1 Timothy 4:8-10 "...godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.John MacArthur, Bible teacher, notes : "'Labor' (Gk., kopiao) means 'to work to the point of weariness.' 'Suffer reproach' (Gk., agonizomai) means to agonize in a struggle.' We work to the point of weariness and exhaustion, often in pain, because we understand our eternal objectives.
J. Oswald Sanders wrote, 'If he is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue for his leadership, it will always be mediocre' ... Weariness, loneliness, struggle, rising early, staying up late, and forgoing pleasures all come with excellence.
Galatians 6:14--Paul said that by taking up the cross of Christ, he crucified himself to the world--he died to everything around him and became consumed with the gospel of Christ....As Paul looked to the future, that caused him to serve with his whole heart, striving in the work of the ministry. We hope in an eternal, living God, who will some day reward those who faithfully serve Him."
J. Oswald Sanders wrote, 'If he is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue for his leadership, it will always be mediocre' ... Weariness, loneliness, struggle, rising early, staying up late, and forgoing pleasures all come with excellence.
Galatians 6:14--Paul said that by taking up the cross of Christ, he crucified himself to the world--he died to everything around him and became consumed with the gospel of Christ....As Paul looked to the future, that caused him to serve with his whole heart, striving in the work of the ministry. We hope in an eternal, living God, who will some day reward those who faithfully serve Him."
I wonder how many of us have been Christians for the sake of the title, or for the asurrance of delivery from Hell alone. We commit ourselves to verbiage, but when the rubber meets the road, we don't have an inkling of serving for the sake of Him... we do it for show, for obligation to our local assembly, for a 'feel good' emotion, but we have lost that commitment to serving the Lord for His sake, and for furthering His kingdom.
I mean, sure, we've served in somewhat of a capacity as long as it fits our schedule, but have we worked in a kopiao or agonizomai manner? Have we given to help a needy person, even doing physical labot? Have we hoarded our precious lunch break instead of seeing a sick one who needs a person to talk to? Have we sought out people and shared the Gospel with them, even if it is at risk of getting ourselves embarrassed?
Hey, we take risks every day. We burn the midnight oil for a job promotion. What happened to our service to Jesus?
