Work. Labor. Endurance.
Produced. Prompted. Inspired.
Faith. Love. Hope.
Work produced by faith.
Labor prompted by love.
Endurance inspired by hope.
A day’s doing motivated by a heart’s holding. When was the last time the same was said of you… that the sum total of your long day’s labor was wholly {holy} fueled by the faith, love, and hope you have in and for our Lord Jesus Christ? When was the last time that these “three” enduring virtues {see 1 Cor. 13:13} produced, prompted, and inspired you to live and to do your life with an “as unto the Lord” kind of approach?
It’s something I need to keep in mind as I prepare my heart for another’s day labor within these four walls that I’ve called home for the past six years. There is a work going on in my heart that exceeds boxes and packing tape—a greater work that is prompting and inspiring me to keep at the task at hand. In some small measure {albeit much smaller than what was going on in the church at Thessalonica in Paul’s day} the work of my hands this day is part of God’s kingdom business. It doesn’t seem that way… most moments proffer as monotonous, customary, routine and necessary, and in truth, they are. But they are also so much more—a more that is attached to a hot July afternoon nearly thirteen years ago.
On that day, I signed on for the role as helpmate to my preacher husband, Billy. It’s a role I freely chose and understood on the front end of our “I do’s”–the moment when he took my hand and the hands of my two sons into his and promised his forever love and watchful care over our lives in exchange for mine…my forever love and watchful care over his life. Together, we all said “yes” to the itinerant, ministry life of a Methodist preacher, knowing and believing that the One who called us would be faithful to “complete” his work in us… wherever he leads and whatever is required of us because of that leading.
You see, as I’m pitching and sorting, throwing out and packing in, it’s all just part of being faithful to my “right now” and God’s “what’s ahead.” Without my work, labor, and endurance on the front end of this move, God’s “what’s ahead” is going to arrive in my life, and I will be unprepared for its advent. If I don’t allow my faith, love, and hope in Jesus Christ to be the underpinning of today’s activity, then God’s “what’s ahead” might be met with my dread and bitterness rather than with my sacred expectation.
I want to be found faithful with my day, friends. I want my trust in God to be the solid foundation from which I draw my strength for the tasks at hand. I want the accomplishing work of this day to, in some small way, add to the kingdom work that has been assigned to my family as we seek to honor the calling that he has been placed on us to be a people of movement.
Really, it’s a calling that has been placed on all of us as disciples of Jesus Christ. Faith moves forward with the cloudy pillar of God’s leading. Faith never stays mired in the current soil for very long. Faith stays long enough in a certain assignment to accomplish God’s kingdom agenda, but then faith has the wisdom and the courage to move on. This is my moving on moment; perhaps you’re experiencing one as well… if not a physical move then, perhaps, a movement of your heart in a new direction.
Would you allow your faith in God to produce the work of your hands this day? Your love for God to prompt your labor? Your hope in God to inspire your endurance?
God is after far much more in you and through you than what your mind can currently conceive or imagine. I don’t hold all of the answers for your life; I really don’t hold many of the answers regarding mine. But I do firmly believe in them—the answers—and I hold fast to the One who authors them all. And as far as it concerns me and my household this day, we’re putting all of our faith, love, and hope in Jesus Christ for those answers and will be faithful to do our part to make sure that God’s kingdom isn’t hindered by our unwillingness to move forward with his plan.
Let us not be a hindrance to the advancement of the kingdom, friends. Instead, let us take to our days with the understanding that even the smallest measure of willing obedience on our part will yield an eternal result that fits perfectly into the bigger plan that belongs to God. Packing tape and boxes may not look a whole lot like “faith”, but my heart tells me otherwise.
It’s also telling me, I’d better get busy, so until next time…
peace for the journey,
Loved this, Elaine: "I want to be found faithful with my day, friends. I want my trust in God to be the solid foundation from which I draw my strength for the tasks at hand." Also loved the insight on moving forward…
Your words express the desire of my heart, too. Bless you for saying it so well. And bless you as you faithfully move forward — and try not to box up something you're going to need later 🙂
I love the artistry in your words… Love that you find His work in the daily labor of your life. I too want the labors of my day to be fueled by faith in Him. There are days I barge into a day w/ a to do list a mile long, not stopping to think of it as His work! Thank you for your reminder that as Christians our "to do's" are fueled by faith in Him!
Elaine,
Thank you for your words today. I needed to hear them more than you can imagine.
Blessings,
Gladwell
wifeforthejourney:
Your faithfulness to our July 19 wedding day has never been more on display than from the day we learned of our pending move. I would never have made it to this place without you, and would be lost trying to do this thing we call life if I didn't have you to rely on.
Fellow readers, I feel like I need to testify today that my wife's writing is so much more than just an abundance of words. What you find in print next to Elaine's name is a witness to a faith that runs both deep and wide through our marriage. Elaine is a source of great wisdom and strength to me as a man, a father and a pastor. For our children she is the one great constant in their day – "Mom" to Nick and Colton, "Mommy" to Jadon and Amelia. Any day of the week Elaine is the one that is most in demand, and has the most demanded of her. Elaine really does do-it-all and to God be the glory for all she does.
