Do The Work

 

Jesus was faithful.  He came to earth to accomplish the work of His Father.  Jesus “set His face” to be faithful  to the goal.  He did what He came to do and opened the path to salvation for all who would believe and come to Him.   

The Work 

As Jesus did on earth,

Let me accomplish my task and fulfill my worth.
O Lord, set my face
To run the race.
With endurance, set my pace.
Let me honor God along my walk
And glorify Him by my talk.
As with every task I complete,
Let it be the best to reflect both You and me.  
Establish my worth
As Jesus did on earth.
Set my pace.
With determination, set my face;
Loving, sharing among every race.
Daily, create in me joy and mirth
As I trudge along this earth.
Ever, gladly, will I run the race,
Though undeserving of God’s established grace.
 
                                        Mary Crisp Jameson      1/26/2021
 

Finished the Work

     I, like most people, measure success by my accomplishments, my finances, the car I drive, the home I live in, and the clothes I wear.  Yet, when I consider the fact that I am here on this earth for just a short period of time, until the Lord returns in the air to carry me home, none of these things will matter.  What will matter is how I lived my life for Jesus and my willingness to share my faith with others.  What will matter is how I loved and treated others. 
     In the words of David Platt, "We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world, instead, we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship."
     In a prayer Jesus spoke in John 17 to His Father, He said, "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."   I sincerely hope I don't miss the opportunities set before me to "finish the work."
    

LABOR DAY FOR GOD

     It’s Labor Day in A Friendly Shade!  What better time than now to review what the scriptures say about labor.

     From the beginning of time when Adam and Eve first sinned, man was given a requirement to work.  “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.”  Because of the people in this great land who are willing to work and who are willing to put God first, a prosperous nation has risen.  This is the perfect day to say "Thank you" to all those willing to work in the job positions we are so blessed to have available, and to those who are talented enough to create new industry that provides jobs in the workforce.   
     The following are just a few of the scriptures given regarding our requirement to work.

   

Genesis 2:15  And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.

Genesis 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust thou return.

Proverbs 13:11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. 

Proverbs 14:23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. 

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

2 Thessalonians 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 

1 Timothy 5:18  For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

     Not only are we given a requirement to work for our livelihood, but our work should be a work for the Lord.  Our work may not be able to seen with the naked eye, but God knows what is in the heart and He sees all.
     Being able to look back on the day and know we treated someone well, prayed for someone, did a good deed, gave of our wealth to the needy, or just performed some simple act to show a labor of love for God is a very rewarding fulfillment.

John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 

Acts 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.  

     God, in His awesome wisdom and love did give us a reprieve from labor even by His own example.  “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”
     I believe we all need to be reminded of these instructions, especially myself.   Our day of rest should be the perfect day to read and think on God’s Word and use the time to praise and honor Him. 

Exodus 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Exodus 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Exodus 12:12 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Leviticus 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

Conversations

     Sitting here in “A Friendly Shade”  I couldn’t help but laugh as I remembered parts of a conversation between 2 sisters; one who loved the outdoors and the other preferring the indoors.  Not one to remember the exact way it was told to me, let me just say, it might have gone like this:    

      Coming inside from working flower beds, the sister asked her avid stay-inside sister,  “Do you have any root conditioner?” 

     The sister, busy mopping her floor, replied, without looking up,  “Sure,  there is probably some L’Oreal or Gardenia on the shelf in the bathroom.”
     “Are you mocking me?”
     “No!  I thought you were going to wash your hair.”
     “I am planting roses and need stimulator for their root system”
     “Oh.  Well, why didn’t you say so?”
     “I did!  If you went outside more often, instead of having such clean floors, the kind you could eat off of, you might know what I was asking about.”
     “You are right.  Some days you can eat off my floors and actually get full.  You might even have your choice of green peas or bread crumbs.” 
     “Well, do you have any?”
     “Any what?”
     “Root conditioner or stimulator?”
     Smiling sweetly, “No, I don’t keep any of that kind of stuff.”

      That was a loving conversation between two sisters who accepted each other for who they were.  Thinking further, I remembered another conversation, but one in which the instigator tried and was successful in changing someone to suit their own agenda because the listener did not adhere to her principles and accept her current life; she wanted more!  The conversation went something like this:

     “I have been out wandering about seeing the world and here you sat doing nothing but tending this garden.  Don’t you want to be wiser and see more?”

    “But, I have all I need.  Look around, I can have any of the wonderful fruits from all these trees except  the fruit from that one tree in the center of the garden.  I was told I would die if I eat from it.”
     “No!” the intruder firmly replied.  “You will not die.  You can have it all.  See how lush and robust it is.  Imagine how juicy and tasty it must be.”
     The woman fell to the temptation.  She looked at the fruit and found it pleasant to the eye.  It was then she began to desire that which she knew in her heart was forbidden.  She reached up and took the fruit in her hand. She desired it's lush sweetness, and she tasted.  That one bite led to a deeper desire for more.  She even took the forbidden fruit to her husband and tempted him.  She wanted him changed, as well.   

     Most all of us, at some time in our lives, blame Adam and Eve for the labor imposed upon us today.  We think, “If they had not taken that first bite we wouldn’t have to go to work every day.”   But isn’t that what we do today.  We are just like Adam and Eve.  We continue to dabble in the first taste of sin that leads to more.  It is then our conversation goes like Adam and Eve’s to God in Genesis 3:10,13   Adam -  “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. ..And the Lord God said unto the woman, ‘What is this that thou has done?’  And the woman said, ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’ ”    

 

 

Do A Work In Me

As I drove into my driveway after work I could not help but notice how badly the yard needed mowing.  The weeds were quickly shooting up and overcoming the beauty of a fresh mowed lawn.  I determined it was time to restore the yard, make it look attractive, and by all means get rid of those hideous weeds which were invading the good grass around my home.    I needed to do "a work on the yard,"  but more than that, God needed to do a work in me. 

 

Do a Work in Me

 

Do a work in me, Lord!

Change me and keep me restored.

 

Moisten my eyes;

Melt them to tears

For compassion through all my years.

Mold my heart;

Soften it; make it kinder, still;

Let it be forgiving, holding no ill-will.

 

Lord, do a work in me;

A work for you that all may see.

 

Control my tongue;

Let the words you inspire

Flow forth as a witness to set hearts on fire.

Change my desires.

Give me a patient love;

One others can grab hold of.

 

Lord, do a work in me;

A work for you that all may see.

 

 Weaken my knees;

Bend them for kneeling

As I pray for other’s healing.

Rid me of selfishness.

Lend me a listening ear,

One willing to simply sit and hear.

 

Take my arms and my hands;

Make them strong

To hold and comfort, thou it take the whole day long.

Strengthen my legs and my feet;

Help me run, with joy, a constant pace

To complete my task ‘til I see you face to face.

 

Do a work in me, Lord!

Change me and keep me restored.

 

      Mary Crisp Jameson – 7/6/2014

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  Matthew 5:16