Water your grass green

27 Nov, 2016 - 00:11 0 Views
Water your grass green Youths read a scripture during a Bible study

The Sunday Mail

Pastor Tinashe Zinyemba The Christian Youth —
WE start by thanking the Lord for the rains. May they lead to a bumper harvest. We also pray for spiritual rain.  May it rain answers to our prayers. May it rain good news and peace on our nation.

For the past two weeks, we have been talking about creating opportunities.  An opportunity is a possibility due to a favourable combination of circumstances.

I have no idea what kind of opportunity you are looking for. lt might be a career, education, business or relationship. Opportunities are few and difficult to come by because some circumstances are totally out of our control.

However, there are simple things that are within our control, we can use these to create opportunities. Showing honour is a remarkable way of opening doors.

Having a servant’s heart can create opportunities that money cannot buy. Today, we look at hard work or diligence as a tool for creating opportunities.

It is unfortunate that certain individuals push ideas that suggests that it is possible to get by through get-rich-quick schemes. They hardly highlight the dangers of taking short cuts in life and they almost never talk about what it takes to build anything or maintain something.

Very few things in life come easy. Generally, you have to work hard and be focused. One of the young people’s tragedies is that very few have staying power. They easily quit their jobs, they easily quit relationships.

There are many reported cases of parents struggling with their children because they quit school a short while into a programme. Get me right, I am not suggesting that you pursue things for the sake of it, even when you know that they are not the best for you.

The grass always looks greener on the other side but that is simply because the person on the other side has put in the effort, time and energy to tend to the lawn, to weed it and to water it.

Scripture is full of many nuggets and examples of what hard work and diligence can deliver. Proverbs 10:4 says, “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”

Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.” Proverbs 12:27 also says, “The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.”

These verses show the fate of the hard worker and the lazy one. The Bible also talks of a man named Jacob and how he worked for 21 years for his father-in-law. First, he was tricked and lost seven years working for the wrong woman, then he worked for another seven years and stayed on for seven more. His wages were changed continuously and he was not paid on time (sounds familiar?).

But through it all, he worked hard and his father-in-law became a very wealthy man because of Jacob’s labour. Maybe that is the case that you find yourself in, where all of your hard work seems to be benefiting someone else and you are not enjoying the fruits of your labour.

Worry not because God is keeping count of all that you are doing. In Galatians 6:7, Apostle Paul says, ”Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”.

Verse 9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Do not lose heart, do not decide to start taking short cuts and cut corners to get promotion or favour, it will cost you in the long run.

In Numbers 22 and 23, Balaam was a prophet. He chose to take a short cut to the blessings of God. A king came and offered him money to curse the children of God. Balaam chose to leave the desert and go with the king and was paid handsomely.

I am sure it looked like everything was going well for Balaam. However, his prophecy failed and he died a horrible death soon after. In the book of Ruth, we read of a young widow who goes with her mother-in-law back to Israel.

She does not abandon her mother-in-law, who is old, but instead works hard, moving from field to field, scavenging for food. You can imagine what people were saying.

Eventually, Boaz notices her simply because of her hard work. Not only does she get a constant supply of food from that field, her diligence in executing her duties makes her a candidate to become Boaz’s wife.

I’m sure there were many beautiful girls there, but Ruth – the foreigner and widow – stuck out due to her hard work. Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men,” and in addition Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name.”

Therefore, work hard in school, work hard on your job, work hard in your business, work hard in your marriage, and I can guarantee you success is inevitable with God on your side.

Till next week, take care and God bless.

Tinashe Zinyemba is a pastor with New Life Covenant Church.
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