BIBLE IN A YEAR: Isa 47-50
NO WORK, NO LIFE
MEMORIZE: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10)
READ: 2 Thess. 3:6-12
In Luke 15:11-32, after the prodigal son wasted his wealth in a strange land, he began to be in want. He was hungry. The citizens of that country who attached themselves to him while he was on a spending spree deserted him when he had nothing left. Not even one of them could offer him some assistance. A lord had began to be in want. He was faced with several options if he would remain in that country. He could fold his hands and starve until the day of death. He could become a thief and live on the labors of others. Or he could take up a job. He preferred the last option. He searched for a decent job but could not get any, until he finally settled for a menial job - feeding swine in a farm. From his action, we learn that in the midst of adversity, it is still better to take a legitimate alternative. If he had taken to crime, he would never have lived to see his restoration.
Many people who left the shores of Nigeria have taken to crime- in the name of harsh economic climate encountered in host countries. If the prodigal son could take up a menial job, why go into prostitution, robbery, credit card and computer frauds? Why indulge in acts that tarnish the name of Jesus Christ that you are named by? The action of the prodigal son stands to condemn all who venture into crime in the name of survival. You are without excuse! Another lesson from this story is that when the prodigal son spent everything, he humbled himself to start from the scratch. He ignored the fact that he was a multi-millionaire, cruising on several limousines, and living in the pent house of their five-star hotels. He ignored how he once painted the town red. He refused to die through laziness and idleness. He took up the least paid legitimate job to keep body and soul together. We need to learn from him! Some Christians stopped working after they lost their ‘big’ jobs.
Pride has prevented them from accepting lesser offers. Some hide under the cloak of spirituality by saying, ‘I am waiting on the Lord for direction’. Good. But how long would you wait? Some are in that situation for two, three or even five years. Remember, today’s reading says anyone who is healthy and old enough to work, but refuses to work should not eat. That is people should not feel sorry for the lazy and slothful fellow. If you don’t eat for a period, death follows. Are you jobless? Find something legitimate to do or else Heaven counts you unworthy of this planet. Humble yourself. Accept the opportunity te Lord provides even if it is not the ideal job you desire. As you take it up and pray, God will provide something better.
ACTIONPOINT: No matter how harsh the economic climate is, there is something for you to do.
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