Then after all I had been through in this life, if God chose to bless me, with the few days I may live, and you think it is a crime for me to live a good life is all up to you, (Gal 6:7, Ps 126:5, 6) Proverb 11:25, 26 says, the liberal soul shall be made fat, and those that water shall be watered also, and those that give a cup of water to a prophet, shall receive a prophet reward; the Bible also says, Abraham was blessed in all things. If God uses a man of God to bless His people and they chose to say thanks with something, which of cause is mandatory but not compulsory, I feel they deserve it. The Bible says those that preach the gospel, shall live by the gospel. I can give all I have if possible to Pastor Onifade who stood by me and encouraged me in the difficult period of my life when all deserted me!
When a man of God is diligent in his work, he is bound to reap the reward of his labour; it's scriptural not so I quote. (Pro 12:27) The world will see thousands and one reasons to condemn a man of God, but not even see one reason to appreciate God on his behalf for the lives he may have affected positively; all I am today is not because I am highly
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It is a nation God himself will handle in his own way, because even their error is not against God but for God. Yes they rejected the person of Jesus who came to direct us in the living way of God, but even the Moses law they are holding onto was also from God. In other words, we have to pray for them all the time for God to open their eyes also, because through them the World has come to know God and there is hope for humanity. Touching them despite they may be defeated, will cause a great world disaster. I mean, the world will never know peace. (Exodus 4:22,
Dorothy L. Sayers defines a Christian’s work as a “...natural exercise and function of man- the creature who is made in the image of his Creator” (Sayers 194). Sayers summarizes her view on work by saying, “...it is the duty of the Church to see to it that the work serves God, and that the worker serves the work” (Sayers 198). Sayers finds the duty of work to rest not only with the Christian, but also with the church.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17
1 Corinthians 9: 25-27 states “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified” (NLT).
Between a one of god's greatest servants, Job. Before god's treacherous test, Job lives a great life full of blessings. “There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all people of the east” (Job 1: 1-4). “That man was blameless and upright” shows that Job did not harm before being tested, that he was just a simple living human being. “He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels… and very many servants” shows all the blessing that god has given him. We see Job as a great servant to god through the many rewards that he has acquired like his livestock and his sons and daughters. This will soon be challenged by good and evil, God and Satan. The two almighty powers discuss “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?... Very well, all that he has is in your power”
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.(Biblegateway)” Reading this passage, I have felt that this verse calls out to God’s people to be His hands and feet. In the book, “Good News About Injustice,” it states it well, “The great miracle and mystery of God is that he calls me and you to be a part of what he is doing in history. He could, of course, with no help from us proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with lifeless stones, feed the entire world with five loaves and two fish, heal the sick with the hem of his garment, and release
This concept is also seen in Proverbs 11:3-4 when it says, “3The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 4Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death”. The idea that righteousness during life reaps benefits during afterlife is mentioned to highlight the idea that even if it seems like those who do not follow God’s commandments are benefitting during their mortal lives, they will not benefit in the afterlife. These verses remind God’s followers that they have to keep faith in Him while they are alive,
... Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” By having his hero succeed in an impossible feat, he attracts non-believers and skeptics of the sixteenth century who are fearful of hell due to his gruesome representation of sin. In doing so, he interests them in redemption through the one and only, God.
The Bible version of Job's story suggests a different answer. A young man speaks up after Job has convinced the three older men of his innocence, and he speaks of the magnificence and omnipotence of God. It implies that God has a system of justice, and that if a man finds himself in difficulties it must be through his own actions. But Job was good all of his life. The point of the Bible's Job seems to be to learn to accept our circumstances, without turning against God because external conditions are the result of complex processes, most of which we do not understand, but we cannot let the external be the basis.
Throughout the context of the Bible, the Lord stresses the importance of what we do with our time here on Earth. He wants all of his children to obey their masters through Him, regardless of how tiresome the task becomes. Several books within the Bible illustrate the importance of sacrifice and discipline in the journey to salvation and everlasting happiness. God enforces that believing in Him, having hope, and putting in fruitful work is the true path to a righteous life and acceptance into Heaven (1 Cor. 15:58). The strength to endure any obstacle comes from your relationship with God and the integrity you have for it; exhibiting the significant relationship between His word and your work.
...Today as a Christ follower, we will never be satisfied if our life is not bearing lasting fruit because we are not fulfilling the purpose for which we were “grafted “into the Vine. Let’s examine the “fruit” of our lives. Is it the kind of fruit that reveals the character of Christ? Let’s not settle for fruitless Christianity. God will do the work of making us fruitful – we must only abide, surrendering our lives to His mission of making disciples of all nations through us. The whole notion of mission is to stretch out to work the work of evangelism not through hierarchy, sovereignty, rather through humbleness, hospitality, affection love for the others. That is what Jesus who portrayed as the one who we do not deserve to untie His sandals straps in the first Chapter of John, later become feet washer, intimate with humanity leaving His equality with God.
"To the hypocrites give the glad tidings that there is for them but a grievous penalty. Yea, to those who take the unbelievers as their leaders rather than the believers" (4:138-139)
All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of you; through those who
Job may give to the poor, and think he is doing good by this, but in his heart Job recognizes and God recognizes, that he only does this to be viewed by others as a truly giving and caring person, not because he feels intrinsically motivated to assist others. One example of this is when Job questions “And where now is my hope? My piety—who will see it?” (45). Job is immature in the way that he believes he has virtue when in reality all he has is the facade of virtue (73).
In the General Epistles, we are shown how to follow Jesus in hard times and when it is essential to walk with Him. The General Epistles show us the difficulties of life when dealing with captivity, mistreatment by those of a higher social standing, and racism. Today we have many similar difficulties but they are in the form of working for human glorification, benefitting others who are not in need for our work, and maximizing profits for a company. These scenarios are not for Gods purpose but only for human purposes. The General Epistles also show us how to deal with these difficulties and overcome them in a way that we can be helpful working toward Gods purpose. Trusting that God will provide for us and that we must work to only benefit others
“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” There are so many other verses in scripture that talk about good works and the rewards given according to works, but the bottom line is, good works are vital to the Christian life for many reasons.