“Laboring in the Lord”

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11; John 4:34-38; Philippians 1:21-26; Colossians 1:24-29

This is Labor Day weekend – the time we celebrate (if that is the right word!) the end of summer. But it is also a celebration, as the name implies, of the labor that all Americans give to their jobs and to our economy. Without the efforts of millions of people, nothing can be built, no service can be offered, nothing will ever happen for our businesses or our nation.

And while this is true for the Church, the purpose for our Christian labor has nothing to do with what we will create or what we will receive. Christian labor, and Christian rest, is all about what we can give to our Lord.

And our labor for Him isn’t ours to choose – it is God’s to define.

Read Exodus 20:8-11

It would appear from these verses, that our efforts, as the Body of Christ, are closely tied to God’s mission to his creation. We read that the Lord created all that there is in 6 “days”, and that our work, our labor, is also related to those same 6 days. And while our efforts, by comparison, can never bring anything as grand as what our God did, they are just as important, and just as divine as the Lord’s.
But not only our labors, but our rest is also in imitation of the Lord. But why did God need to rest, and what makes our Sabbath rest holy? First, it isn’t that God needed the rest, it was a time for his creation, his human creation, to begin our response to what the Lord has already done for us.

And our rest? Because we need time off to refresh and relax, and we need to use that “refreshing” time to refocus our lives on our Lord and his call on our lives. The commandment tells us to not only use this as a day of rest, but to keep this day “holy”. Holy! We are to give this day solely to the Lord and his glory. Not to do the work of earth, not to do the work that brings us wealth or prestige, but to use it to bring glory to God. And it is to prepare us for the labor that awaits us in the next 6 days.

Read John 4:34-38

So how do we know if we are on the right track with both our labor and our “rest”? Jesus is our example for all aspects of this life. He came to us with a divine assignment, and part of his Father’s will was that he would show us what our share of responsibility in this life was all about.
And Jesus’ job? It was to teach, and preach, and to clarify what God desires for each of us, and ultimately, to create a way to forgiveness and eternity. This is what brings completeness to the divine creativity that brought substance out of chaos, light out of darkness, a plan and plea and glory out of silence.
So what about our God ordained job? To work in the Lord’s field of endeavor – and that is to share his life and word with others, and to show them the way to his glory. And as we look at this passage, it seems that there is a divine division of labor at work – that no one is expected, or called, to do it all. The Church is a body of believers who are called to work together for one purpose and one goal – to live and function within the will of the one who created us. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

But Jesus’ analogy between the sower and the reaper is nearly lost when he tells us that the harvest is ready right now! No mention of sowing the seeds of faith, but here is the Lord’s call to begin the harvest.
But when we think about it, sowing is actually the beginning of harvest – there is no harvest without sowing. Granted, for us, there is an amount of time that is also involved in this effort, but time never seems to be a concern for God. If we do what we are called to do, the Lord will then do his part - in his time and way though, not in ours.

And the last verse in this passage will always cause some folks concern. Who is it that has chosen to do all of “the hard work”, and who is being described as harvesting from the labors of others?
When it comes to faith, we all would like to be “the harvesters”, the ones who bring a non-believer to salvation in Jesus. And we tend to see the work of Jesus – his ministry, his suffering, his crucifixion, and his resurrection as the hard work that has already been done. And that is certainly a valid interpretation of those words, but there is another aspect to this.
Some of us may be the ones who do the hard work of sowing seeds of faith in the world. This is probably the most difficult, and the least rewarding personally, of all that God calls us to do. We do the risky stuff – of reaching out to others who still have no love for God, of finding just the right words to convince that person to give their life to Jesus, of being able to answer the questions that someone may have that are keeping them from surrendering to Godly ways. We’re never quite sure if we have been faithful in these times, and we never seem to be sure that we have made a difference in that person’s life. We sow, while others get to see the product of the harvest.

Fruitful labor is one thing, but never getting to see the results of our witness can be frustrating, at best.

Read Philippians 1:21-26

Paul struggled a little with this issue of sowing and reaping. And he actually saw some of the successes that came from his efforts to show others the glory that comes by faith in Christ. But there was also a lot of suffering in his life. In 2 Corinthians 11:22-31, Paul offers an extensive list of the extremely hard work and abuse that he has endured for the Lord, and while his mind knows that to leave this life and join the Lord in glory will be the greatest experience he will ever know, his heart tells him that the better desire is to continue in the ministry that the Father has laid out for him, as this will lead to the great harvest of souls in the Last Days.

And he knows that this is the truth for his life, and he chooses to be faithful in following the Spirit’s lead. Ministry and mission would continue for Paul, but where do you think he was when he wrote this letter to Philippi? He was in a Roman prison. Ministry happens wherever the Spirit leads you, and usually it winds up taking you to places that you would never choose on your own! And yet, when you let the Spirit work through you, even in those frightening and undesirable places, the joy of the Lord will be incredible. Whatever the labor, whether sowing or harvesting, service in the name of Jesus will always bring us a sense of victory.

Read Colossians 1:24-29

In verse 24, Paul is acknowledging that his suffering is not a wasted struggle. He sees it as a completion of the suffering that Jesus endured on behalf of the future Church. And so must we, for this is the only hope that we have of finding joy and glory in our Christian service, in spite of all that we may have to endure.
William Barkley, in his commentary on “Colossians” (page 126), wrote “Jesus died to save his Church; but the Church must be upbuilt and extended; it must be kept strong and pure and true; therefore, anyone who serves the church by widening her borders, establishing her faith, saving her from errors, is doing the work of Christ. And if such service involves suffering and sacrifice, that affliction is filling up and sharing the very suffering of Christ. To suffer in the service of Christ is not a penalty but a privilege, for it is sharing in his work.”

Labor in the Lord is a privilege. Regardless of what that may require on our part – whether it is sowing or harvesting, freedom or prison, acceptance or rejection, or just wondering how it will all come together – doing the will of Him who called us, and being able to continue the work that he has begun, will be the greatest blessing that we can ever strive for.

May it be so for each and every one who labors in Christ’s Church.