Sometimes All You Have is Hard Work

Let's begin with a little humor. A man once prayed fervently, "Lord, please let me win the lottery." Weeks turned into months, and months into years, but he never won. Frustrated, he asked God, "Why haven't you let me win the lottery?" God replied, "My dear child, can you at least help me out by buying a lottery ticket?"

Our sermon today is titled "Sometimes All You Have is Hard Work," and our key verse is Proverbs 14:23, "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."

The Bible is filled with stories of people who embraced hard work. Consider the story of Ruth. She was a Moabite woman, a widow, and a foreigner in Israel. But she did not sit back and lament her fate. Instead, she worked hard, gleaning in the fields of Boaz. It was her hard work that caught Boaz's attention and eventually led to their marriage, placing her in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul encourages believers to work hard. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, he wrote, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.'" Paul himself was a tentmaker by trade and often worked to support himself while spreading the Gospel.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." Hard work may not guarantee success every time, but it increases the chances. Furthermore, hard work builds character, develops perseverance, and earns respect.

Of course, we must remember that our hard work should be done for the Lord. Colossians 3:23 reminds us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."

Let's pray: "Dear Lord, grant us the strength and perseverance to work hard in all that we do. Remind us that our labor is for You and that You are our ultimate reward. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen."

Brothers and sisters, as we step into this new week, remember that sometimes all we have is hard work. When obstacles come our way, when the path is steep, let's roll up our sleeves, and work diligently, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

May the Lord bless the work of your hands this week. Remember, it's your work, but you're not alone. God is with you, providing strength for the task and grace for the journey. God bless you all!