11/19/2022
Has the Lord ever called upon you to do a work for Him? If you believe in Him then most certainly, He has, because there is always a spiritual job to be done and serving Him is doing His will. Most labor has a beginning, and an end, but occasionally we are asked to do something that only begins, and whose end we cannot see. If we have been asked to do one of these never-ending works, it can wear on us over time, and we can grow tired, but two things are certain… the Lord will always give us the strength to carry on, and our work will never be in vain.
“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 Corinthians 15:58 ESV
Many who pray for God to reveal His will to them are asking to know something about their faith, Him, or where they should go, but more often than not they receive a job to do. Take for instance the Great Commission. When we are sent out to teach others the good news of Jesus Christ it is more than a pleasant walk on a perfect sunlit day, or a peaceful stroll with Jesus that is smooth, straight, and free of all obstacles. Our mission includes going to difficult places and coming face to face with dark adversaries to rescue the Lord’s imprisoned souls.
“You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”
Psalm 91:13 ESV
So, what are the various things that God has asked you to do for Him? Have they been simple things like serving a meal or two at the local food kitchen, or perhaps to do a task that has no end such as praying for someone, or something, for the entirety of your life… every day. Whatever the Lord asks us to do it will be good, just, kind, and require us to walk with Him as we accomplish it.
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8 ESV
It will frequently be trying, hard, require that we suffer, and ask us to do things that wear on us to the point of exhaustion, but in all the hardship and difficulty God remains with us and strengthens us. Just as he strengthened Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, He strengthens us now…
“And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Luke 22:43-44 ESV
Our work in answer to God’s will does not go unnoticed by Satan and will not go unopposed by Him. I was asked to join a three-man prayer team of elders at my church, and within two weeks I was diagnosed with cancer. Upon hearing this the other two said “Oh yes, we forgot to tell you, that when you do something great for God that Satan will try to put a stop to it.” They prayed fervently for me in the Spirit that day, and the end result was that the Lord removed the cancer from my body… not for some trivial reason unassociated with His will, but to show me , and those about me, that He was greater than all that opposed Him, and that nothing stood in the way of His will. Know this… we wrestle with spiritual forces when we serve God.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12 ESV
So the Lord calls us to serve Him in many ways; some of them appear to be small, others very large, but with all certainty we can be assured that He will strengthen us when we grow faint, give us rest when we tire, protect us from all harm and every adversary, provide us with the resources we need, and bless us as we carry out His bidding.
What have we been asked to do when it comes to God’s will? Do we ask Him what that will is, and pray for discernment when it comes to determining the difference between what He is calling us to do in His service as opposed to what men are trying to convince us He wants, or the world is leading us to believe He expects? Listen to what Jesus tells us about such things…
““Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”
Luke 6:46-48 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for all that you ask of us in conformance to your will. Thank you for your Son Jesus who provides us with the template we are to follow as we serve you. Give us perseverance Father, and walk with us, and labor beside us, as we do your will, and struggle to move forward against the headwind of our dark adversaries. Strengthen us, give us rest when we are weary, and let nothing stand against our steadfast obedience to you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who blesses us for doing your will. Praised be your name for every task you set before us. Merciful are you towards us as we serve you, and blessed are we as we show kindness, and goodness to those you send us to tend to. Your grace flows into us through Jesus, and likewise we are to let it flow freely through ourselves into those you send us to… those who need it also. Wash us in the blood of Christ and quench our thirst with living water so that we will be refreshed and can continue to serve you joyfully. In this way, and by our humility, obedience, love, and service, let us reflect the face of Jesus, and be judged favorably as He was. Bless us as you have blessed Him, by giving us eternal life in your presence.
Rich Forbes