The glory of work–3: No free lunch

“MY father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” – Jesus in John 5:17

The third dimension of work is what Christians call the work of faith. It is a belief system. Work does not produce faith. Rather, faith produces it. Let me explain how this applies in the field of industry. You believe God blesses the work of your hands. Then you go out and give Him something He can bless.

A lion was very hungry but there was no prey in sight. So, he decided to pray,

“God I am hungry. You have promised bread to the hungry. All I am asking is that you send one stray animal my way and let me just see it. You can leave the rest to me”

Every blessing is simply an invitation to RESPONSIBILITY. Work is the first proof of it. When God gives you food and a healthy appetite, you must use your hand to connect the plate with your mouth.

The dimensions of work that we have identified in this series combine together to build success.

Work is powerful. It is the legal tender in the marketplace of life. Power is nothing more than capacity discovered, embraced, trained, unchained and unleashed to affect outcomes.

Life thrives on tradeoffs. Value produced commands value received. This is why man was never designed to be sustained by miracles beyond essential moments of divine intervention when human capacity is limited.

On the arrival of Joseph’s family to settle in Egypt, Joseph prepped them before introducing them to Pharaoh. He simply told them the only thing that Pharaoh would ask them is the question, “What is your occupation?” When you ask to sit at the table of relevance, significance, and reward where the rulers, and the corporate CEOs of this earth preside, you will only be asked ONE question, “What is your occupation?” When a job interview panel asks, “Can we meet you?”, they are not asking for your name or credentials which are already in your CV before them. They are simply asking for the relevance you bring to the table. Simply put, what is the problem-solving capacity that you bring to the table for which a “Goshen” – a platform where you shepherd a unique responsibility – can be allocated to you? Your response to this question will go a long way in determining whether or not you get the job. Kings reward your relevance, not your credentials.

Profit is the reward you get when you solve a significant problem for a significant number of people in a significant way that makes them pay you significantly.

Before music, synagogues, temples or church services, there was work and there was worship.  Your work is designed to be a platform of worship when it honours God.

Mediocrity and Godliness can never be synonymous. Excellence is the signature and culture of the divine essence. Your vocation is your voice to the universe. Working it out is your opportunity for that voice to be heard.

Work is your escape route from obscurity. Furthermore, diligent work recommends the doer. In the Bible, David’s first encounter with the palace was because of the skills he homed in on in obscurity.

In your work is the tool of your negotiation for room in certain spaces. Prayer may reveal the world’s hidden resources. But it takes work to unearth them and unleash their potential. The land that will yield its increase to you must first be fed with seed from you.

Work is your invitation to divine partnership, making you a stakeholder in the enterprise called creation. It is your opportunity to carve a unique stamp on a space you can call your own Eden, your garden of delight or pleasure. Your work is given to you by God but it must be nurtured by you.

What men call recession is a fallacy used to confine those with a poverty mindset to the box of a suitable narrative. When they say ‘recession’, simply say ‘value migration’.

Value is the cane that beats the toughness out of recession. Rewards always follow value creation. Inside your work is your supply.

When anyone comes to you to chant the worn-out refrain of, “People are suffering, there is hunger in the land”, don’t join them to sing that nauseating dirge.

Instead, ask them, “What is your work? What problems are you solving or can you solve? Where and for who?”

Why should anyone reward you with the proceeds of a land you have no input into?

The Bible is right. The one who does not work should not eat.

Are you hungry? Pray, plan, work, then eat! There is no free lunch even in Freetown.

When I see someone who has enough money for doing online videos about how hungry he is and running down the country, all I see is indolence gone rogue. That same phone and data are what some people use to create digital products that they sell even without a shop.

What you see is what you attract. What you behold, you become. Your thoughts and your words are self-fulfilling prophecies.

God promises to bless the work of your hands, not the dreams in your head. No matter how inspired your dream is, you can only connect it to God’s blessing by diligent labour.

If you doubt it, ask Abraham. Ask Jacob. Ask Isaac. Ask Bezaleel. Ask Aholiab. Ask David. Ask Jesus. And in case you think that is only in the Bible, ask Bill Gates. Ask Otedola. Ask Jeff Bezos. Ask Dangote.

God’s favour is never on insolence. Only a working Adam is deserving of an Eve. The idle man needs no helper.

How can the earth give you a harvest of what you did not first put in the soil?

Work is where genius manifests. It is the revealer and amplifier of your earthly relevance. Creativity and innovation are revealed in the labyrinths of hard work.

Meaningful work engenders prioritized living. You cannot fully embrace your work and live by the convenience of preference.

Do you want to know how powerful you are? Find the work you can do well and watch your potentials unleashed.

Your work is the earthly manifestation of your spiritual DNA, the firstfruit of your real identity, the authenticator of your life essence. The indolent have neither dignity nor claim to honour.

Fasting and prayer only complement work, they never replace it.

Your work is your brand, your colour and signature on the canvass of creation. A productive life is hunger’s antidote.

You must find your work before you find rest, for in your work is your rest. God worked before he rested. Those who cannot bend their back don’t deserve to stretch their legs. Service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy on earth. Your work is your platform of service and contribution to creation.

Work is fun.

Work is worship.

Work is beautiful.

Work is enriching.

Work is a privilege.

Work is honorable

Work is responsibility.

Work is POWER.

Again, like Pharaoh did Joseph’s family in Egypt, I ask you, “What is your occupation?”

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

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