-Pst. Gavin Aleogho
There are some misconceptions about hard work which is prevalent among some Christians. If this misconception is not dealt with from the root, it is capable of breeding a set of believers who are less productive than what God expects of His children.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
For we have been called to a life of maximum fruitfulness and productivity in our various areas of calling. However, this will not happen without our input. It is only through the instrument of labour, hard work and sacrifice we will be able to do what the Lord expects of us.
So, there are four common misconceptions about hard work that you must get rid of, if you must be more productive and fruitful in your field.
Misconception #1: Grace Removes Hard Work
This misconception originated from the fact that some set of believers believe that work was a result of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. So to them, it is logical to think that since we are under grace, then we should not be engaging in hard work.
On the contrary, when you look at Genesis Chapter 1 down to chapter 3, you will discover that even before Adam sinned, God had already planned that man should work on the Garden of Eden. This is clearly shown in verse 28 of Genesis chapter 1.
"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
You will agree with me that these words; ‘Be fruitful’, ‘multiply’, ‘replenish’, ‘subdue’ and ‘have dominion over’, are all words that refer to work.
Genesis 2:5 also confirms that God planned that man should engage in work. It reads: “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till (work, cultivate) the ground.” (Emphasis added).
Thus, you can see that God originally designed man to participate in the creation process through work. Although, we can’t deny the fact that Adam’s sin changed the nature of work by making it more difficult; but that does not imply that we were called to live an idle and indolent life in the name of grace.
Thus, to think that grace abolishes hard work is wrong. On the contrary, grace empowers us to be more hard-working. Apostle Paul attest to this truth when he said; "But by the GRACE of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I LABOURED (WORK HARD) more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
1 Corinthians 15:10
Misconception #2: Favour And Success Can Be Achieved Without Hard Work
This erroneous belief originates from the view that favour and work does not have any connection, thus they believe that favour can be experienced without hard work. So, you will hear such people say, “if it must be favour, then it should be void of work”.
Is it actually true that favour does not have any relationship with hard work? Is favour against hard work? Can success be achieved through the shortcut of favour without hard work?
One important truth that you should be established on is the fact that favour is not free, in itself. Yes, favour or success is not given to men freely without work. Every favour or success that a man experienced was worked for either directly or indirectly.
Check it up, every favour you have ever enjoyed came to you as a result of a seed you have sown either directly or indirectly. It could also be a seed that someone has sown that you are reaping from; like the case of a father who has a good name and his daughter is experiencing some favour because of the kindness of his dad.
In the same vein, success in any adventure does not come by chance. Success and favour only comes after you have done the needful; through diligent and hard work in your endeavour.
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."
Proverbs 22:29
Don’t let anyone deceive you; you can only enjoy genuine success and favour after you’ve paid the necessary sacrifice of work which will come in different guises.
Misconception #3: Faith And Positive Confession Removes Hard Work
I believe in the power of the words that we speak. However, I believe that our words must be coupled with the appropriate action (work) if we must see the result that we dearly desire.
Faith and positive confession must be coupled with appropriate work; otherwise, our faith is empty and void of power. Don’t forget that it is work that makes our faith complete.
"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead…For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
James 2:17, 26
Favour does not come by confession alone, but by diligence and by following the principles of life. In reality, you don’t get what you wish for but what you work for or work towards.
Positive confession like:
"I will make it,"
"I will be very rich,"
"I will succeed,"
Without any corresponding action, it will not amount to anything.
After confessing, ask yourself, “what can I do or what should I be doing to get me to where I want to be”. What you ought to do is the work that will make your faith produce the results you so wish.
Misconception #4: Shortcut Is Better Than Hard Work
“What comes easy won’t last, what lasts won’t come easy.” – Anonymous.
The act of taking shortcuts has hindered men from knowing and realising the full capacity of their potential. You will never know what you are capable of doing if you are given to taking shortcuts.
Don’t make taking shortcuts a habit; it is a pathway to ruin. Cutting corners in the name of walking in favour is not a godly act; it is an act of folly.
The presence of a shortcut is only a temptation to see if you will bypass the process. For God is not a magician but a God of process. God is not concerned about the end like He is concerned about the means that you took to get to the end. And in the means to the end is work and sacrifices.
The scripture says, "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12 NIV
To avoid the hard work of reading, we have a lot of students who are no longer reading their books. They are no longer working hard in their studies because they felt, "why labour hard in my studies, where there is a shortcut (examination malpractices)?" They forget that they are only undoing themselves.
The effect of taking shortcuts awaits a man in the future, for shortcuts are dangerous cuts.
Some Benefits Of Hard Work
1. It produces excellence.
2. It brings out the best in you.
3. It helps to reduce time wasters.
4. It showcases you to the world.
5. It brings fulfilment.
6. It makes you a blessing to humanity.
7. It develops your inner potential.
8. It leads to massive success and breakthroughs.
