In the movie Facing the Giants, a story is told of two concerned farmers conversing about a drought they had been experiencing for some time. The farmers decided to pray for rain. Afterwards, one of the famers immediately started to plough his fields and then sow seeds in expectation of the rain to come. The other just sat back and waited, thinking that he would only start to plough the soil once the rain had actually fallen. He didn't have enough faith to put in the effort required to reap the reward. One may speculate that he was too complacent as well. Needless to say, the farmer who ploughed and sowed was rewarded for his faith by growing a very large crop and he was blessed with abundance.

When God created our world, his command to man was to rule over the earth, to multiply and be fruitful. His command contained verbs, indicating effort. As a matter of fact, he showed by perfect example how to diligently work and create. If we have been created to create (work), how is it that people nowadays want the easy way out? We hear of many people wanting to climb the ladder of success at rapid rates, yearning for lifestyles beyond personal willingness to perform. This is a lazy response to a very complex world.

According to the Law of Effort and Reward - what you sow, you shall reap - the fruit of your labour is exactly what is says, the fruit of your labour. Do not expect to underperform and be blessed with abundance. It does not work that way. Abundance is the fruit of hard work and effort.

The message is this: pray for blessings, but then do your part to earn the reward of your disciplined effort.