September is a time to get back into the routine, back to school, back to our activities, back to work. In general, we return from our summer hiatus and get back to a more defined schedule. Take a look at your calendar, things are reappearing, meetings are being scheduled, back to the work we call living. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Work is an interesting word; it means far more than just the job we do to collect a paycheck to support our life. We have to work at everything we do. When we think about it, anything worth having or doing takes work. What do we work at in life?
What do we work at? Anyone have a home? Maintaining a home is work. You can tell the difference between a house that is cared for and one that is not. Work involves caring for something, having our heart in it. It is easy to identify a half-hearted effort.
Think about some of the things you work at. Character is one of the personal things we work hardest at. Kindness, gentleness, peace, joy, love, grace, mercy, self-control, patience; the list goes on. There is work to be done for all of us.
It is said if you work at something you have a passion for, you’ll never work a day in your life. Even if our work is focused on something we have a passion for that doesn’t mean it is easy or without sacrifice. Having a passion for something just means we are willing to work all the more harder to accomplish something. We are willing to make more of a sacrifice and put in more of an effort; more than the average person would. Passion helps us overcome the obstacles that would stop some.
When we hear the term Passion what comes to mind? A while back Mel Gibson produced a film with that title, The Passion of the Christ. It sought to reveal the lengths that Christ was willing to go to restore our relationship with God. God passionately pursued us with the goal of providing a way for us to restore our relationship with Him. Christ performed that work on the cross.
There are seven phrases that are attributed to Christ on the cross;
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)
“Today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43)
“Woman, behold your son: behold your mother” (John 19:26-27)
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
“I thirst” (John 19:28)
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46)
“It is finished” (John 19:30)
Each phrase revealed things necessary in our relationships; forgiveness, grace, responsibility, sacrifice, nourishment, dependance and follow-through. I won’t cover them today, but look for them this Winter as they will be the subject of our winter Bible Study.
When Christ uttered the words, “It is finished” He completed the work of the cross, a provision was made for our forgiveness. Through Christ’s work on the cross our relationship with God could be restored. He made the sacrifice for us, something he was passionate about. Without that passion it would have been difficult to endure the pain and suffering he did to finish the work.
We have the opportunity to respond to the work Christ accomplished for us, work we could not do ourselves. Paul put it this way;
Ephesians 2:8-10; God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We can accept and believe the work of Christ, his death and God raising him from the grave. We cannot earn it; our work isn’t sufficient to cover our debt. It is by Grace, unmerited favor, that God extends to us. Our response is to receive it. When we do, our work for God begins. Notice the last verse; do good things God planned for us long ago.
Even God has a to-do list for each of us. I know that doesn’t sound like a blessing, but it is. Our passion to please God is ignited and the feeling of accomplishment is second to none. The reward for doing the things God has planned for us is a satisfaction and fulfilment we can’t attain anywhere else. A peace that passes understanding.
Everything that is valuable is worth working for. Christ accomplished the work of the cross so that we would have hope, so that our relationship with God could be restored. His work on the cross made it possible for us to dwell with God for eternity.
When we receive it, the gift God provided, we submit our lives to Him. We allow Him to guide us, shape us and mold us into a reflection of His character. We develop a passion to please Him.
That effort will produce fruit. The benefit of our following Christ is for others to also know the peace and joy of a restored relationship with their creator. God’s desire is for all to know Him and come to him.
I am reminded of the words of David as he concluded the 23rd Psalm;
Psalm 23:6; NLT; Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Blessings,
Pastor Don