May 17, 2017

Labor: May 17, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 17, 2017.
LABOR

DEFINITION:

Physical or mental work for the earning of a livelihood; hard work; a task, strenuous effort.
SCRIPTURE:

Six days you shall labor and do all your work. Exodus 20:9

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life. John 6:27


KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Many people sincerely believe that it is the labor of good works that will qualify them for eternal forgiveness. One who believes that good works alone is all one needs to have eternal life with our Lord is really attempting to buy forgiveness on credit. To put it clearly good works will not get one into heaven for eternity.

This is the philosophy of many religions. We all want to go to heaven. We all want everlasting life. Sin is the barrier that keeps us from heaven. It is sin that has separated us from God. Good works will not get us through that barrier.

God has sent His Son to this world and He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. We are all sinners and we all need to pay the debt for our sins, but doing good works no matter how hard one labors will not get one into heaven. We need to realize we are sinners and we need to ask God to forgive us of our sins and then ask Jesus into our hearts. Working or laboring hard will not achieve forgiveness of our sins.

God has pre-paid our sin-debt in full so He has no need for our feeble good works. No matter how hard and diligently we labor or how sincere our intentions are, our hard work is never enough to get us to heaven. That is why God sent Jesus to this earth and why Jesus died on the cross. It was to make a way for us to get to heaven.

So, what did Christ mean when He said in John 6:27, “Do not labor for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to everlasting life?” Many people in the crowd that Jesus was speaking to asked the same question. They wanted to know what work God required for them to have eternal life. Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe on the one He has sent” (John 6:28-29).

In Deuteronomy 10:12-13 we read what God requires of us is “to fear the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the Lord’s commandments.”

We are Christ’s representatives wherever we go. For example, it is necessary to work in order to provide for ourselves and family. Whatever our job is or wherever our place of work is, believers must work as if Jesus is their supervisor. It is essential that the believer has honest work ethics that honor the Lord and demonstrates that his faith in God is genuine. A good work ethic means to work just as hard and industriously when the boss is watching as when the boss is not. Your work place is your place of ministry and the one we want to please is not just the boss but our Lord and Savior.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” If you are not getting up every day with your primary purpose of laboring for the Lord, then take a good look at your relationship with your Lord.

The author of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 6:10 that “God is not unjust to forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” God not only sees but He remembers everything we do. Remember Paul’s words encouraging us to “always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord because we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain” I Corinthians 15:58.

The first verse that we have listed above gives us a commandment by God to labor six days and then rest on the seventh. We all must labor to provide for ourselves. It seems we are never without work to be done. While God is aware of the work we do He is also aware that we need rest. That is why God set aside the seventh day to be a day of rest and worship. We need both physical and spiritual refreshing. Our seventh day should be dedicated to worshipping and praising God for all His blessings to us.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 23:1.

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

PRAYER:

It is my prayer today that my labor will be a labor of love for You. Whether, I am in my work place, my neighborhood or at home may all that I do and say honor Your name. May others see Christ not only in me but working through me.



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