Working Hard For Heaven

“Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”

Romans 2:4


The longer you walk with Jesus the more you understand that the Christian faith is an active faith. We don’t work to be saved, but we do work because we are saved. Jesus was very busy about the Father’s business when He walked the earth and as His disciples carrying on His mission while we await our Masters return we discover there is nothing more satisfying in this life than to get to join in His work. The Father was working then and He is working now. Living in a fallen world means we are surrounded by brokenness. We don’t have to look far to find people, places and things in need of restoration.  

I read a quote the other day that said, “The law leads to rebellion, whereas love leads to relationship.” Thats the beauty of the gospel and what makes its message so compelling. People know that something is missing. Augustine said it best, “There is a God shaped void in every heart that only He can fill.” Working in order to please God is not only an act of futility, it’s frustrating because there isn’t any amount of work you could accomplish that could ever get you right with God. Only the work of the God on the Cross is enough to save us and to please the Father. When we receive God’s grace by trusting in the finished work of the Cross we are ushered into a personal relationship with God. Out of that relationship flow acts of love that by design are to reflect and magnify His love to the world.

God is Spirit and though you can’t see the Holy Spirit you can see the works of God’s Spirit working in and through us, you and me, God’s children. That’s why good works are so important that are done in God. They reveal God to an unbelieving world and encourage and build up members of His kingdom too. John Wesley, the father of the Methodist faith wrote what he called “The Rule of Life” that goes like this,

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as  ever you can.”

We don’t have to go to work today to reach the world, we get to go to work with the hope we can make Jesus known! Here’s to a great day at work!


“For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.”


Colossians 1:27–29


I LOVE YOU!