At the end of every day, even the long and hard ones, faith, hope and love remain my constant companions by the grace of God who has always seemed most pleased to work in my life through my marriage.
You are the best honey! Please don't pick up anything else heavy until I get home.
Love,
Billy
"Would you allow your faith in God to produce the work of your hands this day? Your love for God to prompt your labor? Your hope in God to inspire your endurance?"
Loved this part of your awesome post. It's up to me to make that choice!
Trusting God, allowing him to lead me each day.
Love you,
Beth (8 days)
Amen and amen! Thank You Father for using Elaine, this day, to shake our souls up and to pay attention to Your calling. Whether it be to do some physical moving or mental moving. LORD, You're in control and I give You the reigns. In Jesus' name, amen.
Elaine, happy packing! 😉 I might be doing that in a month or two myself. On a side note… I'm posting today here. It's where I'll be posting all my memes from now on to keep my A Child Of The King blogger site free to post for the work of the LORD.
I think you wrote this post just for me. Truly, I do.
You wrote:
"Let us not be a hindrance to the advancement of the kingdom, friend".
I have been a hinderance lately. God has asked me to lay something down and I have been wrestling with Him to allow me to keep just a tiny piece of it. He wants all of it. I have surrendered, after a long match.
His plan is so much bigger and better than mine. He is in control, no matter how hard I try to manipulate that.
Thank you for this sweet post. It spoke such a word to my heart.
What a wonderful husband to take the time to write that back to you! You are blessed indeed!
I love the prayers that we find in the Bible, knowing they are for me as well as for the original recipients of the epistles.
Wow! I have just witnessed the manifestation of Proverbs 31:11, 28,29 in your life Elaine!! Your heart revealed and expressed and your husband's heart responding. 🙂 God is good!!
The last paragraph was what spoke most to my heart. Thank you (again!) for sharing yours.
Beautiful words to live by, my friend.
Just switch the Methodist preacher, with Baptist preacher, and you wrote my heart.
Bro. Billy's comment let us see the "you" that you may not always feel comfortable talking about. What a great testimony to your faithfulness…both to you Lord and to your man.
Love you sister!
Marilyn…in Mississippi
Oh, sweet girl! You're speaking to my heartstrings! This was great…and do you need me to come over with my packing tape and a box cutter and trash bags???? I can. I will. Just let me know.
Love you!
Susan
**I need help with my blog! Blogspot is not letting me sign in-therefore, I cannot post. I am quite frustrated. Any wonderful thoughts? Hugs!!
This is a good challenge for me: to let my faith in God produce the work of my hands today.
Hmm.
I'm going to chew on this a little while, my friend.
Happy packing.
I just love your hearts expressions! It is so in tune with what God is speaking to me.
I am praying for you my friend.
I agree with Beth…those 3 questions will stay in my head tonight…and be answered with a resounding "yes" when I awaken…thank you for these important reminders….
What a good reminder, that the choice is ours to go about our daily work because of our faith in Him, our love for Him and to persevere and keep on keeping on because of the hope we have in Him. This was a bit convicting. Thanks for putting all of this in perspective.
I love these lines, Elaine:
faithful to my “right now” and God’s “what’s ahead.” Without my work, labor, and endurance on the front end of this move, God’s “what’s ahead” is going to arrive in my life, and I will be unprepared for its advent.
Since I've been unemployed, I've been learning about how to order my days in a new way. Time can get away from me! But being reminded that every, single day holds Kingdom business is a blessing to me.
And Billy's comments are priceless.
Elaine, I always feel more peaceful, and a little bit wiser after a visit with you. I mean that.
Thank you.
And, um, when are you moving to MICHIGAN???
Lovely, lovely post, Elaine. You might like this quote, which I came across yesterday in my Bible study: Jesus "wants us to understand that true discipleship will shatter us, change us, and make us into a different kind of people. It must. If it has any meaning in our lives, following Christ is going to shake us to the core of our being." Ray C. Stedman, Joy of Living Bible study, book of Mark (from the end of chapter 8 :)) Cool quote, and somehow your post just made me think of it.
I've been praying for you today. I can't imagine moving… without knowing where I was going… kind of like Abraham, huh?
Great post, as always. Loving your gift for turning "life" into "ministry." It's my heart's desire as well. I was thinking of the words to Lifesong as I read through your post…especially the line "I want to sign my name at the end of each day, knowing that my heart was true…let my life song sing to you…" Praying right along with you to be found faithful with my days.
You and your family have been so heavily on my mind recently as you prepare for the big move. Know that my prayers on ongoing!
By the way…Happy Birthday, sweet friend! May it be filled with every blessing that brings you joy!
Love,
Tracy
Thank you for this timely post Elaine. Blessings.
Hi Elaine,
I'm doing my pay-it-forward giveaway over at The Point this week. The post was on Sunday but I reference it in today's post as well. Would love for you to enter, as well as your readers.
Leah