Your Work for God is not in Vain (Devo)
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Have you ever had one of the moments when you open God’s word and the passage you read speaks directly to what you are struggling with? (Even though you you were not searching for a passage on that subject)
5:
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Cor 15:
Have you ever had one of the moments when you open God’s word and the passage you read speaks directly to what you are struggling with? (Even though you you were not searching for a passage on that subject)
This happened to me just the other day. I turned to a passage that was a reference for the topic I was preparing to speak on and the Holy Spirit helped me through that passage with my struggle to be encouraged.
It doesn’t matter if you are a full time minister or just a follower of Christ; if you are trying to work for God you will face discouragements and difficulties.
One of the discouragements that the enemy seeks to put into our minds is that the work is too hard and it is not going to make a difference anyway. (This could come in the form of the feeling or thought that “it won’t be good enough.”) (This is one that I struggle with a lot and I am sure I am not the only one. For example if I am preparing for a sermon or lesson after working really hard on it and it is still not done I start to feel overwhelmed and think “this is not good enough,” “there is still so much to do and its not good enough.”)
Have you ever felt that way in what you were doing for Christ, that what you were doing just wasn’t good enough or that you were not making or going to make a difference?
These are hard feelings to face but what God does through His word and His Spirit is that He encourages us to see the truth and keep up the good work.
When we begin to feel this way one of the best things to do is pray and let God’s word and His Spirit answer those feeling. We can even ask ourselves are these messages from God or the enemy.
The passage that I turned to that day when I was feeling that what I was doing was not going to be good or matter that much was
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
When we are sincerely working for God He encourages us that what we do for Him is never in vain and that He see our work for Him.
He tells us He see your efforts and honors them (even if others do not.)
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.
He assures us that it matters and that we are making a difference.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.