Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule:
but the slothful shall be under tribute.” (KJV)
WORK
Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship
Work is one
of those four letter words that no one likes to use. But the Bible tells us
that hard working hands will rule. Experience teaches us busy people get the
job done and those that work hard get promoted. God has a plan to make His
people “the head and not the tail”; so, He expects us to be hard working,
diligent, and self-controlled. We should be all about getting the job done.
But, what is the job?
Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship –– WORK! God is asking us to be devoted to living in harmony with each
other. Regardless of our position in life we are equal in the sight of God and
should be equal in each other’s sight. Everyone can offer kinship. Kinship is
always refreshing. The difficult part is being willing. (Romans 12:16)
Some
believe that God is into making millionaires, offering us a life of comfort and
ease because we can solve all our problems with money. God wants to be the
solution to all our problems and He does not need money to do it. God does
desire that each of us be made rich, but His measure of wealth is good works.
Isn’t that a thought? God is ordering us to get busy working for His Kingdom
and He is making us rich in good deeds. (1Timothy 6:18)
I often
tell my congregation we have one choice in life and after we make it all other
choices are His. Once we make the choice to become Christians all other choices
belong to God. He is asking for workers. We may decide after evaluation that we
have not done a good job. We may find that the scale we use to measure our
generosity does not meet with God’s standard. We may even find that we have not
been involved with the doing of good deeds on a regular basis. If any or all of these are true, scripture is
clear about what our response must be. Willing service begins with repentance.
(Acts 3:19-20)
Times of
refreshment come from Jesus. When we repent and spend time worshiping Him, He
arrives on the scene and changes the situation. We have been created for good
works. Too often we avoid talking about WORK
in relation to the church. Salvation is by the grace of God, but our
relationship with God cannot stop with salvation. Once we have accepted the
grace offered to us we have a responsibility to share that grace with others.
That, friends, by its nature is WORK. If you don’t believe me just give it a
try.
Everyone
has been given gifts and abilities to use for the WORK of God’s Kingdom. Some
are able to teach. Others are able to make music. Still others have the gift of
hospitality. Some have the ability to
build or work with their hands. The deciding factor is that we Willingly Offering Refreshing Kinship to everyone. Whatever our
ability we need to employee it for God’s Kingdom and His glory. (Ecclesiastes
9:10)
God is
building a family. We are God’s workmanship. His plan for us while we are here
is that we do good works. God has given us Christ Jesus and He expects us to
WORK for His glory. Every great artist signs his work. God is making our lives
His masterpiece. He has signed them with the seal of His Spirit. When we Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship to others we demonstrate the
love of God. Our mortality is not a cheerful uplifting thought, but it is a
fact. Tee-shirt philosophy teaches, “Life is a gift from God: What we do with
it is our gift to Him.” We are being offered an invitation to answer the call
of God. There is WORK to be
done. Are we willing? Do we offer freely
the gift of salvation as it was offered to us? Is what we offer refreshing? Do
we truly recognize our kinship with others? If we answer these questions in the
affirmative, we can WORK because we
are His masterpiece. (Ephesians 2:10)
When Jesus
sent out His disciples He gave them instructions regarding what they should do.
He sent them in His authority and power. They were His ambassadors. His
instructions have not changed. His authority has not diminished. We are His
disciples and these are the works we are commanded to do. All of these are
possible through His presence and the power of the Holy Spirit, which has been
freely given to all believers. (Matthew10:8)
Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship –– WORK! God has not changed His mind. We are living examples of His
message. It may be time for some spiritual closet cleaning. Most of us can find
things around the house that we have forgotten we own, or worse have forgotten
how to use, and in the area of our spiritual life it is no different. We have
things that we have forgotten how to use and even why we received them in the
first place. We also have collected things that have no business in the lives
of Christians. God is calling us to clean out our spiritual closets and put to
use the awesome gifts He has given us. He is also calling us to get rid of the
junk. We do not approach our problems the way the world does. We do not depend
upon human wisdom, or strength to get the job done. Are we working for the
Kingdom but relying on something other than God? The command is that we WORK –– Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship. (1Corinthians 2:12)
God blesses
us so that we can and will bless others. What He freely gives to us we have a
responsibility to share. Our times of discouragement and defeat come from the
fact that we do not encourage ourselves enough in Him. We do not offer
encouragement to others and they do not offer it to us. As a result everybody
gets tired, run down and burnt out. Only when we live according to His word are
God’s Kingdom advanced and His goals realized. Scripture commands encouragement
daily. We can neither give nor receive enough fellowship and encouragement by
attending church once a week. We need daily booster shots or our willingness to
get involved drops drastically. (Hebrews 3:13)
Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship while it is still called today.
