The Bible all day?

Does the Bible say people should only do God’s work and leave everything else? Indeed, is work not related to spreading the gospel sinful? Watipaso Mzungu Jnr takes up the debate.

When man is going through sorrow and despair, the recurrent question that comes to mind is: Why did God create me?

It is human to cry when we are faced with such situations. In most cases, our cries serve as a prayer to God to remove the problems we are going through.

However, when there is no answer to our prayers, we tend to wonder whether God is really in control of the situation.

According to the Bible, man was created so that he should praise and worship his creator. But instead of preoccupying himself with what he was created for, man prioritised his own pleasure and happiness; thus giving God a raw deal.

This notwithstanding, God has been unceasing in his quest to bring his creation in line as demonstrated in Matthew 6:33.

Says the verse: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

There are two schools of thought on this verse. One group argues that believers should literally spend all their time praying and serving God.

The other school of thought says this will breed laziness among the people, which will in turn translate into more despair and poverty in the world.

Gerry Leijen, a Jehovah’s Witness, spends all his time serving the Lord.

Leijen has no other job apart from reading the scripture.

“The most interesting point is that God’s word urges us first to seek the kingdom and then the things we need will be added unto us. So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties,” he argued.

Quoting from the Bible, Leijen said people must work, not for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains for life everlasting, which Jesus will give to believers.

But a Catholic Church priest, Father Henry Saindi, believes this approach to religion would translate into more poverty and misery.

Saindi said man becomes fully human when he imitates his creator by working.

“Both the Old and the New Testaments encourage work. God worked for six days and rested on the seventh day. Man becomes the co-creator when he imitates God.

“St. Paul in the New Testament admonishes all to work and eat the fruit of their own work. So, telling people to pray that they have everything would be wrong and effectively creates the spirit of laziness,” said the priest.

Saindi said while praying for success is not a problem, faith without action cannot bring any change in man’s life.

“Prayer and work must always be linked. Work must be inspired by prayer. And prayer must translate or transform into action or work!

“For instance, do we still have a justification to go hungry every year yet water flows from Lake Malawi through Shire River passing through Lake Malombe going to Zambezi River up to Indian Ocean? Are we really serious as a country? What does it take to produce maize and other food crops twice or thrice every year? Is it not possible?” he said.

Pastor Goodwins Mwalughali of the Ambassadors for Christ Ministries agrees with Saindi, saying it is wrong for churches to overemphasise on prayer and ignore the role believers must play to bring transformation.

Mwalughali said people can pray at any place, including workplace, arguing God is everywhere and can hear people’s prayers any time.

“Praying doesn’t only have to be in temples. One can even pray while working. It is important for Christians to know that faith or prayer without action is dead,” he said.