3-11-2017

 Good Morning All,

               1 Corinthians 15:58; “So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.”

    One of the cartoons in our local paper is called “Baby Blues.”  It has three children, a girl Zoe, a boy Hammie and a baby girl Wren.  They are young children.  It is Hammie’s goal to annoy his sister at each and every turn of events.  You can almost add an extra panel to the cartoon where one of the parents tells Hammie to “quit bothering your sister!”  I think the reason why many find this cartoon humorous is because it is pretty much true to life.

    If you are a parent, how many times have you told one or all of your children to “stop bugging your____!?”  There are times as a parent that you may feel that this stage of life will never get done.  Maybe you have even gone to the level of placing masking tape down as a dividing line for squabbling siblings.  Or maybe you use a timer or maybe you just take the object away until further notice.  It can be very frustrating to deal with this day after day but eventually the children either outgrow it, live in a “truce mode” or learn to fight quietly.

    There are very few things in life as frustrating as trying to help someone with a problem or struggle when it seems like it never gets accomplished.  You pray and pray, invite and invite to church, you bribe, you cajole or use whatever means you have to get your child, spouse, parent, neighbor or friend to come to church with you and it never works.  You speak to your sister, daughter, niece, goddaughter, or good neighbor and she always ends up in relationships with men that end in disaster.  Or maybe it is the male of the pair that you speak to.  How many times do you help someone get a job only to have them quit or fired within two weeks?  How many times do you loan money to someone, all the while they promise that, “this is the last time”, only to do it over and over?  How many times do you preach the Gospel message or try and live the love of Christ only to see nothing happen?

    In our verse, Paul knows we will be tempted to think our labor is in vain. A waste. Absolutely useless. So Paul reminds us of the truth. Our labor for God is never in vain. Our work for God is never wasted. God promises that he will use our labor and sweat and tears for his purposes, to bring him glory. Even if we don’t see results, we can be assured that God is working. Most of the time we have no idea how God is using our efforts but he is using them.

    So keep praying and talking to the family member or friend who misses church or makes bad decisions or just can’t seem to figure it out.  God is at work and he works in his own time and in his own way.  One thing we often miss is that while we are “working” on one person others are watching and they might be the ones who are most touched by our actions.  God’s Word never returns empty; it always accomplishes it task.  Nothing, in service to the Lord, is ever wasted.

Dearest Jesus, help me when I think my faith is wasted and your love is undervalued.  Help me to see that all things work according to your will.  Give us the strength to continue in your service.  In your precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret