Our Labor is Not in Vain in the Lord…

 

Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher.

"Vanity of vanities! All [that is done without God's guidance] is vanity [futile, meaningless—a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes, merely chasing the wind]."—Ecclesiastes 1:2

4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,

5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;

6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love;

7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;

8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;

9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed;

10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:4-10; ESV)

The readings in Ecclesiastes and in 2 Corinthians this morning could cause much discouragement.  Upon examination though they are cause for rejoicing. God has put eternity in our hearts.   Life in this fallen world is not meant to be comfortable or enjoyable. It is meant to bring us to the One who gives all of it meaning...to the One who freely gave His life to save us from the bondage of sin and death. We can praise God when things are hard and pray they cause our hearts to cling more to Jesus.  In Christ nothing is in vain and nothing is lost.  All that comes our way goes through the hand of our God who is for us and gives all that we face purpose and meaning both temporally and eternally.  

Knowing Jesus enabled Paul and enables me to endure hardships and trials.  Instead of allowing people and circumstances to control me, I can trust God by taking hold of His promises.   I can see my difficulties as opportunities to reflect what my heart believes, and demonstrate my faith to a lost and dying world that needs Jesus. I can make my Valley of Baca here a spring by surrendering all things that come my way to God and allowing His purposes to reign.  

Beloved, tried faith is precious faith. (1 Peter 1:7).  Our circumstances do not have to define us.   By His Spirit, then, may they refine us.  May they draw us nearer to God, who is our refuge and our strength...our very present help in times of trouble.  Be still (literally hands-off) and know that He is God.  He will be exalted in the nations...He will be exalted in the earth AND He will be exalted in our hearts and in our lives as well. 

But, beloved, even though we speak to you in this way, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and of things that accompany salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to [the needs of] the saints (God's people), as you do. 11 And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish, but [will instead be] imitators of those who through faith [lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in His power] and by patient endurance [even when suffering] are [now] inheriting the promises.—Hebrews 6:9-12 AMP

Let Me Hear of Your Unfailing Love Each Morning…

 

1 Hear my prayer, O LORD;

listen to my plea!

Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.

2 Don’t put your servant on trial,

for no one is innocent before you.

3 My enemy has chased me.

He has knocked me to the ground

and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.

4 I am losing all hope;

I am paralyzed with fear.

5 I remember the days of old.

I ponder all your great works

and think about what you have done.

6 I lift my hands to you in prayer.

I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.

Interlude

7 Come quickly, LORD, and answer me,

for my depression deepens.

Don’t turn away from me,

or I will die.

8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,

for I am trusting you.

Show me where to walk,

for I give myself to you.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, LORD;

I run to you to hide me.

10 Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God.

May your gracious Spirit lead me forward

on a firm footing.

11 For the glory of your name, O LORD, preserve my life.

Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.

12 In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies

and destroy all my foes,

for I am your servant.—Psalm 143 NLT

I can’t love this psalm enough.  There are times for each of us in our lives when our spirits grow faint within us. Moments when we lose hope and are paralyzed with fear.  Our spirit sinks and we are desperate for the Lord to answer our heart’s cry.   We live in a despairing darkness that highlights our own helpless condition.  We, like David, long for God’s gracious Spirit to lead us forward on firm footing….to put our feet back on level ground. To bring us out of the darkness and into the light of His unfailing love. 

David, in this psalm, rightly acknowledges that God owes him nothing.  Despite his acknowledged unworthiness, however, he prays with confidence because He knows (and this is why I love this psalm so much) that the covenant promises of God are His. He uses covenant language…

Faithfulness, righteousness, and my favorite…unfailing love. 

We are in the same situation. We have no righteousness of our own. But God…because of the great love with which He loved(s) us sent His only Beloved Son to die for us.  He did this so that we who believe could share the covenant promises, the covenant faithfulness, the covenant righteousness, and the unfailing covenant love that is ours in him.  Because of this we can cry as David does with deep confidence that God will hear our cries and answer. 

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”—Deuteronomy 31:4 NLT

He has already done the bigger part…He will complete that good work He began in us. 

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?—Romans 8:31-32 NLT

Therefore…

14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.—Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT

Beloved…pray with confidence. God’s unfailing love is yours. In Christ our vindication and victory is assured. 

16 "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].—John 3:16-18 AMPLIFIED

A Merry Heart Does Good, Like Medicine…

 

A merry heart does good, like medicine,

But a broken spirit dries the bones.—Proverbs 17:22

This one for me is a daily battle.  There is much in the world and in each one of our personal lives that can crush our spirits and depress our hearts, if we allow those situations and griefs to be our focus.  The best medicine for me here is the word of God. It helps me stay grounded and focused on what is important…on those things that have are above…that have eternal value.  Beloved…Be encouraged today by renewing your inward man with the word of God. 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.—2 Corinthians 4:16-18

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.—Ephesians 3:16:21

He is faithful. His covenant love toward those that belong to Him is sure and certain. 

But as for me, my prayer is to You,

O LORD, in the acceptable time;

O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,

Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

Deliver me out of the mire,

And let me not sink;

Let me be delivered from those who hate me,

And out of the deep waters.

Let not the floodwater overflow me,

Nor let the deep swallow me up;

And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.—Psalm 69:13-15

You number my wanderings;

Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

When I cry out to You,

Then my enemies will turn back;

This I know, because God is for me.

In God (I will praise His word),

In the LORD (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?—Psalm 56:8-11

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.

I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.

He shall send from heaven and save me;

He reproaches the one who would swallow me up.

Selah—Psalm 57:1-2

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.—Philippians 4:8

Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.—Psalm 1:1-3

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.—Psalm 33:8-11