We have not come up with a better word for the day we are living in right now
than today. Every time we wake up in the morning it is today so find someone to
encourage. Build each other up. There is enough bad news to fill any newspaper.
Let us spend today sharing the good news. Jesus Christ is alive and is willing
to bless all who will come to Him in the right attitude. God never turns people
away. Attitude makes all the difference.
What
happens to all the good that God freely gives to us if we choose not to share
it? It turns to bitterness and rots. Everything we touch becomes unproductive
or worse counterproductive, destructive.
We serve a living and active God. He empowers a living and active
people, and the plan is that we spend today doing good deeds. (Proverbs 3:27)
Most people
have a pretty high opinion of themselves. Most people truly believe that they
deserve the best treatment in every situation. In ourselves by virtue of who we
are, we have no claim to special treatment; however, in Christ by virtue of who
He is we deserve the best. When the Bible tells us not to withhold good from
those who deserve it; we must look at it from the righteous prospective ––
Christ died for each individual and God thought each was worth it.
Applying
scriptural truth to our daily lives requires a change. Our attitudes and
actions must come in line with scriptural principles. God is involved in every
area of our lives and He plans to use us where we are every day. From the
President to the grounds keeper and everyone in between; there is no one of
greater importance than another. We are transformed when Jesus comes into our
hearts. From that moment on, our priority is Kingdom WORK. Willingly Offering Refreshing Kinship to
everyone calls for diligent and deliberate service.
This type
of service is not just giving people what they want. We have seen the effects
of that upon society already. It is giving them what they need in light of
godly wisdom. Clothing, shelter, food, and love are the necessary elements of
physical existence. The essential spiritual need that must be addressed is
salvation. We must realize the spiritual need will never be met without first
meeting physical needs. We will not all be millionaires, but we can all be
warm, well fed, and loved.
God never
asks us to use what we do not have; but always asks that we put to full use
what we do have. The challenge is that we daily answer the call of God.
Overcome the distractions, break down the barriers, and serve God with all that
has been given to us.
We cannot
afford to be misled or choose to be unproductive. The task is not simple, easy
or uncomplicated. It is however attainable. The key factor in our success is
willingness. When we are willing, God provides the ability. Willingness is
risky. Offering ourselves in service is an open invitation to be hurt
emotionally, but God is our source. Refreshing times will come. The road is
long. The path is narrow, but the oasis of His strength is ever-present.
Kinship is a constant struggle. Doesn’t involvement in our families drive that
fact home? But, family also teaches us other valuable lessons.
For most of
us, the first experience we have with work comes in the form of chores. These
labors of love must be completed in order to experience peace and harmony
within the home. I can honestly say, “I do not remember Saturday morning
housework from my childhood with fondness.” In truth it resulted in some pretty
heated arguments about whose turn it was to do which task, but as we grew, my
sisters and I learned which things we enjoyed and could accomplish more in less
time with greater satisfaction when we worked together.
Translating
that very common experience into a spiritual application should tell us that WORK, though it is a four-letter word,
is not something to avoid. It is something to embrace with gladness. Family
dynamics and the commitment they demonstrate are a source of strength when we
submit to the Holy Spirit. The family of God is a beautiful reflection of His
presence when we all WORK –– Willingly Offer Refreshing Kinship. “Diligent hands will rule…”
and “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might …” none of us
can sit idly by and watch the world go merrily down the road to hell. Do you
feel the urgency?
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