Working for the Lord

Posted on by korgrocker

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT

Paul finally winds up the long chapter of 12 Corinthians 15 with an exhortation in three parts: “be strong”, “[be] immovable”, and “always work enthusiastically for the Lord”. We need to dig a bit deeper to understand what Paul was saying, however. 

To be strong isn’t encouragement to continue our gym membership and to persevere in building up our natural bodies. There is nothing of eternal value in that. One scripture that comes to mind was the time after Moses died, and the Lord spoke directly to Joshua, his successor. Joshua 1 commences with God telling Joshua about all the land that the Israelites were going to possess, and He continues with “be strong and courageous” in verse 6, followed by “be strong and very courageous” in verse 7. But in the pursuit of strength and courage, God made the first priority clear to Joshua. It wasn’t to make sure all the swords had been sharpened, or to ensure that the Israelites had been properly trained. It was “ … Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do” (Joshua 1:7-8). God told Joshua that if he and the people kept their eyes firmly on Him and were obedient to all that He had told them, then they would be successful in their campaign to possess the Promised Land. The next verse sums this up, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

To be immovable is a rare quality in today’s world. Hardly a day goes by without some new teaching or new ideology emerging from society’s cesspit of secular, devil-inspired thinking. Our politicians seem to have abandoned the Bible-inspired morality that has founded our nation, and people everywhere have ended up like a ship without a rudder, blown this way and that by the winds of adversity and ideologies, choosing lifestyles and worldviews that match exactly the last words of the Book of Judges, “ … all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes”. But what was Paul referring to with his exhortation to be immovable? We have a Rock on which we stand while the ungodly around us stagger in a bog and fog of confusion, worldliness and sin. Evil pushes otherwise good people around, and they lose their way, ending their lives as confused as when they started. If only the ungodly in our society would turn to God and follow His ways, then the fog would clear, and they would find themselves safe and secure in God’s hands. To be immovable means to follow what God said to Joshua, “Study this Book of Instruction continually”. Soaking our minds and hearts in God’s Word and living them out, even while the storms of life are raging around us, will result in us pilgrims becoming immovable. When some new ideology or societal trend emerges, we can turn to God’s Word and find the Rock on which we can stand. We can be encouraged by the verses in Hebrews 12, “This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping him with holy fear and awe” (Hebrews 12:27-28). The next verse reminds us that all things not of God will burn up one day and disappear. We read, “For our God is a devouring fire”. So we turn our eyes upon Jesus, “the author and perfector of our faith”. 

Paul continued with “always work enthusiastically for the Lord”. We all know what work is all about. We work at a job or profession to earn a living. We work out in a gym to build muscle tone and fitness. The concept of work is inbuilt within us and has been ever since the days of Adam, when he heard the consequences of his sin: “And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it” (Genesis 3:17). Life was easy for Adam before the Fall.

In days past, a prison sentence was often accompanied by the addition of “hard labour”, and I remember seeing a device used to apply this in the Inverary Jail museum. It was a large cylindrical device with a counter and a handle, filled with sand. The prisoner had to work at completing so many revolutions per day as part of their hard labour tariff. A pointless exercise, but one that illuminates what many consider about work, a merry-go-round of meaningless activity, and to be endured until the time comes to “clock off”.

But what is “working for the Lord”? It is not, as some maintain, being a minister or pastor. A missionary or Christian charity worker. In working for the Lord, we acknowledge that every task we perform—whether it’s a high-level job, a mundane chore, or schoolwork—is actually an act of worship directed toward God. When we work for the Lord, our “boss” isn’t just the person who pays our wages. We act as if God Himself is our direct supervisor. This means that we don’t settle for “good enough” or do the bare minimum; instead, we strive for quality because we are offering our work as a gift to God, and we work just as hard when no one is watching because we know God sees our effort. Martin Luther famously taught that a milkmaid milking a cow is doing God’s work just as much as a priest, provided she does it to the best of her ability for God’s glory.

Paul concludes this verse with the thought that “nothing [we] do for the Lord is ever useless“. We may feel that we are wasting our time, like the prisoner interminably cranking a handle in a prison cell. But what the Lord sees is a willing heart doing its best in often trying and difficult circumstances. And in the process, treasures are credited to our account in Heaven.

Dear Father God. We read that You “placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it”. Thank You that You have work for us to do as well, and we pray that we do it to the best of our abilities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God’s Workers

Posted on by korgrocker

“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 NLT

There is a tendency amongst Christians to believe that to do God’s work, you have to go to a mission field in deepest darkest Africa, or become a minister of religion. Add to these expectations those who work for a Christian charity, or those who are youth pastors or evangelists, and the picture emerges of a “them and us” culture, separating those who “work” for God and those who don’t. This point of view is bolstered a little by Paul writing about himself and Apollos being “God’s workers” and the ordinary people being “God’s field” and “God’s building”. Is this an accurate distinction or is Paul still thinking of an earlier verse which reads, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1). What was the problem with these Corinthians? Paul had no doubt that they were saved, as we read in chapter 1, but they seemed to be in a passive “feed me” state, unwilling to move on and become workers themselves.

God wants all believers to be “workers”, as we read from Ephesians 2:10. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago“. This verse, and others, imply that God has a job for each one of us. We get the same picture, but from a different perspective, from Colossians 3:23-24, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ“. In Philippians 2:12b-13 we read, “ … Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him”. And of course we remember two other verses in Ephesians 2, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast“.

