Labor Daily

Be strong and daily do the work that God has given you with wholehearted devotion. Do not be afraid, for He is with you.

“King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant…But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name…He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house…And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you…Be strong and do the work.” He gave him the plans…He designated the weight of gold…David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” 1 Chronicles 28:2-20

What does God want you to do today? Is there a disconnect between what you want to do and what God wants done? Or are you in alignment with doing God’s will with the strengths you have been given?

David wanted to be the one who built the temple. He loved God. He had stored up treasure and had architectural drawings done. Then God told him that it was not his work to do. He did not take offense to this; instead, he passed the torch. He set his son up for success.

David gave Solomon everything he needed to do God’s will, but the one thing he could not do was live his life for him. It is probably the hardest part of being in a relationship with other people—not being able to control their decision-making or make them do things the way you think they should be done. Like many parents, David had to learn to let go, but not without making sure he told his son how to do things in a way that pleased God.

What advice did he have for Solomon that can apply to our lives today? Build your life on truth. God is with you, God is for you, and the best thing you can do is boldly do your best, believing that at all times God will give you what you need. It is in the doing that we see God demonstrate His power at work. King David gave gold and plans, but what his son needed most was courage to follow his kingdom calling. Is that not the same for us? When we face fear, failure, or find ourselves feeling ill-equipped to do all the work that needs to be done, the best way to keep going is to remember that we are not alone. God is with us. How could standing on the promises of God and remembering what He has said help us to do the work we were created to do?

“Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power…Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! “He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot— come, let us rejoice in him. For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver…you brought us to a place of abundance. I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you— vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.” Psalms 66:2-14

It’s a good thing that God never sleeps because He has a lot to get done every day. If you think you have a hard time managing your own life, imagine being in charge of 8 billion people, all creation, and the natural laws that govern all that exists. That’s a healthy to-do list.

David invites everyone to stop and think about the power of God. He reminds everyone to remember how God does what we could not do so we can understand that with God all things truly are possible. With God, we can walk through the sea on dry ground. With God, we can overcome every obstacle and do the miraculous. Is that how you feel when you approach each day? Do you feel unbeatable?

Before Solomon ever started building the temple, David supplied all his needs. God does the same thing with us. He wants to take us to a place of abundance, a mindset where we operate out of strength. He wants us to do what we have committed to doing and not worry about whether we will succeed. He is with us, and with Him we have all we will ever need.

Often the opposite mindset can creep into our thinking. We can allow fear, scarcity, inadequacy, and loneliness to infect our approach to each day. Is there anywhere in your life that any of these have impacted your excitement to do God’s will? When Jesus invited the disciples to follow Him, He did not check their bags to make sure they brought enough supplies with them. He was the supplier and the equipper. We are the trusters and doers. We do not have to play God or provide our own daily bread. He knows our needs and has a plan.

“Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city…Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way,” Proverbs 9:1-15

It is important to learn that there are competing voices in our lives. There is a voice of truth and there is a voice of deception. There is a voice of wisdom and there is a voice of foolishness. Both call out. The question is which one will you listen to and give authority to?

Wisdom tells us that the life of faith is a life of learning and growing. We all grow step-by-step. None of us have it all figured out. Wisdom tells us that a heart that is open to instruction will get the job done better and will always be improving. The fool does the opposite. The fool allows pride and preference to keep them from peak performance. How well do you receive instruction? What have you learned this week?

Solomon reminds us that the beginning of all learning starts with understanding God’s perspective and drawing closer in our personal relationship. It does no good to build a beautiful house on sand. We are meant to build our lives on the rock of Christ, on a firm foundation.

“This is what the LORD says: “Has Israel no sons? Why then has Molek taken possession of Gad? Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful? Unfaithful Daughter Ammon, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?’ I will bring terror on you…If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished?…Who is like me and who can challenge me?…See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might…Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the LORD.”Jeremiah 49:1-39

Have you ever found yourself fighting against God? You will not win. You can struggle, complain, and get angry, but it is all for nothing. The beautiful thing is that even when you reject God, He does not reject you. He holds us accountable and refines us, but His mercies are new each morning.

What upsets God? In this passage, it was seeing His people worship another god. It was pride and arrogance. It was a heart devoted to doing whatever they wanted. How do you think God feels when He looks at the world we live in? How could we be people who help our world turn back?

God seems to address the issue of suffering on some level. He challenges the self-righteous and says that even if those who do not deserve to suffer experience times of suffering, how much worse will it be for those who do? The crazy thing about sin is that it deserves suffering. It deserves punishment. Yet, Jesus drank the cup of suffering that we might be free to be who God made us to be. Should this truth not spur us on to boldly do the work God has placed before us? Rather than suffering for sin deserved, we get to serve one another in love.

“After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. “But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.” Acts 18:1-21

From beginning to end, the invitation running through all these passages is to be strong and do the work God gives you to do. Do not be afraid of whether you have it all figured out or fear how it will work. Keep learning and growing every day. Do not be afraid. Focus on doing the next right thing and serving. Keep doing what God has given you to do. We do not have to understand everything God is doing in order to obey Him.

God is the one who provides. Solomon did not have to create the plans or provide the resources. His father gave him what was needed. Our responsibility is to trust God and faithfully do the work in front of us. What does God have for you today?

God is doing far more than we can see. He can make a way through the sea and bring us into a place of abundance. Before Paul knew what was before him, God was strengthening him for the work and promising His presence. What would happen if we lived like God was already working in places we could not see, preparing people we do not yet know, providing things we need, and making a way we could never make on our own?

The beginning of everything is to see who God is and how our work fits into His. Paul said if it is God’s will, then I will do it. Paul just worked. Paul just preached. Paul just kept going because it is what God wanted him to do. We can do the same. You do not have to control the outcome; you just have to do your part each day with a heart that believes God is working too. So listen to the voice of truth, be strong, be aware of His presence, work hard, and expect God to do great things through you. God is with you, and He will do far more than you could ever imagine because it is what He does.