spirit of God. One fills our heads with truth, the other enlarges our hearts with love, faith, and hope. One makes us informed teachers, the other does supernatural works. Interestingly, though Peter had seen the Rhema do miracles, “at Christ’s word,” here, he is willing to stay with Him because the Rhema eventually leads to eternal life. If we continue following Christ, if we continue hearing His words, If we continue receiving faith impartation, and do not give up, and do not slow down, and do not stray from that path, it shall continue to shine brighter and brighter, until it reaches its zenith, the brightness of noonday (Proverbs 4:18; 2 Peter 1:19).
Receiving rhema requires ongoing communion. The manna of yesterday stinks (Exodus 16:18-20; Hebrews 10:38; Acts 2:42; Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 6: 32-34; John 6:27; Proverbs 8:17; Colossians 2:6; 1 John 1:5-7; 1 John 4:17; Hosea 6:3; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:30; Mark 3:17; Isaiah 40:31; 1 Chronicles 16:11; Song of Solomon 2:5; Matthew 5:6; Psalms 81:10; Hebrews 5:14). Smith Wigglesworth used to say that if we live in the glory of yesterday, we are backsliders. Receiving Rhema daily will transform us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3: 17-18; Romans 12:2; 2 Peter 1:3-4). So, we need the rhema for supernatural provisions and miracles of God, we also need the rhema simply because we cannot live eternally without those words. We do not have to be smart or special for this, we just need to have our ears open. His words are all the revelation, wisdom, and understanding we need to operate in faith every day (1 Samuel 3:10; 1 Kings 3:7; Jeremiah 1:6-7; Deuteronomy 3:24; John 6:63; Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 28:1-8; Proverbs 4:20-22; Proverbs 3:2; Proverbs 9:11, 1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 2:3; Psalms 40:6; Isaiah 50:5; Hebrews 3:15; Psalms 107:20; Psalms 147:15).
The Psalmist concluded that it was vain to rise early and go to bed late, to eat the bread of sorrow because the Lord gives that to His beloved when they sleep. So, being God’s beloved is more valuable than toiling for bread. “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”—Matthew 6:32. You could say—wait a minute—Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft are all run by people who are not Christians and are worth over 100 billion dollars. So, they didn’t need God to do that, right? It is true that many people can succeed to create wealth without relying on Jesus. Secular people run after those things. But at the end of the day—God is the one who gave that to them—even if they may not acknowledge Him. This is the doctrine of common grace (Isaiah 45:5 or Isaiah 45:1-5; Matthew 5:45; John 3:27; Proverbs 23:5; Psalms 73:12-19)—but ultimately, God doesn’t deprive anything good from His children (Psalms 84:11; Psalms 23:1; Romans 8:32)—and since He knows that we need all of these things to advance His kingdom and live lives worthy of our calling—He wants to bless us.
Just because God is sovereignly merciful to sinners who don’t know Him, does not mean that His promises and the conditions attending them for being blessed can be ignored by those who already know Him. We depend upon the Lord entirely. “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned.” —Ecclesiastes 9:11. So, Jesus offered us a different model. Since the Father knows we need these things, He will give them to us, we just have to make sure we “Seek first the kingdom of God.”—Matthew 6:33. That’s how we become His beloved. That’s how we can rest and sleep and still receive His abundance. That’s how we can cast our nets in the waters where people toil and catch nothing—and find plenty of fish. That’s how we will hear His voice—the rhema of God. When Christ’s word becomes our daily bread, that word that is so powerful in doing wonders, we will witness glorious testimonies of the goodness of the Lord.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have given us your presence and glory for now and for eternity. We want to know you, seek you, learn from you, hear your voice, and see you work wonders, like John and Peter saw you do at the sea of Galilee. We want to work hard as though all our jobs were a sweet aroma offered to your altar, but we accept your wisdom of seeking you first and giving you our all—knowing that you are the one who will add to us the blessings that the pagans run after, as they toil day and night. In the majestic name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!