Surviving The Work Of The Lord

After nearly 18 years of salvation I am not doing less for God but more. 

When I gave my life to Jesus in 1995 I was a single mom and my ministry was cleaning the very small first building of a new church.   Fast forward to 2013.  My resume now reads something like this;

"Married mother of 6, helper to husband,cleaning team ministry leader (of the church that has now grown from 30 plus people in 1995 to over 500),teacher in the children's ministry, assistant to the children's ministry coordinator, bible study (small group) assistant, homeschooling mom, homemaker, local art school employee, writer, etc...."

You get the picture.

Someone may ask, "How do you do it?"  or "How do you carry such a load?"

Oh there have been times in the beginning that I would cry and ask God why He wanted me to do more.  Can't I just be a

MOM?

I think alot of Christians ask that type of question.

"Why do I need to work Lord?  You see all I already have on my plate and you want me to do more?"

Yes, God wants you to do more

MORE!

Why? 

Because He is building His kingdom and He is building,

YOU.

Back in 1995 there was no way I could do for the Lord all I am doing now.  About every two or three years He would give me a little more to do...or a new baby.  Like I said, in the early years I would cry.  Now I laugh.  Okay sometimes I still cry.   But I know God will give me the strength, and the GRACE to do all He wants me to do.

But I will tell you a secret.  I am not some super woman.  Nor am I so Holy Ghost that I can bear this load all on my own.  No.  There are some things that I do that keep me going strong for God.  I will share those things but let me first say this.  Everyone is called to do

SOMETHING.

That something is nonnegotiable.  We don't get to choose what that something is.  We don't get to put it off until a more convenient time.  When the call of God comes God is listening for only one reply,

YES LORD.

Some never answer the call (command).  They actually believe they get to pick and choose in the Kingdom of God.

Some say YES.  But then when the load gets to heavy, or boring, or inconvenient they quit.  But because deep down they know that they are disobeying God they lose joy, they get bitter, and sometimes they leave.  The weight of knowing they should still be doing what God commanded becomes too hard to bear.

But others say YES and keep saying YES.

They do it with joy and they serve when they are tired, or busy at other things, or sick, or even when the work gets repetitive and they would rather do something more

FUN.

Over the years I have watched and learned how to survive the work of God from great men and women who have gone before me.  If you do these things you can also continue in God's will for you and not just survive but

THRIVE.

1. We don't get to choose.  Settle it that when the call comes the proper response is a simple "yes".

2.  Pray. Pray. Pray.  In prayer you will find strength to go on when things get tough.  You can ask God to give you a fresh vision for the work when it gets boring or you feel it's not productive.  You can be to the bone honest with God about how much you dislike what He gave you to do and He won't hate you.  Then you can say, "Never the less, Your will be done."

3.  Talk to your leader.  When you want to quit go to the one who won't feel sorry for you but will give you the Word of God, a good swift kick in the pants, and the encouragement to press on.

4.  Take the word QUIT out of your vocabulary.  Learn that when God is done is done using you in an area He will move you on through leadership...not to sit down and do nothing, but to labor in another area of the kingdom.

Remember God is not just building His kingdom but He is also building the worker.  Do you want to be strong in the Lord?  Building strength requires work.  Do these four things and you cannot help but grow

STRONGER.

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.  Gal 6:9  NLT

...the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God.  1 Chron 29:1 NKJ

*The above photo is of me and my oldest.  We were doing a salvation drama in our church and I got to be a demon.  Boy was that makeup itchy!

A Disciple? You?

Often when we think about the twelve disciples we unintentionally put them on some mystical plane, when in reality they were just normal folks with some

POTENTIAL.

Really lets think about this.  Out of the 12 Jesus chose one who always put his foot in his mouth and swung a mean sword, a tax collector who was probably ripping off widows, two brothers who could have been gang affiliated, a really negative guy whose motto was "I'd have to see it to believe it", and of course Judas (a thief and a back stabber).  John, who was most comfortable hugged up to Jesus, and Nathanael, who Jesus marked as a man of integrity, were the only two that seemed to have anything going for them.  The other five?  Well just some average Joes that the Bible doesn't have much to elaborate on.

I never would have chosen guys like this.  At least not without the

HOLY SPIRIT.

When you read the Gospels these guys were argumentative, selfish, insensitive, cowardly, and just not very spiritual.

BUT

they had two things going for them.  They LOVED Jesus and they were

OBEDIENT.

Wherever Jesus was they went.  They were never far from their leader.  And, except for that incident in the Garden of Gethsemane, they did whatever He told them to do.

They didn't understand everything Jesus told them, they had selfish motives, and they were prideful.  But they were also

OBEDIENT.

This love and obedience carried them to their destiny and promotion.

How you ask?

When Jesus told them,

“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

They actually did it.  They stopped what they were doing and waited in the upper room because Jesus said so.  If they had not obeyed they never would have become the men that others knew had been with the Master.

But what about you?

You have no qualifications and alot of issues, but can you

OBEY?

Can you just LOVE your spiritual leader, your mentor, let me just say it your pastor, and just...

...DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD?

These men had nothing else going for them and despite what you may or may not think neither do you.

But if you can love, if you can trust, if you can follow and obey, you can become that one who will...

TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.

And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven. Heb 13:17

Fuel For The Fire Of God

There will be a day when our works will be judged.  Did we attempt to assist God in the building of His kingdom based on our desires, our opinions, our timetables?  Or did we cash it all in, burn every bridge, and ask God to to let His will be done on earth...

...through us.

Here on earth we humans have those seasons that are just grey.  We lack FIRE and zeal.  We wonder...

AM I LUKEWARM?

The reality is that sometimes the work of God is repetitive and mundane.  This doesn't mean we don't love God.  It's just the state of living in this flesh.  By faith we remain constant, we stir ourselves up, and then a day comes when life is exciting again.

HOWEVER..

...if we are lacking FIRE because we are lacking FUEL that's another story.

In Corinthians Paul states that we must be careful how we build on the foundation of Jesus.  Whatever is built upon Him with gold, silver, and precious stones will endure the test of fire and the builder will receive a reward.  But the works of those who build with wood, hay, and stubble will burn up and there will be NO reward.

What does it mean to build with wood, hay, and stubble?

NOTHING will survive the test of FIRE that was not the will of God.  So everything that is willfulness, rebellion, stubbornness, presumption, will burn. Selfish motives, vainglory, everything built from insecurity, pride, or out of fear will perish.

EVERY fleshly, worldly thing will be nothing but a pile of...

...ASHES.

However there is good news!

These things that will burn in heaven are the very things that we can use as fuel for FIRE right here on EARTH!!!

Take your will, your plans, your wants (even your needs), every HOPE and  every DREAM, your goals, and YES your desire to be liked, loved, and admired AND...

BURN IT.

Decide, right now, that nothing that God did not give you  or tell you to pursue is worth having.  Make an irrevocable decision that it's ALL God or NOTHING at all. Arrange your schedule, your house, your work, your decisions, your thoughts, your recreation, your children, your prayers all around nothing but God and...

...HIS WILL.

I tell you a truth.  There will be such a FIRE in you that no circumstance, no fickle emotion, no man, and no devil in hell can put it out.

But it takes a decision.

Wood, hay, and stubble is readily accessible in abundance because we have a flesh that inherently wants to live for itself and not God.  One way or another it's going to burn. Here on earth where the light of it will shine the way for others and the warmth of it will comfort the weak and the lost? Or in heaven where you will suffer the loss of your reward.

You choose.

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,  each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.  1 Cor 3: 12-15

Picture by Chelsea Johnston