September 24, 2014 ALWAYS ABOUNDING
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain the Lord.” In chapter 15 Paul is discussing what takes place once our physical body dies and our becoming “imperishable” and “immortal”. Paul says that our physical body is like a seed in that it must die before it comes to life. The point is that what God has in store for the believer is beyond our imagination and what the future holds for us brings hope to this present life. Not only does this truth bring hope, it also brings a mandate for us that we must not overlook. Because of what is in store for us, we must be “steadfast and immovable in the work of the Lord.” No matter what comes our way in life, no matter what trials and test we face, no matter what disappointments come, we are to be steadfast and immovable. Also, we must know that the Lord has work for us as long as we live. (Even when we are facing death, we can pray-that is a work of God.) It is important for us to know that non-believers “work”, but they are not doing the work of the Lord. God has work for each of us that has our name on it and we should make sure we are about our work. I would surmise that some believers do not know what work the Lord has for them to do. However, if we read and study the scriptures, we see what works Jesus did, we see what the New Testaments writers did and what they instructed the believers to do, plus we have the Holy Spirit to guide us- so just begin to do the same works. We don’t have to wait for God to “zap” us or wait until we hear a voice out of heaven before we engage in His work. In scripture, we find many types of the “work of the Lord” including all of the “one another” commands, we find instructions about visiting the sick, being generous, showing compassion, studying the word, being honest, being hospitable, rejoicing, praying, training, blessing others and the list could go on. We will discover that there is no lack of work for the believer. Just as we are faithful to show up for work at our regular job or we being about keeping our house in order, we must not neglect reporting for the “work of the Lord.” Certainly, the place we work or the home, provide great opportunities to be about the work of the Lord. We are not to be about the Lord’s work begrudgingly but as the verse says; we are to “abound” in the work of the Lord. Being faithful in His work brings blessings in this life as well as the one to come as we are told that our labor is not in vain. Even when we may not “feel” like it, we can still choose to be about the works of the Lord and be blessed in the process and in most cases, the “feelings” line up with our actions. We must know that the “work of the Lord” is not reserved for those in “full time ministry” but the works of the Lord are for all believers. It is a basic truth in scripture that those who are faithful in the work that God calls them to will be rewarded. As always, we are not to work to earn rewards or earn His approval; we do the works we do because we have experienced God’s love for us and we want to share that same love with others. If by chance you are one for whom the “works of the Lord” are not a priority at the present, I encourage you to meditate on the love that God has for you and then simply choose to be about the work of the Lord in some fashion no matter how you feel. I suspect that as you (and I) engage in the “work of the Lord”, we will be glad we did!
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Blessings, Buddy
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain the Lord.” In chapter 15 Paul is discussing what takes place once our physical body dies and our becoming “imperishable” and “immortal”. Paul says that our physical body is like a seed in that it must die before it comes to life. The point is that what God has in store for the believer is beyond our imagination and what the future holds for us brings hope to this present life. Not only does this truth bring hope, it also brings a mandate for us that we must not overlook. Because of what is in store for us, we must be “steadfast and immovable in the work of the Lord.” No matter what comes our way in life, no matter what trials and test we face, no matter what disappointments come, we are to be steadfast and immovable. Also, we must know that the Lord has work for us as long as we live. (Even when we are facing death, we can pray-that is a work of God.) It is important for us to know that non-believers “work”, but they are not doing the work of the Lord. God has work for each of us that has our name on it and we should make sure we are about our work. I would surmise that some believers do not know what work the Lord has for them to do. However, if we read and study the scriptures, we see what works Jesus did, we see what the New Testaments writers did and what they instructed the believers to do, plus we have the Holy Spirit to guide us- so just begin to do the same works. We don’t have to wait for God to “zap” us or wait until we hear a voice out of heaven before we engage in His work. In scripture, we find many types of the “work of the Lord” including all of the “one another” commands, we find instructions about visiting the sick, being generous, showing compassion, studying the word, being honest, being hospitable, rejoicing, praying, training, blessing others and the list could go on. We will discover that there is no lack of work for the believer. Just as we are faithful to show up for work at our regular job or we being about keeping our house in order, we must not neglect reporting for the “work of the Lord.” Certainly, the place we work or the home, provide great opportunities to be about the work of the Lord. We are not to be about the Lord’s work begrudgingly but as the verse says; we are to “abound” in the work of the Lord. Being faithful in His work brings blessings in this life as well as the one to come as we are told that our labor is not in vain. Even when we may not “feel” like it, we can still choose to be about the works of the Lord and be blessed in the process and in most cases, the “feelings” line up with our actions. We must know that the “work of the Lord” is not reserved for those in “full time ministry” but the works of the Lord are for all believers. It is a basic truth in scripture that those who are faithful in the work that God calls them to will be rewarded. As always, we are not to work to earn rewards or earn His approval; we do the works we do because we have experienced God’s love for us and we want to share that same love with others. If by chance you are one for whom the “works of the Lord” are not a priority at the present, I encourage you to meditate on the love that God has for you and then simply choose to be about the work of the Lord in some fashion no matter how you feel. I suspect that as you (and I) engage in the “work of the Lord”, we will be glad we did!
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Blessings, Buddy
RSS Feed