The weekend following September 11th,
2001, syndicated columnist and former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan
drove to Lower Manhattan to witness the relief
effort taking place at Ground Zero. She found herself focusing on the convoy of
trucks filled with rescue workers coming off their 12-hour shifts. The men in
the trucks were construction and electrical workers, police, emergency medical
workers, and firemen. It was a procession of the not-so-rich and famous.
She writes: “These New Yorkers
had become celebrities, more significant than any Broadway act. A large crowd of onlookers were cheering the
workers with shouts of "God bless you!" and "We love you!" They
clapped and blew kisses. I looked around
and saw who were cheering. Investment bankers! Orthodontists! Magazine editors!
A lawyer, a columnist, and a writer. We had been the kings and queens of the
city, respected professionals in a city that respects its professional class. And this night we were nobody. We were so
useless, all we could do was applaud the somebodies, the workers who, unlike us,
had not been applauded much in their lives…. I was so moved and grateful. Because
they'd always been the people who ran the place, who kept it going, they'd just
never been given their due.”
On that tragic day, rather than
talking them for granted, the world recognized how useful, how indispensable
construction and electrical workers, police and firemen, and emergency medical
workers are to a city.
Which leads us to our scripture
lesson: “Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.”
How ironic. The apostle Paul who wrote these words, personally
knew not only success and joy in his life and ministry, but failure, discouragement,
disappointment, and frustration. He had
endured persecution and threats, but in his hearts of hearts, he still knew God
would honor his ministry to the Gentiles.
Paul writes: “I have been
shipwrecked on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger
from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, in toil and
hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, in cold and
exposure. And apart from other things, there
is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.” That is, the churches which he and other
apostles had planted.
“In the Lord your labor is not
in vain.” Here are words of wisdom,
words of spiritual maturity, words of truth, words used to depending upon the
grace of God. I admire the apostle Paul. Despite daily facing obstacles and setbacks
in his work, he believed in his heart that God was blessing his preaching, his
pastoring, and his work of planting churches.
He believed that his work was not in vain.
By faith, you too have the power
to endure, to push on, to not allow yourself to be defeated in your work. You have the power to persevere. You have the power to devise new plans and
approaches. You have the power to cast
off bad habits and learn good habits. And
that power is the power of our Lord, the power of his victory over death, the
power of the Holy Spirit, which comes to us through faith.
There is a work of difference
between feeling useless and useful, helpless and helpful. Spiritual wisdom is the conviction deep in
your soul, that whether your efforts and energies produce results or not, they
mean something in the purpose of God, in the mind of God, in the kingdom of God
We must never forget that we are
engaging in a spiritual battle, in spiritual warfare. The book of James says – “Resist the devil
and the negative thoughts which can poison our life.” Why - because Satan promotes a defeatist
attitude. The devil knows that a
discouraged Christian is ineffectual, your power and influence to be a vital
witness to Jesus Christ is mitigated at best and shut-down at worst. You can’t share Christ’s joy when there is
no joy in your heart to share.
What is your deepest frustration
today? You are putting forth effort, but
feel like you’re getting nowhere, you are just spinning your wheels? God’s word is clear. First, always abounding in the work of the
Lord means be steadfast in the work of the Lord. Don't allow others to discourage or stop you. Stand firm and steady. Don't give up, or give in or give out. Second, always abounding in the work of the
Lord means give yourself daily and fully to God, relying upon God’s strength, and
not just your own, praying for how God wants to use you in His service. Sometimes we are completely surprised with
how God decides to us.
And third, knowing that in the
Lord, your labor is not in vain. It’s
never in vain when you prayerfully commit your efforts to God, when you ask for
God's inspiration and power and blessing, when you humbly and sincerely
dedicate your work to God, even though at times you fail to reach your goal or
produce results. Results may not be
visible, but that doesn’t mean God is not working in an imperceptible way using
your time and efforts and energy and prayers.
The book of Hebrews reaffirms
God’s promise: “God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work and the
love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints.” God never forgets work done in His name. God remembers your labor. God knows your efforts to love others and
serve and glorify Him. God sees what you
have done and are doing and what these things mean for His kingdom.
I recall an intervention I was
involved in with a family in our church in Monument, CO. One of the family members had been an
alcoholic for over 20 years. The family
had tried everything but to no avail. This
time it worked. The son made the commitment and joined AA. This family had the
joy of seeing the results of their prayers and work over many years come to
fruition. Their work in the Lord was not
in vain. Praise God.
I remember a mother at our church
in Santa Monica . I knew she had been estranged from her
daughter for many years. The daughter
had refused to have any communication at all with her mother. The mother continued to pray and reach out
through the mail and leave occasional phone messages on her daughter’s voice
mail. After 10 years, one day, the
daughter phoned her and invited her mother to lunch. It was a glorious day of where a mother and
daughter were reconciled. Praise God.
Open your heart. Allow God’s word to encourage you. God may bless you and you see results
immediately. Hallelujah. God may bless you and you see results later
on in your life. Hallelujah. God may bless you and you see results, not in
this life, but in the life to come. Hallelujah. God has made you a promise. Have confidence in the promise of God. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment