Sister2Sister from Celeste
Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
~ 1 Cor 15:58
Greetings my beloved sister!
The word “toil” in this verse caught my eye a few weeks ago. I’ve been pondering it ever since. The dictionary defines toil as “exhausting, physical labor” or, as a verb, “to work extremely hard”. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, men have been subjected to bring forth the fruit of the earth by the sweat of their brow. Women, likewise, have been subjected to bring forth the fruit of the womb by the sweat of their brow. We suffer the consequences of sin, yet our loving Father offers us grace, gives us strength and is merciful toward us in our weaknesses.
In the verses preceding the one above, Paul the apostle is comparing our lives in the flesh with our lives in the Spirit. We know that what we do for the flesh and in the flesh is not permanent; that it will someday perish. This is so sad because most of the planet spends the bulk of their lives toiling away just to survive. Does that mean our lives are in vain? Is there any solution?
Paul’s solution tells us ‘this perishable must put on the imperishable and this mortal must put on immortality’. (1 Cor 15:53) Huh?? Here I must quote the psalmist, ‘Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.’ So please let me share with you my experience of understanding a bit of this concept.
How do we toil in the work of the Lord? I believe that working at whatever the Lord has called you to do with faithfulness, being steadfast & immovable, will result in an imperishable work of glory to the Lord! How can I say these things with such assurance? One advantage of having years behind me is that I have seen the goodness and faithfulness of God time and time again throughout my life.
Since the day of my salvation, my new life in Him, I prayed that God would call me to do a great work for Him! I was willing to do whatever He told me to do! My fondest hope was to be a great missionary, a Bible translator for Him, so that others would have a chance to read His Word in their own language and experience that same salvation! I waited years for His calling; praying, growing and maturing in faith. Finally, the day came! The big “M” word came into my head and heart! Hallelujah!
Only the calling was different than what I was expecting.
It was Marry Ted and Minister to him.
If I hadn’t ‘heard’ that prior to him confirming it I would have never believed it! But poor, unsuspecting Ted never saw that calling coming! (until he considered it for a few minutes, lol) To make my calling even further removed from my dreams, Ted was still in Grad school, which made ‘ministry’ even more meaningful, as in ‘support’.
So, the last 38 years of my life have been given to the toil of serving a family of seven; not quite the dream of having an impact on a whole population of people, but precious souls nonetheless. In fact, they have been the happiest, most fulfilling years of my life! Knowing that I am obedient to what God has called me to do, abounding in the work He has given me, has made even laundry, cleaning and food preparation into acts of worship and sacrifices of praise to Him.
I’ve learned that the toil of bringing forth life into the world has the rich rewards of knowing the tender love of our Father God. I can relate a tiny bit to His love for me as His child when I consider the love I have for my children. I have greater confidence in His provision for me as I understand how I am willing to sacrifice for the provision of my children.
And my beloved husband, my partner in all, my brother in the Lord….. He is truly a gift from God. I didn’t trust myself to choose a husband back then…. I kind of hoped to avoid the topic altogether and go on my missionary way, but God knew better.
Some may look at my life and think it wasted on mundane, monotonous drudgery, but my inner life, my imperishable spirit, is rejoicing, reveling in the incomparable riches the Lord has lavished on me, a simple servant.
Dare to drop your dreams and follow hard after the Lord, seeking what work He has for you! Life on earth is toil, but toil in the Lord’s work, whatever it may be, is never, ever in vain!
God bless you as you seek His will for you!
With much love, your sister, Celeste