INTRODUCTION

Man has a limited amount of strength. It is imperative that man spend his strength on things that matter. The Lord warned His people that their rebellion would eventually cause them to labour with no hope of increase. They could work harder, but it would all be vain. Unfortunately, man spends much of his strength in vain. On one hand, man spends much of his strength labouring "for the meat which perisheth" (John 6:27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
See All...); on the other hand, he spends his strength labouring without the help of God (Psalm 127:1Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
See All...). Both of these are a grievous error. Man must concern himself not only with what is right and proper, but also with working through and by the power of God.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For smaller children) When God’s people stopped working on His temple, they laboured in vain (Haggai 1:3-7 [3] Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, [4] Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? [5] Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. [6] Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. [7] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
  See All...; Haggai 2:15-17 [15] And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD: [16] Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. [17] I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
  See All...). We should work with the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
  See All...; 2 Corinthians 6:1We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
  See All...a). The work we do for Him is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
  See All...).
• Are you spending your strength in vain? Are you labouring in things that have no eternal value? Are you labouring apart from the help of the Lord?
• What are some things upon which men spend their strength that could be considered vain or empty? How many of these things consume your strength on a regular basis?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to help you labour with His help.
• Ask God to help you labour for things that have eternal value.

HYMN

I Am Resolved

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