A Hard-Working Man
Uncle Cockie died in his nineties and he was preaching as much as he could and doing as much as he could all the way until the end. This was really a witness to me about the value of hard work. He was a hard working man. He did all that he could for the Kingdom of God.
And in fact, during the funeral service, the AGS preacher invited Bishop Mokwena up to speak. And I want to play you the clip of Bishop Mokwena - now he's quite charismatic, and there's a bit of Afrikaans in there, so if you can understand, I'll explain it at the end. But listen to these words in I hope that they will inspire you like they did me.
A Hard Worker for God
He was such a wonderful man, an old man full of faith. I saw the fire that was in him, and the way he loves the Lord and I looked at this old man and then I realized where he is actually coming from. He was a hard worker. He was a hard worker. He was a man that preaches the Word and works hard.
He was not a man who closed himself in the house to pray and fast and say, “God will drop things from heaven.” I liked him for that. Ek het by die plaas groot geword, ons het geploeg, ons het gemelk, ons het alles gedoen het, en toe ek hom gesien het, en so hard gewerk het op sy jare, die ou jare, daai het my ook gebless!
When Jesus’ disciples went fishing they were not seated and praying - they were working. He found them working when he said to them, Follow me. Ons het nou mense wat net sit en bid en hulle soek die Here moet iets in hulle lewe drop. Maar hulle kan nie eers hulle vingers lug nie. But that's not how the Lord works. God blesses those that are hard working. And this is what this old man has taught us.
He blessed me so much that I had to stand up and say, I'm still a young man. I cannot put the tie and call myself the bishop and sleep in the house all the time and say God has called me.
God has called me and anointed me - the anointing of God upon my life it's amazing! But I stand up like a man every morning and work hard. I saw him doing it. Made the good God bless him. May he rest in eternal peace. And God bless you all.
Pray and Get to Work
Amen to that. If you didn't get the Afrikaans there he was saying that he grew up on a farm where they had to do a lot of work with their hands. And he said so many people today, they pray and they ask God to just drop things in their laps. But this old man showed that you pray and then you get up and you work for God and you do all you can.
Thank God for the hard working men and women of the kingdom. May it be that we are counted as those when we are done with our lives on earth as well.
