WEALTH IS NOT BY TOILING

1. “SO KING SOLOMON BECAME RICHER AND WISER THAN ANY OTHER KING ON EARTH.
2. Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.
3. Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.”
   2 Chronicles 9:22-24 (NLT)

• Everyone who came to visit Solomon brought him gifts.
THE blessing of God upon Solomon’s life made people bless him the more.
GOD made Solomon a showpiece of His power, wisdom, and wealth.
HE uses the life of Solomon to teach us about the magnitude, greatness of His wisdom and wealth.

• You do not need to struggle to be rich.
THE blessing of God is by favour, not by labour, that no one may boast (John 6:27).

“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.”
Proverbs 10:22 (NKJV)

• Riches and wisdom are gotten through favour from God.

1. "Therefore do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
2. "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
3. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things shall be added to you.
4. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
   Matthew 6:31-34 (NKJV)

• Solomon did not labour for what he had, he got it by favour.

• Solomon was rich, yet people, kings from other nations, came to visit him, to hear the wisdom God had given him, and they blessed him with gifts.
• Success is not how much you toil!
  TO be hardworking is one of the principles of success, yet without favour of God on your labour, it would amount to nothing.
• Toil is exhausting work over a long period of time (Psalm 127:1,2).

1. “UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS THE HOUSE, THEY LABOR IN VAIN WHO BUILD IT; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in VAIN.
2. It is VAIN for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.”
   Psalm 127:1,2 (NKJV)

• To be hardworking is to be focus, diligent, and be committed to your work or assignment.
• To be diligent is to show care and effort in your work or assignment. God wants you to be diligent in the assignment given to you, but He does not want you to toil.

"SEEST THOU A MAN DILIGENT IN HIS BUSINESS? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”
Proverbs 22:29 (KJV)

• Toiling and struggling involves stress and groaning.

• If you remove God, take God away, in your life, you will amount to nothing.

• When Solomon forsook God, deviated from following God with all his heart, he lost his honour (1 kings 11:1-11).

“Therefore, the LORD said to Solomon, “BECAUSE YOU HAVE DONE THIS, AND HAVE NOT KEPT MY COVENANT AND MY STATUTES, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.”
1 Kings 11:11 (NKJV)

• Wealth without honour is meaningless.
  HONOUR departed from Solomon when he derailed from the path of righteousness (Proverbs 16:31).

• God can move people to bless you.

• Lifting of God is not by cleverness or smartness.
  SOLOMON'S lifting was not by smartness or cleverness.
• Foundation for wisdom and wealth from God is love for Him: “And Solomon loved the LORD . . . " (1 King 3:3).

1. “For exaltation [promotion] comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south.
2. But God is the Judge: HE PUTS DOWN ONE AND EXALTS ANOTHER.”
   Psalm 75:6,7 (NKJV)

• Solomon provoked God’s favour and blessing through sacrifice (1 Kings 3:4; 2 Chronicles 1:6).
• It is one thing to have God’s promises, but it is another state of affairs for it to materialize.
• For God’s promises to materialize in your life, you have to demonstrate your love to God through sacrifice and obedience to His commands.
• God told Abraham, " . . . for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me" (Genesis 22:12).
• Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to God: God said through that act of obedience, Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, He was convinced that Abraham has reverence for Him.
  IN other words, God was not convinced all along that Abraham truly reveres Him, but the act of Abraham's obedience proved it to Him.
• Solomon also sacrificed One thousand burnt offerings to God (2 Chronicles 1:6).
  YOUR seed offering shows the condition of your heart to God.
  WHAT moves God to bring His promises to fulfilment is sacrifice.

• Take note: God might expect a sacrifice from you before He brings to fulfilment what He has promised to do in your life.
GOD may demand and He may not, but whenever you have an opportunity of giving to Him: His work, His servants, or the needy, respond to it with all your heart and with enthusiasm (2 Corinthians 9:7).

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV)

• You will not fail in Jesus’ name.
Peace!