Gifted to Work

Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Ecclesiastes 5:19, ” Moreover when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God.” Read Exodus 35:34, 35…

The degree or amount of effort you put into something will determine the degree or amount of rewards you will receive. But there is a provisor – your efforts cannot be misdirected. In other words, your efforts must be energised from a right and correct motive. If your efforts are driven by hidden agendas or selfish ambition they will bring you no rewards – no favour and no rewards. Therefore, it’s not worth your while applying any effort without seeking God’s favour first.

All worthwhile achievements are compliant to hard work. Hard work and lucrative achievements are synonymous with each other. If you want to be noticed and stand out from the crowd, develop a reputation for being a hard worker. The people who can help you advance in your career will always be impressed by your willingness to work harder and longer when ever necessary. But the opposite applies to anyone with a lazy idle attitude. Proverbs 19:15 says, “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer poverty.” Laziness cuts you off from the real world and all you end up doing is dreaming – nothing else!

You can tell where you are going to be in three to five years time with faultless accuracy by simply looking at the number of hours you are working right now. No dream can be fulfilled, no success plan implemented, without hours and hours of hard work going in.

All success is preceded by a long period of hard work – hard work in a single direction toward a clearly defined purpose. But remember to work hard and also to work smart! Therefore, you must be working on high-value tasks and activities aimed toward the accomplishment of meaningful and important goals. Don’t waste your time trying to impress others.

Another thing you will notice is, the harder you work, the more rewards you get – first from God and then from man. Hard work opens up doors of opportunity for you and brings to your assistance all manner of people and resources that you could not have imagined would come your way. Some would put this simply down to luck, but it’s a universal principle. God promises to work all things together for your good because you are called according to His purpose [Romans 8:28]. Implying that the pursuit of a God given destiny provides you with unlimited resources through unlimited favour. But this Godly pursuit also requires effort and hard work!

2 Thessalonians 3:8, “Nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.” The apostle Paul was never afraid of hard work. This is why he did great exploits.

Remember, to achieve more than the average person, you must work harder than the average person. And, you are always fully compensated for whatever you do, whether positive or negative. What you receive as compensation for whatever you do will seriously effect your success. The Law of Sowing and Reaping ensures that there is perfect justice in this regard. Whatever you are reaping today is a measure of what you have sown in the past. If you want to reap something more or different or better in the future, you have to sow something more or different or better in the present.

The Bible tells us that a worker is worthy of his hire [Matthew 10:10], and this literally means, a worker ought to get paid what he is worth. Your worth is determined by your output – what you do – what you excel in! Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.” The more you put out (excel in), the more you will get back - the more you will be rewarded. If you want to increase the quality and quantity of your rewards, then you must increase the quality and quantity of your contribution. You must apply more effort in the areas of quality and quantity!

Notice, you cannot get something unless you have first ‘put-in’ something. And furthermore, the longer you put in without getting something out, the greater will be your reward when it finally comes.

So never grow weary while doing good, for in due season you shall reap what you have sown if you do not loose heart [Galatians 6:9] Apply as much effort to the things you want to achieve in life and your efforts will always be greatly rewarded. This is a guarantee!

Work should never be aimless. The clearer you are about your objectives, your values, your mission, and your vision, the more effective you will become in attaining success. Remember, success is predictable, it is not an accident. But it does require serious effort on your part.

Psalm 90:17, “May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”

Chris Demetriou, 23/09/2007