TRUTH WORKS

It is truth that stands out with startling distinctness on the pages of the New Testament, that God has no sons who are not servants. --H.D. Ward

James 2:26, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Jesus, upon His departure from earth, gave us our marching orders. He did not say, “Sit back and relax.” He didn’t say, “Just live your life the way you want to.” He didn’t even say, “Get a job, invest your money, and enjoy retirement.” NO! What Jesus said was, “GO!”

His Truth prods us to work for His glory! Like the servant that had the talents that were to be invested, we have been given the glorious Gospel to invest in this lost, dying, and hurting generation. Will you Go?

GET ‘ER DONE

Each one of us should do something every day that we do not want to do but know we should do, to strengthen our backbone and put iron in our soul. -Crane

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

I didn’t want to. I wanted to lay in bed. But no one else was going to do it. So, I got up, got ready, and trimmed my bushes. Boy, I’m tired! Pooped! Exhausted! I didn’t want to do them but it was necessary for them to be done. You know what else, I am glad I did them.

Friend, there are some things that we may not want to do in this life and in ministry but they are necessary! They are necessary for you and the ministry to grow. They are necessary for you and the ministry to be fortified. They are necessary for you and the ministry to be glorifying to the Lord. Friend… it’s time for you to get ‘er done so you can grow in God’s grace!

WORKING FOR THE LORD

God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but for scars! -Hubbard

Romans12:1-2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Scarred feet from sharing the Gospel. Scarred hands from working in the harvest fields. Scarred feelings from being let down, deceived, and lied to. If you have been serving the Lord for any amount of time, these things are inevitable. Folks are going to use you up and walk all over top of you. They think you owe them something. They think they have all of the answers. They think they impress God in their lip service.

Friend, if you’re not going to do something for the Lord, get out of the way and let those that are do it! Working for the Lord isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re going to get hurt and scarred as you serve. But continue working for the Lord anyway!

WORK FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING

            The only place where success comes before work is a dictionary. -Sassoon

Colossians 3:23, And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

            I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, we worked on cars a lot. It seemed like every weekend we were fixing something on one of the cars Mom and Dad had. One weekend was the brakes, the next would be a power steering pump. You never knew what we were going to be tearing apart and putting back together but you were guaranteed to be working on something. When I got old enough to drive, I bought me a new car that I didn’t have to work on. (But then I wrecked it- ☹) All that work but it never killed me. In fact, it was probably a good thing because it kept me out of trouble, taught me to do things myself, and it saved me a lot of money over the years.

            We only have so much time on this earth Christian friend. So, we must be working for the Lord, doing His will, and trusting Him with the outcome. If we follow Him, we might see someone come to know the Lord! That my friend is the greatest success anyone can have in this life. Will you work for Him while you can?

WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST

Cooperation is spelled with two letters- WE. --G.M. Verity

Psalm 133:1, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

            Have you ever heard, “Many hands make light work?” What it means is, when you have a lot of people working together on one project, one person isn’t loaded up with a lot of work to do by themselves.

            In the church, we need people to work together, to share the load, to… bear ye one another’s burdens. We all have individual gifts and talents. Just like the body is made up of many parts-arms, legs, feet, mind, heart, lungs, etc, that enable it to function, the church also has many parts that allow it to function. If your body has a part that isn’t working, the rest of your body is forced to compensate for the weaker part. It’s the same way with your church when you don’t do your part. So, help everyone out by working together!

WORK WHILE YOU CAN

          Working hard will eventually pay off especially when doing the work for the Lord.

Galatians 6:9, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

            Child of God, it’s easy to get tired of what God has given us to do when we don’t do it in His strength. His strength is found when we have the joy of the Lord in our lives. Without it we will be like a raisin, all shriveled up. With His strength we can face and do anything He sends our way! Leading the choir, singing a special, telling someone about what Jesus did for you, all comes with strength when we yield our lives over to Him, working in His will for our life!

            Are you working for Him or against Him? The work will eventually become a joy if you work for Him and it will become the strength to get you through another day!

BETTER GET BUSY

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination; never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. -Chesterfield

Psalm 90:12, So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

            Days are fleeting, my friends. The pages of the calendar are flipping faster than the feet on a chihuahua in a pool. Blink, a new year! Blink, your kids are grown! Blink, your fifty! Blink you’re on Social Security! Before we know it, we will be in a nursing home sipping on an Ensure!

            Hey friend, wake up! We better invest our time in something that will last! Our kids aren’t getting younger. Spend time with them! Your parents aren’t getting any younger. Spend time with them! We are not getting any younger. You better hit the track before the track hits you right between the eyes! Our days are numbered and we better get busy doing something for the Lord!

