No Work for God Is Unimportant

  No Work for God Is Unimportant

Colossians 4:7-18

The final lines of Colossians seem to have little theological impact. Most of the names listed, except for Luke and Mark, are unfamiliar. We could easily skip these verses and jump to 1 Thessalonians. But Paul’s closing words to the Colossians carry the subtle message that no ministry is unimportant.

It isn’t hard to recognize Paul’s amazing contributions to the faith—much of the New Testament is made up of his divinely inspired letters. The people mentioned in his Colossian missive seem to pale in comparison, but the apostle considered all of them important enough to include. For instance, Tychicus, the first mentioned, played a big role—wherever he appears in Scripture, he is running errands for Paul (Acts 20:4, Eph. 6:21, 2 Tim. 4:12). Thanks to this man, the Colossian letter traveled over 800 miles to its destination, then moved from church to church to be read repeatedly and copied. Tychicus’s job was important in spreading the gospel; without his assistance to Paul, modern believers might not have this valuable letter.

We tend to judge types of service as important or unimportant, and too often pride prevents our approval of a particular ministry. We want a big, impressive job to prove to everyone how much we love the Lord. But God desires the exact opposite: He wants our love for Him to motivate us to do anything He asks, no matter how insignificant or unnoticeable it may seem.

What is God asking you to do that you are resisting? Repent of your pride, and humble yourself to do all that He desires. None of His work is unimportant.

A New Creature, A New Person Abloom

When Christ comes into my life, somehow the desert of my heart begins to blossom. The man who has been paralyzed by sin, helpless and down in the
dust, is taken hold of by the Spirit of God, and is made anew. That is the wisdom of God and the power of God.

Alan Redpath

Relying on God’s Power, Not Our Own

Relying on God’s Power, Not Our Own

Philippians 4:10-13

Humanly speaking, the apostle Paul had much to boast about—his qualifications are found in Philippians 3:4-6. However, he understood that impressive “credentials” are not what really matter. Paul rightly saw that knowing Christ and relying on Him are the source of genuine value in life.

Writing from places that were lowly in both a physical and emotional sense, the apostle is a triumphant example of how believers should view themselves—namely, as the Father does. The best way to do that is to recognize God as the source of our power: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (4:13).

Many of us know this verse by heart, but have we accepted its truth? To say “all things” may seem like a bold statement, but it is balanced. The emphasis is not on “I can,” but rather on the fact that I can through Christ—He supplies everything we need to carry out His plan for our life.

This verse is an important confession that we cannot do God’s will in our own power. But that does not mean we should simply sit back and become spectators. As Christians, we have a responsibility to obey the Lord’s leading in small matters as well as in “big” circumstances. What’s more, it is our hands, feet, body, voice, compassion, and desires that the Father will use to accomplish His ultimate goals for our lives.

Obeying by faith can seem frightening, but the comfort zone isn’t where godly people choose to spend their time. To do all things through Christ involves some risks, but you’ll discover that the rewards for obedience are deeply satisfying.

We Are Not Giving To Him, We Are Just Returning What Was His...

Not how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of His money will I keep for myself.

Anonymous

Whatever You Do...

Colossians 3:17

Verse Concepts

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Fathe
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Work,-As-Ordained-By-God#sthash.5knIHxY8.dpuf

Colossians 3:17

Verse Concepts

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Fathe
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Work,-As-Ordained-By-God#sthash.5knIHxY8.dpuf

Ordinary work, which is what most of us do most of the time, is ordained
by God every bit as much as is the extraordinary.

Elisabeth Elliot

He Will Carry You

I dreamed last night, and now I understand. I dreamed I had fallen into a deep pit where I lay helpless and despairing. Confucius came and said, 

"Let me give you advice, my friend; if you get out of your trouble, never get in again." Buddha came and said, "If you can climb up to where I can reach you, I will help you." 

Then Christ came. He climbed down into the pit and carried me out.

Anonymous

His Work, His Timing- Greg Laurie Daily Devotions

Greg Laurie Daily Devotions


Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. - (Philippians 1:6)

I am an “artist”—kind of. Actually, I am an artist with very limited skills. But sometimes when I’m spending time with friends, they will ask me to draw something. So I’ll pull out a felt-tip pen and draw little cartoons.

Then someone inevitably says, “Draw me! Draw me!” They like me to do caricatures of them, but the thing about caricatures is they are never flattering. If you ever look at political cartoons, they always exaggerate a person’s features. If someone has a nose that is slightly long or ears that are somewhat big, the cartoonist exaggerates everything. That is the whole idea. But people don’t like that.

I’ve also noticed that when I’m drawing, people don’t see what I see. As they are looking over my shoulder, almost breathing down my neck, they want to know what I’m doing. They may see only a circle, but in my mind’s eye, I already see the finished work.

Sometimes when we look at the blank canvas of our lives, we ask, “What is going on? What is God doing? Where is this going? This doesn’t make sense. I don’t even know whether I agree with that.” But God, as an artist, is at work. And as Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”

God’s work will be done in His time. He sees the expected end. He knows what it will look like before He has finished because He is God. He knows how your life is going to turn out.

So don’t put a period where God has put a comma. He is not done with you. No matter your age, you are a work in progress—and He is still working.