Don’t ‘Labor’ in vain!
2014 Labor day post..Mark 12 is a very interesting read in the bible. It is a pretty long chapter packed full of lots & lots of food for thought. In my humble opinion it is a preacher’s ‘dream passage’ who is desperately hunting for content to preach on. The chapter includes a parable of the gospel plan, a lesson on dealing with taxes, a take on marriage after death, a view on the ‘greatest’ commandment as well as a warning on the ‘false piety’ of some professing Christians. But for the purposes of this particular post I’m really only interested in the last 3 verses…42-44. It reads as follows….”And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing (currency).
And He (Jesus) called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even ALL her living.”…KJV(parentheses added by yours truly…’patch’). lol. I know some of the fb family who follow my posts wonder why I consistently end them with the salutation ‘1’ or ‘1love’. Periodically I explain why. It’s because the God of the universe is ONE God….3 in one, yes, (father, son, spirit), but 1 nonetheless. He is the origin, the source of everything else.
Every other mathematical concept flows from the term ONE. God IS in fact ‘The One’. Every other number (& thing) made can now be added, subtracted, multiplied & divided because it was derived from the source of One. Therefore we should be very careful how much weight & significance we put into the ‘abundance of numbers’. Just because someone may possess ‘more’ of something numerically does not necessarily mean that quantity equates to quality. In the final scriptures of Mark 12, The Lord Jesus Christ emphasizes something poignant to His disciples (& us). He stresses that although the widow’s mites numerically paled in comparison to the rich who were casting in of their ‘abundance’, the weight of her offering far ‘outweighed’ that of the pious elite.
Sometimes we unfortunately substitute the wrong concepts for meaning, substance, value & quality. Jesus told the woman @ the well in John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship Him in the Spirit and in truth.” In the truth of the ‘spirit realm’ where our heart motives & intentions matter a lot more than money, lots of dichotomies can exist. A penny can be worth more than a pot of gold while a janitor’s performance on his/her job can be much more meaningful than that of an arrogant attorney’s.
The worship of a choir member whose voice cracks the entire song can actually be heard as an angel singing…while a cocky songstress’s performance can irritate the very ears of the Lord Almighty because of it’s saturation in pride! And yes, even the sincere apology & repentance of a mass murderer can be a sweet smelling aroma in the nostrils of God, while the pretentious, overly religious speech of a ‘Pharisee’ would make Him want to puke!
To me, this whole concept hints @ the notion of ‘true’ labor in God’s eyes. While the Lord most definitely appreciates & even rewards hard work, He is never fooled by ‘buy offs’, pretentiousness & false piety. He honors the sincere. He is drawn to the lowly & humble. He is appreciative of ‘true’ sacrifice.
I Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is NOT in vain.” As we barbecue & enjoy loved ones & rest on this Labor Day in 2014 I think this passage is imploring us to ‘labor’ to do the work of the Lord…which is not always what it seems.
May we ‘labor’ to get to know God intimately (not just religiously) in a day & time in this world where we really NEED His presence & favor! May we ‘labor’ to serve & give to the Lord from the sincerity of a pure heart motive instead of trying to impress Him & others with our faulty view of abundance & opulence. In short…..may we ‘labor’ to love God & others…..in it’s truest form. Happy Labor Day fb fam…just don’t labor in vain. 1love…..because God is 1.
By: Carlton McDuffie
