PSALMS OF ASCENT!

PSALM 128:2

Fruit
YOU WILL EAT THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABOUR; BLESSINGS AND PROSPERITY WILL BE YOURS. (PSALMS 128:2 NIV)
PROSPERITY
It seems strange to talk about prosperity in the middle of a global recession. More of my friends are out of work than I can ever remember. But what kind of prosperity is the Psalmist talking about here? It cannot be all about material wealth since he goes on in the next verse to talk about marriage and children. No, as often in the Bible the writer is talking about a deeper fulllment - a fulllment that comes from the attitude described in verse 1 of this Psalm. An attitude of humility: Blessed are all who fear the LO R D, w h o w a l k i n h i s ways. (Psalms 128:1 NIV) Blessings are not earned, but they are made possible by devotion. God cannot give good things to someone whose hands are closed. Fearing Him and walking with Him opens our hands, peels back the ngers and exposes the palm to receive what He delights to give. Are we willing to allow Him to be God in our lives? A position of submissiveness on our part places us in the position to receive what He plans to give to us. a burden - or a god. What should our attitude to work be?

WORK
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:2224 NIV) We are not slaves today, but the attitudes in this verse are still relevant. A key word is everything - which includes the unpleasant! Diligence, selfmotivation and gratitude mark out a Christian at work, and this no more so than when we have an unpleasant task. It is Gods strength gained by fearing Him and walking in His ways that gives us the ability to tackle such work with enthusiasm. Humility before God cannot go unrewarded in our labours.

FRUIT
God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labour (see Is 62.8f). Our work was given to us by Him in the rst place something we tend to forget, When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give youa land with large, ourishing cities you did not build, houses lled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plantthen when you eat and are satised, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Eg ypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deut 6:1012 NIV) It is easy to moan about our job, but the Bible will have none of this. If our work is a gift from God, we are privileged people. And if we are privileged and gifted then we need a healthy attitude towards work. Then our labour becomes a joy and not

Malcolm Cox, email: malcolm.cox@iccmissions.org | ICC Missions on facebook | www.nwlcc.org