By Lamont H. Fuchs, Ed. D.,
excerpt from “Preacher Spurs”, Christian Faith Publishers, 2022
Scripture References: James 2:16, 5:16, 1 John 1:9, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 Corinthians 15:58
Let’s get this ‘works’ issue out of the way. If you didn’t know, you can’t get into Heaven by being good. You can’t get there by doing good. You can’t get there through good work. You cannot buy your way to Heaven. There’s not anything you can perform for the good of yourself or others that will earn your way to God. If you have not confessed with your mouth and believed in Jesus as the one and only Savior; if you don’t know that He is the only way, truth, and life; if you have not accepted that gift of grace; then no work or nothing else will get you into Heaven. That’s not this devotion.
I’m not talking to the lost here. I’m talking to those that have accepted Jesus. Those who are saved. Guess what? We still sin. We still offend our God. Yeah, we still need to wash off our feet for walking around in this world. Our flesh still trips us up, and we sometimes do what we don’t want to do. And we are to continue in confession and repentance from that sin even though Jesus has already forgiven us.
James 5:16 and 1 John 1:9 both speak of our confessions. James 5:16 says to confess to one another and pray for one another that we will be healed. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right; He will forgive our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoings.
God wants us to live a Kingdom life, seek His face, and love one another. Yes, love covers a multitude of sins, as stated in 1 Peter 4:8. How are we to show our love for one another? How do we show our gratefulness for the gift that God has given us? How do we show that we have faith in God and praise the name of Jesus? How do we shine our light to let others see our obedience, devotion, and witness that Jesus lives within us? How do we obtain the joy of our salvation? Go to church on Sunday? Go to Sunday school and all the meetings? Is that all that He expects? James 2:17 and 26 say faith without works or actions is dead. You have a gift of eternal life.
What are you going to do with it while you are still here? God is looking for a few good men. He needs us to be his army. He wants us to do battle against Satan for him. He needs reapers for his harvest. He’s given us the great commission. Do you think that you can do any of that without effort? Without sweat? Without toil? Without blood? Without sacrifice? Without work? Sorry. The laborers are few. 1 Corinthians 15:58, 3:7-9. Matt 9:37-38, Luke 10:2, Colossians 1:10. So, we can’t work our way into Heaven. But we can work to get others into Heaven, which is the work we are to do with our salvation. Do all your work in love, 1 Corinthians 16:14.
Paul explains with perfect logic that God gives us the preparations we need to help others in their troubles because He has helped us in ours. Therefore, there is no better model of service or faith than to use the comfort God gave us to give to others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4, says, 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
I’m just saying. You didn’t hear it from me; God’s Holy Word says we need to get to work. Not for our glory. Not for us to brag about our conquests, efforts, the count of converts or success, or to secure our pathway to Heaven. Cast your crowns before the altar in Heaven. Praise God on earth and give Him the glory because it’s ALL about Him. If not for Him, there is no “us” from the beginning to the end. My obedient response to Him is to work. I pray it is yours also. I want to work for His glory and His honor. And I pray my blessings to come from serving my God.
John 9:4 says we need to get to work for another good reason. Jesus sent us to get all the work done that we can for a night is coming when no one can do any more work.
Pray – “God and Father, I praise Your Holy name. Your Word tells us that the harvest is large, but the laborers are few. Forgive us for failing to be better workers. Give us strength, inspiration, and more faith to be better workers and step up to do more in building Your Kingdom for Your Glory. Amen.”
