TOPIC: BANISH LAZINESS
MEMORISE:
He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. (Proverbs 10:4)
READ: PROVERBS 6:6-11
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
MESSAGE:
God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6); He does not reward the lazy. If you want to be successful, then you must be diligent.
I and one of my friends got born again at a time when making positive confessions was becoming popular among Christians. At that time, the popular teaching was, 'All you need to do is to say what you want repeatedly, and it will be yours.’ This friend of mine was very diligent with making these positive confessions. He would wake up in the morning and say, "I have a brand new car, in the mighty name of Jesus." Five years later, he was yet to own a car. One day, he asked me, "What's your secret? I've been making positive confessions without tangible results." I replied, "You wake up at 10 am in the morning, and at that time, I would have already put in five hours of work. Also, instead of working, you start making confessions. I'm sorry, but you will keep walking everywhere you go for a long time to come if you don't change."
Some people have become so attached to motivational speaking. They are usually the first to register for conferences; however, when it is time to put in the work, they are often nowhere to be found. No amount of confessions or unapplied knowledge can turn a lazy fellow into a high flyer. A fellow who doesn't wake up every day to make positive confessions or listen to smooth-talking motivational speakers will still succeed if he or she knows how to work hard.
Although I'm in my 80s, I still go about doing God's work diligently. When many other people are sleeping, I am walking about at night, praying. I don't preach shallow sermons; if you listen to my sermons, you will notice that I make reference to many Bible passages. These things don't come by just loafing around. Success in life is not automatic; being born a prince or princess does not mean that a fellow will succeed in life. No matter how much wealth a fellow inherits, if he or she is lazy and refuses to put in the work to multiply the wealth, that fellow will eventually squander everything and begin to suffer. Proverbs 18:9 says that a lazy person is a brother to him who is a great waster.
Beloved, laziness will make you waste privileges. It will also make you unprepared to maximise opportunities. Do not give laziness a chance; banish it from every area of your life.
KEY POINT:
Laziness will make you unprepared for opportunities and cause you to waste privileges.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 31-32
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 4 - TO THE WORK! TO THE WORK! WE ARE SERVANTS OF GOD
1 To the work! to the work! we are servants of God,
Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.
Refrain:
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on:
Let us hope, let us watch,
And labor till the Master comes.
2 To the work! to the work! let the hungry be fed;
To the fountain of life let the weary be led;
In the cross and its banner our glory shall be,
While we herald the tidings, "Salvation is free!" [Refrain]
3 To the work! to the work! there is labor for all;
For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall;
And the name of Jehovah exalted shall be,
In the loud-swelling chorus, "Salvation is free!" [Refrain]
4 To the work! to the work! in the strength of the Lord,
And a robe and a crown shall our labor reward;
When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be,
And we shout with the ransomed, "Salvation is free!" [Refrain]
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