Proverbs 12:14 NIV
“From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.”
INSIGHT
-Hard work in Hebrew is denoted as kopiao which means diligent labor. The Lord reminds us today that words filled with wisdom and diligent actions in our work leads to positive outcomes, through our personal lives, relationships, and spiritual endowment. Proverbs 14:23 tells us that, “all hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” When our speech is filled with grace, it precipitates positive results leading to fulfillment and satisfaction in Christ Jesus. Similarly, the work of our hands, implies that hard work results to fruitfulness and prosperity by the grace of God.
PRAYER
Almighty and everlasting Father we thank You for this new day. This is the day that You have made, we rejoice and are glad in it. We thank You for You are our Faithful God and when we become faithless You remain to be faithful. You are a Faithful God, we honor You Lord and give You praise. We thank You for You have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Dear Lord Jesus You have exalted our horns like that of a wild ox, fine oils have been poured on us. May You teach us proper work ethics as You only know and expect from us. May You teach us how to work hard and may Your favor rest upon us. May You dear Lord Jesus bless the work of our hands, yes bless the work of our hands merciful Father. We praise You and honor You Lord Jesus and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Psalm 90:17, Ephesians 1:3
Proverbs 13:11 NIV
“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
INSIGHT
-Lack of funds and plentiful of it may cause a spike in one’s financial appetite. Money can be Idolized if one does not tame their temptations. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus cautions that each one ought to be wise in handling financial resources and the information surrounding it. We have witnessed people obtaining wealth dishonestly, some through fraud, theft, corruption and unethical means, which principally does will not last. The nature of ill-gotten wealth is fleeting; it lacks the stability of long-term, honest effort. Proverbs 23:5 reminds us that dishonest money sprouts wings and flies away like an eagle. We are also reminded that patience in building wealth ensures success and prosperity.
PRAYER
Lord You are our Strength and Shield. Our hearts trust and exult Your name. We give thanks to You Lord for You are Good and Your steadfast love endures forever. We exult Your name for You and Holy and Your holiness endures forever. May You forgive us all our sins, trespasses and iniquities and wash us with Your precious blood dear Lord Jesus. May You grant us wisdom in money and financial matters that we may work hard in godly business ventures and not engage in get rich quick schemes. May You deliver all those who are addicted to betting, gambling and any other addiction for You are merciful Savior. May You deliver all those who are depressed and contemplating death loving Savior. May You grant us humility and the grace to handle wealth by Your grace and favor. May You remember all those who are jobless and trusting You for jobs and promotions that You may grant them meaningful and profitable opportunities. You are Good and Righteous Lord, this far it is You. All glory, honor, power, wealth, riches, strength belong to You now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 10:2-4, Jeremiah 17:11
Proverbs 13:4 NIV
“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
INSIGHT
–A sluggard is a lazy individual who refuses to work yet desires to receive. The Bible reminds us in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 that, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.” The lazy person desires what hard working people want; food, clothing, shelter, money, education, vacations, a proper retirement, etc. We are reminded to work hard for the one who does not work comes to poverty but a diligent hand makes one rich (Proverbs 10:4).
PRAYER
Our Lord and our God, how awesome is Your name is all the earth. How powerful is Your name is all the earth. How marvelous are You Lord God Almighty. You are Holy Lord. You are highly exulted Father. You are magnified Jehovah. None can be compared to You. Only You are God and all the other gods are idols made by human hands. Only You are worthy of our praise and exultation. Receive all the glory, honor and praise. You are our God and we do not have any other God apart from You. We thank You and honor You dear Lord Jesus. May You bless the work our hands and make us fruitful. May You break every bar or iron, and level every mountain of hinderance in our lives, businesses and work. May You open double doors for us and make us productive in every good work. May You grant us Your favor and bless us for Your blessings makes one rich and adds no sorrow to us. We exult You and honor You, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 24:33-34
Acts 20:35 NIV
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
INSIGHT
–Apostle Paul underscores a unique type of labor as a model for how believers should live. His ministry was a testament and not marked by luxury or self-indulgence but by hard work and dedication to God. The work Paul did as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3) allowed him to support himself and help others. The principle here is one of compassion and selflessness, showing that ministry involves personal sacrifice, not for profit or gain. Paul punctuates the value of aiding the weak, both physically and spiritually. This reflects a broader biblical theme of caring for those in need as guided James 1:27 which enlightens us of our duty to aid orphans and widows at their time of need, and being undefiled from the world. We are then reminded of our responsibility to assist those who are vulnerable, whether due to poverty, sickness, or spiritual immaturity.
PRAYER
We thank You dear Lord Jesus and worship. Only You deserve all our praise and adoration. We surrender this nation and our lives unto You oh Lord. We invite You to continue come and takeover and be enthroned. We pray for our nation that You may restore and revive our economy. May You enlighten our leaders to humble themselves before You and to hear Your voice. May You grant them wisdom and grace especially our president and our deputy. We remember the needy and less fortunate in our society and we pray that dear Lord, You shall bless them and remember them. May You stretch Your hand of healing to all the sick and the brokenhearted. We repent for the many times we have gone contrary to Your will and we pray that You shall cleanse us by Your precious blood. As we all wait upon You we submit to Your will and we pray that You will renew our strength in You that we may sow up like eagles. May we seek more of Your Kingdom and Your divine presence in our lives. May all that we are and all we have be for Your Glory and pleasure. May receive the praise,honor and adoration. We pray this in Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.
Further reading: Isaiah 58:6-7
Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul encourages believers to view their labor, whether manual, professional, or personal as service to God rather than simply to human authority. Regardless of the nature of the task or the position of one’s boss, the ultimate authority and reward-giver is Christ Himself. This transforms mundane or difficult tasks into acts of worship when done with sincerity and devotion.
SUMMARY
God desires that we work hard and become fruitful. Working is not really a choice but a requirement. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 reminds us that, the one who does ot work should not eat. A sluggard desire is never satisfied but the diligent works and is contented (Proverbs 13:4). The one who decided to go after dishonest gains it dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow (Proverbs 13:11). Even as we work hard we are called to give to the needy and poor in the society, for the one who gives recieves (Acts 20:35). Even as we work, God invites us to commit whatever we do to Him and He will establish our plans (Proverbs 16:3).
PRAYER
Dear Almighty Heavenly Father. We worship You and adore Your Holy Name for there is none like You. We thank You for all You have done unto us and for this far You have brought us. Thank You Lord for Your protection over our lives and Your provision us. The work we do and the ministries we serve in is all by You, for You and from You, for in You we live and move and have our being. Lord we humbly repent for all the sins we have done. Where we have been complacent with our work and we have not served You wholeheartedly and as we should. Lord may forgive us and teach us how to be more diligent and faithful with all You give us to do. We surrender our lives to be used by You and to be to be guided by You precious Holy Spirit. May You anoint our heads and teach our hands how to be productive, fast, diligent and how to make wealth. We pray that You shall deliver us from all the chains and shackles of the devil that have easily entangled us and made us so unproductive and unfruitful. May You set us free in Your Holy Spirit. May You bless us and keep us. May You shine Your face upon us and be gracious to us and give us peace. We pray this on Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.
Further reading: 1 John 2:6, Genesis 26:15-22