Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”
We have all believed the God created us to work and that if we do not work we shall not eat, just like the scripture say “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."2 Thessalonians 3:10”, the world has manipulated that scripture and it is now used to fit man’s concept of work.
The world system has crept into the Kingdom system and it is now what people perceive it to be.
Psalm 127:1–2. "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for he gives to his beloved in his sleep." I think the main point of these three verses is: "Don't eat the bread of anxious toil." It means just the same thing Jesus meant when he said, "Don't be anxious about what you shall eat."
We are in this world and we have conformed to the world, we work as the world says we should and we are comfortable with that but at the end of the day it compromises with the Kingdom system, God’s way of doing things, our relationship with Him and our knowledge of Him.
Proverbs 10:22(AMP) - The blessing of the Lord--it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it]. I Love this scripture.
The Bible tells us that we are blessed and instead of coming to a place where we truly and indeed receive that promise, we ourselves have added sorrow to God’s Blessing by conforming to this world.
(Ecclesiastes 2:26).Solomon also says in Ecclesiastes that it’s God’s gift to man to eat, drink and take pleasure in all his toil. God truly wants us to find enjoyment with whatever occupies us. We can truly do this when we know that we’re doing it for the Lord. ‘Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works’ (Ecclesiastes 9:7). I interpret this to mean its good to enjoy your food with God’s blessing. Today we work 12 hours get home so tired or stressed or depressed that we just eat because we have to, without any enjoyment.
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 4:4 RSV)
How accurately this records what is happening in human history! People really do not want things, they want to be admired for the things they have. What they want is not the new car itself, but to hear their neighbours say, "How lucky you are to have such a beautiful car!" That is what people want -- to be the centre, the focus of attention.
That is saying exactly what this ancient Searcher is saying. The drive to be admired is the true objective of life. But, he says, this too "is vanity and a striving after wind."
Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 4:6 RSV)
Yet, he says, so powerful is ambition and the desire to be envied that men actually keep working and toiling even when they have no one to leave their riches to. Verse 7:
In contrast, the Searcher admits that companionship is better than loneliness. Verse 9:
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, they are warm; but how can one be warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 RSV)
There is some excellent advice in Ecclesiastes, and when we read it in the light of the Gospel we can find hope, encouragement and how ‘not to chase the wind’. The book of Ecclesiastes is ended with this conclusion about life: ‘Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man’ (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
"If the devil can't make you bad, he makes you busy"
But God does lay down this principle for his beloved: Don't rise early and go late to rest out of anxiety, out of fear and fretfulness. If the joy of fruitful labor lures you to work 12 hours a day, so be it. But take heed lest you are really deceiving yourself, and in fact are being driven by anxiety, or by her twin sister, selfish-ambition.
"...constantly bearing in mind your work of faith..." (I Thessalonians 1:3). Those who were chosen, or elect of God were engaged in their "work of faith." This is one of the things that distinguish the chosen from those who are not chosen. The response these people had made to the gospel was that they believed, or had faith in its message of a Redeemer. This faith was the motivation behind the work they did.
As Paul observed their "work of faith," he said that it was by this that he "knew" that they were "brethren, beloved by God" (I Thessalonians 1:4). He based, in part, his confidence of their election on their "work of faith." Had they rejected the commandments of God, they would be rejecting God (I Thessalonians 4:1-8; especially verse 8).
The Scriptures make it clear that apart from our submitting to God's commandments, we cannot be a part of the elect. In fact, if we once were one of God's elect, but later cease walking by faith, that our election will no longer be sure or certain (II Peter 1:10,11). God elects those who obey Him by faith.
As God’s Children we have to take over the mountain mandates (Education, Political, Economical, Arts and Culture etc) so that we are able to set the rule, laws (constitution). Am sure God meant for the Kingdom System to overtake the World system and it is up to the Christians today to make it happen and put a stop to toil, hard work for nothing worthwhile.
"...and the labor of love..." (I Thessalonians 1:3). Not only are we chosen of God by our "work of faith," but also by our "labor of love." "Labor" here refers to unceasing toil. But this toil is borne of love; and toil borne of love is not burdensome. Jesus invited us to take His yoke upon ourselves, assuring us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). John said "We love because He first loved us" and "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." (I John 4:19; 5:3).
Those who do not love the Lord are not chosen by Him. Those who love the Lord show it by their "labor of love." When Paul saw the labor of the Thessalonicans, he became confident that they were among God's chosen, because God elects those who love Him.
Toil is vanity.
TO LOVE AND TO SERVE"
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