GOD’S WORKING

Too often we try to use God to change our circumstances, while He is using our circumstances to change us.” — Author Unknown

How often to we try to pray ourselves out of something God led us into instead of trusting Him in it? It is often during these times that we grow the most in our spiritual walk with the Saviour. Instead of running from our problems why not do something that most in this world would counsel you not to--- Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

It is during these times we see God work "at His best" humanly speaking! What good have we seen out of wars of the past? What good have we seen out of missionaries remaining on the field where God sent them, even when the mission board was telling them to depart, God is finished with that country? What good came out of Jonah going to Ninevah? What good came out of Paul going to Rome? What good came out of Jesus going to the cross?

Sit down, pay attention, and watch the Lord work!

GET TO WORK!

There are too many people who expect God to work by miracle what God expects people to work by muscle. –Tyson

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. Ephesians 4:28

The Nanny State mentality is one of the many things killing the American way of life. What used to be a Biblical foundation of providing for our family, friends and fellow Americans in their time of need now has become nothing more than a bunch of lazy individuals doing nothing but wanting everything—for free! This mentality has transferred over into many churches across our country and it’s killing the church. Folks come in never wanting to get involved with a church and have a mentality of, “What can your church do for me.”

You want to see the Lord work a miracle? Maybe it’s time for you to put some legs to those lips and get busy serving Him. He can take your physical work and turn them into miracles. The folks serving in the nursery so a lost mother can hear the Gospel preached is helping win her to the Lord! That's the Greatest of all Miracles! Now, GET TO WORK!

DO SOMETHING FOR THE LORD

               The three things most difficult are - to keep a secret, to forget an injury, and to make good use of leisure. -Chilo

Galatians 6:10, As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

               Due to this Corona-virus, many kids are sitting around the house playing video games, watching TV, or complaining that they have to be at home. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa-what an opportunity you have to take them with you on visitation. What an opportunity you have to clean out that garage you have been putting off. What an opportunity to invest quality time with your loved ones!

               Don’t take this time for granted. Do something for the Lord! Invest in the eternal things so your kids and grand-kids will see how important they truly are. After all, idle hands are the devil’s workshop!

SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO BE A MARY

            From one Martha to another, sometimes you need to be a Mary.- Sharon O’Dell

Luke 10:42, But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

            Oftentimes, we get so busy working for the Lord that we forget to sit at His feet. We must do this, we must do that, and don’t forget about doing that thing too. Everything we set out to do is certainly done on purpose and for a purpose. However, sometimes we put more tasks on our plates than we should. Even when our calendars are full, we continue to put things on it. We believe one more thing won’t hurt. Then that one thing turns into one more thing, which then turns into one more thing. Before you know it, we are too busy being busy that we have no time to spend doing what’s most important--spending time with the Saviour. That should be a priority of our day, every single day. If you’re only spending time with Him while you’re at church, then you’re depriving yourself of the most needful thing in your life. Start today out fresh by deliberately setting time out of your day to spend with Him. You won’t regret it!

DO SOMETHING

For Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do. -Watts

Colossians 3:23, And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

            There are doers of the Lord’s work and then there are talkers of doing something for Him. Folks that do the work of the Lord get criticized by those who only talk about doing something. They are quick to find fault and criticize but actually, they don’t do anything themselves.

            Friend, don’t worry about those who find fault and criticize. Don’t give them the time of day. You keep on following God’s Word, yielding to the Spirit’s guidance and doing something for Him! You will bring Him honor and glory!

NO ONE OWES YOU ANYTHING

2 Thessalonians 3:10, For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

            There is a growing mentality in which people who do nothing feel as if they are owed something, just because. Just because they were born in a poor neighborhood. Just because they are of some ethnic group. Just because they had something bad happen to them when they were young. Just because their mom was a drug addict. Just because their dad beat them. Just because this or just because that.

            As a “survivor” of mental, physical, and sex abuse, I find it simply crazy to think that anyone owes me anything. No one owes me an answer as to why this happened to me. No one owes me a hand out. No one should have to give up their hard-earned income because I am too lazy or self-absorbed to get off my can and work for what I need. God has given me a sound mind, two arms, two legs, and an ability to work. If He has given you the same, then you need to do the same! Here is what I need to do this morning: I need to get up, get ready, and head to my place of employment to be able to continue to provide for my family. If God wants me to receive a handout, He will provide it to me! I won’t have to beg, steal, or borrow. God will always provide for His people if they are doing what He wants.