There is a whole range of opinions about “doing God’s work” across the denominations. Some Christians believe that they will indeed ensure their salvation by “good works”, so they devote some of their spare time to charity work, such as one person I know who works for a food bank. I have met some people who are not even believers in an overt sense, but who believe that God, if such a Being exists, will be kind to them when they die because they are “good” people. Other Christians at the other end of the spectrum don’t believe they should do anything for God at all, instead believing that God’s grace is sufficient. Some people who have retired from their secular jobs and who are now “senior citizens” believe that their final years are free from any sort of “work”, whether it is for God or anyone else. But the reality is that we are all “God’s workers” even if we do not have a “religious” job. No matter what age we are, from the youngest to the oldest, there is still “work” to do. Was it Billy Graham’s wife who had a sign above the kitchen sink, “God is worshipped here three times a day”?

So what “work” must we pilgrims do in our everyday Christian lives? The opportunities are wide and far-reaching, but we must start with ourselves. We cannot just “rest on our laurels” waiting for that day when we are translated into Heaven. I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I want to hear Jesus say to me “well done …”. Will that happen if I fail to do “do the good things he planned for [me] long ago”(Ephesians 2:10)? So here are a few ideas:

  • Study and follow the teachings of the Bible, striving to live according to its principles. When was the last time any of us picked up a copy of the Bible and started to read it, perhaps following a reading or study plan? And if we did, how did we apply what we learnt?
  • Worship God, both privately and in the presence of other Christians. I’m writing this today on a Monday morning. Did I go to church yesterday? I know it is not always possible, but was yesterday a day when we turned over in bed and had just a few more hours? The devil doesn’t want us to go to church because he knows we might be strengthened spiritually by the experience, confounding his desires and causing him hassles.
  • What do I do for my neighbour? Jesus said, ” … ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). So if we’re able, perhaps we can find things we can do for a person living close by, who perhaps can’t do things for themselves. Like organising some shopping, or putting out their garbage bin. Or even just devoting some time to be with a lonely person, desperate for human company. In my regular prayer walks I meet some miserable people desperate for a kind and cheery word. To speak with them is doing “God’s work”. And just in case, I carry a couple of tracts in my pocket that might provide hope for the hopeless and lost.
  • In the same way, Christians are called to serve others, demonstrating love through practical actions, including helping those in need. This is a follow-up on the previous point, and some pilgrims will have the opportunity to devote more time and energy to a wider part of society.
  • How about sharing the Gospel? That is mostly what Paul did on his missionary journeys. There is nothing difficult about sharing our faith, and we must all be ready to do so. 1 Peter 3:15, “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it“. Jesus Himself gave a command to all of His disciples, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). This command from our Lord is not just for the missionaries and ministers in our churches. All believers are included. But note that last few words from Jesus,  “I am with you always, even to the end of the age”. He won’t abandon us when we do His work.
  • Whatever we do for a living, do it to the Lord. That’s a hard one, I know, with some jobs and the bosses that go with them leaving a lot to be desired.

These are a few thoughts about being “God’s workers”. Not conclusive, I know, but we pray for God’s guidance through His Spirit in our daily lives. And we remember what Jeremiah wrote, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Whatever God has for us, we can be assured that it is tailor-made just for us, a bespoke plan of service fully in line with our own particular character, personality and gifting. And in that security, we can relax. We don’t have to strive and fret about what we should be doing. We don’t need to look at other people and wish that we had their gifts. God knows all about us, and His loving, gentle request is just waiting for us to respond with, “Yes, Lord”. That’s all He asks.

Dear Lord Jesus. We know that You are the ultimate “boss”, always ready to encourage and bless us. As we go about our daily business, we know that You are there with us, guiding us in Your ways. Amen.

The Father’s Work

Posted on by korgrocker

“Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
John 10:37-38 NLT

Father God was, and is, a worker. His activities never cease, and He considered His work to be “very good”. Genesis 1:31, “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day”. We can’t even start to imagine the extent of the work necessary to create the universe, and ever since then God has continued to work in His creation. The devil came to frustrate and destroy God’s work by bringing evil and wickedness into this world but God had a plan right from the beginning, a plan that involved His Son, Jesus.

Jesus’ coming to this world was very much a part of God’s creative work, and He told the crowd before Him that the evidence of His Father’s endorsement of Jesus as His Son, was contained within the miraculous works that He performed. And if that was not enough, after Jesus’ baptism by John, a public declaration from Father God was heard, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy”” (Matthew 3:17). But regardless of all the evidence before them, the people still refused to believe in Jesus.

What was the work that Jesus was undertaking on behalf of His Father? In John 17:4, Jesus’ prayer included this verse, “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). So everything that Jesus did in His short life brought glory to His Father. All the teachings, all the miracles, the training of His disciples, even the death on the Cross – all Jesus’ work was the implementation of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. Those years spent in the carpenter’s shop were preparation for the ministry years still to come. And there came a point when Jesus could say that His earthly work was complete. 

In His last post-resurrection days, Jesus delegated to His disciples the work necessary for the building of His Kingdom and the Church. And that has continued over the centuries since, and still goes on today. We pilgrims are spiritual descendants of the first disciples, and we also are working in our families and communities, to continue the Father’s work. One day it will all be completed and God will declare that His work is “very good”. What a privilege we have, to be part of God’s workforce, employed in the service of our King. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for the work that You have delegated to us. We pray for Your guidance in doing it. In Your previous name. Amen.