“So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.” (1Cor 15:58 NCV)
Look at that! Paul tells us to stand strong and refuse to allow anything to prevent us from giving ourselves fully to the Lord’s work. Why? It is because there is nothing that we do for the Lord that will be wasted.
Now I want you to know that this man of God is writing to us with an understanding of the times we live in. We live in a time in which it is becoming increasingly difficult for one to separate himself to do the Lord’s work. And that is largely because, by the very configuration of our modern society, every one of us is expected to be kept in ‘busy mode’ every now and then. There will always be something to be busy with. There will always be something to give our attention to. But what will that thing be? Will it be something that will be promoting the Lord’s cause here on earth or something that will be promoting our cause or Satan’s cause?
And let me make this very clear: when we are talking about doing the Lord’s work, we are not talking about being a Pastor, an Evangelist, a Church office staff or a minister of the gospel. You can be all these things and still not be doing the Lord’s work. As the Scripture points out, the Lord’s work has to do with the reconciliation of the world to Himself. And anyone among His children can do that anywhere by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Cf. 2Cor 5:19-20)
The question, however, is, “How many of God’s children are actually devoted to this work of reconciliation?” And I am not asking for the number of those who are talking about the work of reconciliation or the number of those who desire to be doing it; rather, I am asking for the number of those of us who are actually involved in doing it.
See, it is not enough for us to talk about our desire to do this or do that for the Lord; our words and desires must be accompanied with actions. And until the expression of our devotion to God is accompanied with actions, there is nothing concrete to it. I am sure you still remember the Parable of the Two Sons given by the Lord Jesus Christ and its lessons. As our Lord taught:
“…A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ The boy answered, ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart and went. The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.” (Matt 21:28-30 NET)
Now I believe that is self-explanatory. But the question that keeps coming to my mind is, “Why did that young man not go to work in his father’s vineyard, even though he had told him that he would go?” Well, since our Lord did not supply the answer to this question, we can take it for granted that the young man’s reason was irrelevant, regardless of what it was. So also, whatever our reasons are for not giving ourselves to the Lord’s work, they are irrelevant and will certainly make us lose the reward and joy of being fruitful partners with the Lord in His work of changing men’s lives.
Life Application: Look at your weekly schedule and notice how much of it is simply ‘busy mode’. Set aside at least one fixed period each week for something concrete in the work of reconciliation – inviting a colleague or neighbour to church, sharing what Christ has done for you, visiting someone who is far from God, or mending a broken relationship. Identify the excuse that usually stops you, name it before the Lord, and take the first step today. Words of readiness count for little; like the first son, simply go.
I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will wake each and every one of us up to effectiveness in doing what the Father has called us to do. Do have a very lovely day, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