            So, before you get that “Everyone owes me something mentality”, be reminded this morning that God doesn’t owe us anything and neither does anyone else. Rely on the Lord to give you the strength, knowledge and wisdom to provide for your family!

BE WORKING

To have the blessings of God’s hands, one must be moving their hands, lips, feet, or some other part of their body for Him.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Created unto GOOD works; not that we should just be working but we should be working the works that are GOOD in the sight of God. Providing for your family, taking care of the things God has given you, teaching your kids about the Lord, sharing the Gospel with a lost and dying generation, giving hope to the hopeless, giving help to the helpless, as Galatians 6:10 says, “…do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

What will you be working toward today, anything less than doing His will, will not be GOOD WORKS!

BE STUDYING

Ever learning of our Saviour is much needed in an ever changing world.   

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business,

and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

1 Thessalonians 4:11

                        This past Sunday we celebrated our Patch Club kids’ accomplishments for the year. Each of the kids worked hard and finished the tasks that were set before them. They didn’t just wake up and find these tasks were finished. They memorized verses and completed many pages so they could pass the books.

Each one of us would do well to follow the lead of these young people. We should never stop learning about our Saviour! We should not retire our learning, we should re-fire it! We should keep on keeping on!

WRAPPED UP IN YOUR WORK

            If you want to be not only successful, but personally, happily and permanently successful, then do your job in a way that those who don’t know God will see God in you! Do that job in such a way that, even when you are out of sight, folks will always know which way you went by the lamps left behind.-Mc Farland

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:25

            Every one of us has a job God wants us to do. He has this job specifically designed for you and me. He doesn’t want someone else to do it. He has equipped us to do this job. He has prepared the way of the job. All we have to do is—do it! And you know what God said about this job He wants you and me to do? He said, if you are a doer of the work, you’ll be blessed! Wait, what? Yep! If you get wrapped up in the work God has called you to, prepared for you, and equipped you to do… He will bless you!

            What has God been trying to get you to do? Well, get to it! Then watch God work in and through your life!

GO TO WORK

God gives the birds their food, but he does not throw it into their nests. -Greek Proverb

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

            So many people are looking for free handouts these days. It used to be a shame to be holding a sign asking for your next meal. Now people do it as their primary source of income. Some folks, have fallen on bad times and they need a helping hand up. I am all for helping those who truly need help. However, those who don’t need help, only wanting a handout… they need to go to work and earn a paycheck! 

            The Lord said in Proverbs, “In labor there is profit”. Let me put it this way, Earning your way is better than all of the handouts you can ever get. Not just because you get a paycheck but because of the satisfaction of accomplishing some task and then getting a paycheck for it. Notice what the second part of that verse says, “…the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.” If all you do is stand around talking about what you’re going to do, you will be standing in need, in want, and eventually overcome in poverty.

WORK, WORK, WHY DO WE HAVE TO WORK?

Blessed is the man who has some congenial work, some occupation in which he can put his heart, and which affords a complete outlet to all the forces there are in him. -Burroughs

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. Psalm 90:17

Many people complain about the work they get to do. They find themselves bemoaning the thought of going back to their job as if they are going to get a root canal. What a miserable way to live!

We have an awesome opportunity to bring honor and glory to Him in the place where He has given us to work. The way we look and view this place in which we work will be expressed to everyone. While we may not like every aspect of our work place, we can still exalt our Saviour when we discuss it with others. What a privilege to work while we can, where we can, and when we can so we can proclaim the Gospel! Take advantage of the opportunities God gives us and stop complaining about them!

IT IS FINISHED!

Look at what He is, and what He has done; not at what you are. -D.L. Moody

            These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:1-4

Many believe they have to do something to be saved. Their salvation is based on their good works. The problem with that is the Bible proclaims, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” So no one can do good to get to Heaven! So how does one get there?

Confess, Repent, and Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! Confess your sins, Repent of those sins, and Believe Jesus suffered, bled, died, and arose again the third day for your sins! He conquered death, hell and the grave for our sins! In other words—IT IS FINISHED!

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO BE DONE FOR THE LORD!

For Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do. –Watts

By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. Ecclesiastes 10:18

From the cutting to the grass to teaching of Sunday School there is always room for you to do something. If you are not physically able to help doing manual chores, you can pray, teach, or sing in the choir. If you want to see your Pastor light up with a smile on his face, go ask him, “Pastor, what can I do to help out around the church?” If he doesn’t give you something to do, come see me because I’ve got plenty for you to do!