Faith & Work
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1 Corinthians 3:5
The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same
purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work (v.8).
One of my favorite quotes from John Wesley
is, “Pray like it depends on God; work like it
depends on you.” I don’t always live it, but it
echoes something an old wise king once said.
As King David was nearing the end of his life, he
realized he wasn’t going to be able to build a temple
for God in Jerusalem. God told him that his son and
successor Solomon would complete the job
(1 Chronicles 1:6). Turning over this monumental task
to Solomon, He gave the following instruction: “Be strong
and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or
discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.
He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that
all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished
correctly” (1 Chronicles 1:20).
David emphasized to Solomon what he’d learned
firsthand—that faith and effort go hand in hand. Clearly,
the task before Solomon was going to require hard work,
but he would ultimately have to depend on God to get
the work done.
Is your faith in motion? For example, if you need to
find a job, do you pray that God gives you a job as
you fill out job applications and send out your résumé to
potential employers? If you want better friendships, are
you praying for God to bring them into your life and then
intentionally investing in people?
God is God, and anything we have or accomplish is ultimately from Him. At
the same time, He’s not going to do all the work for us. Instead, He respects the
dignity He’s placed in all of us by calling us to roll up our sleeves and do what
we can—working with Him to accomplish the task at hand.
—Jeff Olson
more›
Read what the prophet Haggai told God’s people about the need
to get to work when it came time to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem
(Haggai 2:4).
next›
How do your prayers reflect real faith in God? What work is God calling
you to do?
moriah peters from providentlabelgroup on godtube.
