Why The Christian Works, Labors, Endures

I have probably disappointed some of my pre-Christian friends not a few times when their invitations fell on days of the week that my family and I needed to be in church.

Though they are silent about it, I sense sometimes that they rationalize that we volunteer our time to church groups and activities because it is "what makes us happy."

I think that quietly some feel that we may be sacrificing too much when we give to the church and its various ministries.

I know my experience is not limited to myself and my household but quite common among believers.

My wife, Mila, and I sometimes say to each other that we wish we could just share the joy that we get in doing these things that seem to puzzle our pre-Christian loved ones. In such moments, the verse in Psalm 34:8 that says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him," always comes to mind.

Scripture:
"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor produced by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

Observation:
Faith in Jesus Christ produces good work. The love of Jesus Christ causes the believer to labor for His Kingdom's sake and the lost. Hope in Jesus Christ causes the believer to endure.

Application:
In faith, I do the work God has set before me for which He saved me. Because Jesus Christ loved me first, I love those whom He loves---mankind, the lost. Because I hope in Jesus Christ, I endure rejection, pain, the imperfection of this world, and the frailness of this life.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, please fill me. Take control of my life so that as I do the work God has set aside for me, I may do it well. Make me overflow with love so that I may serve well in God's Kingdom. Give me a heart for the lost. Enable me to reach them and build them up. Be my portion, be my strength. Help me endure the vagaries of this world until the Father sees the time fit to bring me home to be with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

May 12, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.