Doing the Work of God

 Numbers 3:8
They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle.

All work done to build the kingdom of God is with purpose and is not done in vain. We are all workers together to see the work of God’s tabernacle (His church) be a lighthouse to point others to Jesus. All who are in Christ make up this holy tabernacle, the church of the living God. The church is fitly put together, each of us having a task to do. Paul writes about the importance of each task. “If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?” You may feel insignificant, and the work you do is not important, but all things done for Christ are noticed by God. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”(1 Corinth 10:31). What God wants are people who are willing to do the task given to them with thanksgiving. Human nature desires approbation and appreciation for work that is accomplished, but what is important is that we receive the approbation of God, His approval with our life and the work we do for Him. Others may never call your name, or print out your charitable work in the church newsletter, but God sees what you do, and in eternity, that is all that matters. 

Striving into the Kingdom

 Luke 13:24

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

The scripture is clear that salvation cannot be obtained through works, no amount of good deeds, or self effort is enough to secure our place in the kingdom. But, it is also clear that there is a role we play in having full salvation. Jesus said, “Strive to enter'' What is it that we strive for? The doorway to heaven is through Christ. We must strive to put our faith in Jesus. He is the only way to the Father. We strive to trust God to keep us in the path of righteousness. We are tempted daily, but we strive for the grace of God to bring us through temptation. Striving is to make a great effort to achieve a goal or obtain something. Striving is essential to maintain a life that pleases God. By faith we strive to accept Christ, and it is by striving that we enter into the straight gate into the kingdom of God.

Not By Bread Alone

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Matt 4:4 

…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceed out of the mouth of God.

Man is not just a physical being in need of nutrients to keep them alive and healthy. People are created with a mind, body, and soul. People cannot truly live if they don’t feed the whole person. As creatures of flesh, we tend to focus on the body. Hunger, thirst, strength, and pleasure. But there is more to life than fulfilling the needs of the flesh. Man does not live by this alone, but it must be feed food from above, manna from heaven, the word of God. And this is the Word of God that speaks. Christ the bread of life, the fountain of living water, the One who gives spiritual and eternal life. The temptation is to put priority in making sure the physical needs are met first. This is known in the world as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This is the way of the flesh. But Jesus’ hierarchy teaches that seeing God as our greatest need and then trusting Him to provide for all our other needs is the way of God. The greatest teacher that ever live on earth said,  “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you”. 

Waiting For Him

Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

Waiting is not one of my virtues. I don’t like driving in traffic waiting for the light to turn red. Waiting in line at the store to check out creates undesired stress. I think we all look for the shortest line, and become frustrated when it  moves at a snail pace. This is one reason I don’t enjoy going to amusement parks, I don’t want to wait in line for a ride that will last 5 minutes. I have endeavored to work on my waiting skills by using the time to find something productive to do, sometimes this works, but other times, I become frustrated and become impatient. Waiting for God to answer prayer or work out life’s problems or make His will know is not something that comes natural for me. I trust Him to know what is best. Still waiting on Him move in our church, to see an outpouring of His Spirit. I’m waiting on God to open the eyes of the blind, to work in lives of those we have been praying. We labor and work for the kingdom of God planting the seed. We have been planting for 31 years in Denver, waiting for Him to give us the increase. 

Your Treasures

Matt 6: 21  …lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The treasures are the things you love and don’t want to let go. They are the things that are most important to you. Many live for the things of this world, the material things of this world, the approval of others, or the power to rule and command others. This is the mind set of one who is blinded to the real world, a world that can only be seen by spiritual eyes. They who abide in Christ know that this world is not our home. Our heart is for another world. Our treasure is stored in the kingdom of God. We live each day knowing that it could be our last, and only that done for Christ will last. We are not blinded to our earthly needs and desires, God does provide and blesses us with many earthly possessions. But they are not what really matters. Laying up treasures in heaven is to live on earth doing the will of God. To love Him with all our hearts and to treat others with love and respect.