IDENTIFYING BENEFICIAL LABOUR
AND THE RESULT OF HARD WORK.

"God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to the man who pleases Him, while to the sinner is given the trouble of gathering and amassing wealth only to hand it over to someone else who pleases God. This  too is emptiness and chasing the wind."  (Eccles 2:26 NEB).

"And I myself have seen all the hard work and all the proficiency in work, that it means the rivalry of one toward another; this also is vanity and a striving after the wind. The stupid one is folding his hands and is eating his own flesh."  (Eccles 4:4,5).

VANITY: The futility, unreality, and emptiness of worldly wealth, political distinction, mere human achievement. Works of devotion to an idol is worship of a human instead of God, or working to create an image of oneself to have one's vanity gratified by others. Such works are by a demonic spirit of uncleanness. To assist in the creation and/or maintenance of the riches of this world on behalf of the Godless is also vanity.

EXAMPLE: All nations are at enmity with God and with each other because of their lawless works. War is the outcome of such selfish ambition and rivalry.  (See Gal 5:19-21 NEB).

Working directly or indirectly for the political "wild beast", entrusting it with one's support, is admiring and worshipping it. This is idolatry. (Rev 13:4,8). Those worshipping the "wild beast" or the sectarian "false prophet" are not written down in the "scroll of life".  (Rev 19:20).

LABOUR: Mental and physical exertion. Inactivity with reference to Godless labour assists in one's sanctification before God. Physically or mentally exerting oneself to make manifest the Will of God, while opposing "every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God", is the ultimate beneficial labour. (2 Cor 10:4,5). An example of Godless labour that on the surface may appear deceptively innocent is that of delivering mail. Such employment often includes deliveries of mail to and from political parties and their members, sectarian leaders and their congregations, to and from apostates, homosexuals, adulterers, prostitutes, extortionists, fraudsters, thieves, and all celebrators of Christmas and other pagan festivals:  (i.e.) A postman (mailman).

"I considered all toil and all achievement and saw that it comes from rivalry between man and man. This too is emptiness and chasing the wind. The fool folds his arms and wastes away. Better one hand full and peace of mind, than both fists full and toil that is chasing the wind. Here again, I saw emptiness under the sun: a lonely man without a friend, without son or brother, toiling endlessly yet never satisfied with his wealth     'For  whom', he asks, 'am I toiling and denying myself the good things of life?' This too is emptiness, a sorry business."  (Eccles 4:4-8 NEB).

"For the Holy Spirit and we ourselves have favoured adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep yourselves free from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you   will prosper. Good health to you!"  (Acts 15:28,29).

"If a brother or a sister is in a naked state and lacking the food sufficient for the day, yet a certain one of you says to them: "Go in peace, keep warm and well fed," but you do not give them the necessities for their body, of what benefit is it? Thus, too, faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself."  (James 2:15-17).

"Let us pursue the things that make for peace and build up the common life. Do not ruin the work of God for the sake of food. Everything is pure in itself, but anything is bad for the man who  by  his  eating causes another to fall."  (Rom 14:19,20 NEB).

"And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs with which he misled those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who render worship to its image. While still alive, they both were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulphur."  (Rev 19:20).

"Look! I am coming quickly, and the reward I  give is with me, to render to each one as his work is."  (Rev 22:12).

10/11/83.
 

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