Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work..
“Now when [the Samaritans] the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles from the captivity were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel. They came to Zerubbabel [now governor] and to the of the fathers' houses and said, Let us build with you, for we seek and worship your God as you do, and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.
But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel said to them, You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.
Then [the Samaritans] the people of the land [continually] weakened the hands of the people of Judah and troubled and terrified them in building and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose and plans all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius [II] king of Persia.
And in the reign of Ahasuerus [or Xerxes], in the beginning of his reign, [the Samaritans] wrote to him an accusation against the [returned] inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Later, in the days of King Artaxes, Bishlam, Mirthredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia...
Then the king [Artaxerxes] sent an answer:... Therefore give a decree to make these men stop, that this city not be rebuilt, until a command is given by me... Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. It stopped until the second year of Darius [I] king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:1-7,17-24)
During Nehemiah building the wall, there was also significant frustration by the enemy in trying to get them to stop building. However, all attempts were unsuccessful to weaken their hands, discourage them, or slow them down.
Nehemiah 2:19-20 says, “But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king? I answered them, The god of heaven will proper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you will have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
Sanballet, Tobiah, and his friends mocked Nehemiah and the Jews for building. However, rather than becoming weakened and slowing down, Nehemiah 4:6 says, “So we built the wall, and all [of it] was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart and mind to work.”
When they could not get the Israelites to slow down or weaken their efforts, Sanballet and others plotted to come and fight against Jerusalem, causing the Israelites harm and killing them. So Nehemiah set armed men behind the wall in the unprotected places as they built. (Nehemiah 4:8, 13)
The enemies plot was completely unsuccessful in slowing or stopping their efforts. Nehemiah 4:15 says, “And when our enemies heard that their plot was known to us and that God had frustrated their purpose, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
Finally, Sanballat sent an open letter threatening to report them as rebels to the Persian King and requested that Nehemiah come and take counsel with them. Nehemiah refused to listen or be threatened. He replied that it was not true and then prayed to God, “now strengthen my hands!” (Nehemiah 6:8-9)
As a result, the wall was finished without being slowed down or the work stopped. Nehemiah 6:15 says, “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us feared and fell far in their own esteem, for they saw that this work was done by our God.”
In the case of Nehemiah, the efforts were unstoppable. God strengthened their hands and gave them the victory despite overwhelming obstacles. But in the case of building the temple with Zerubbabel, the efforts were slowed and the Israelites hands were weakened until work stopped.
God is sovereign and more than capable of bringing forth his plans. Psalm 33:11 says, But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
And God makes it clear that man can not stand in the way or delay His purposes from coming forth. Psalm 2 says,”Why do the nations assemble with commotion [uproar and confusion of voices], and why do the people imagine (meditate upon and devise) and empty scheme? The kings of the earth take their places; the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed One (the Messiah, the Christ).
They say, Let us break Their bands [of restraint] asunder and cast Their cords [of control] from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision [and in supreme contempt He mocks them]. He speaks to them in His deep anger and troubles (terrifies and confounds) them in His displeasure and fury, saying,
Yet have I anointed (installed and placed) My King [firmly] on My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree of the Lord; He said to Me, You are My Son; this day [I declare] I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth as Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like potters' ware. Now therefore, O you kings, act wisely; be instructed and warned, O you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with reverent awe and worshipful fear; rejoice and be in high spirits with trembling [lest you displease Him].
Kiss the Son [pay homage to Him in purity], lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for soon shall His wrath be kindled. O blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are all those who seek refjuge and put their trust ion Him!”
As these psalms make clear, God is more than capable of bringing his purposes forth. And it was in God's heart to both have the temple built and for the walls to be built. God divinely sent both Zerubbabel and Nehemiah to lead the Israelites in the work of building. While both the temple and the wall were eventually built, the temple was delayed and the walls were not.
So why were the plans frustrated and delayed with building the temple as a result of adversaries, but hands were strengthened and purposes fully accomplished in building the wall in the midst of adversity?
Commentary notes about building the temple that work had ceased because of discouragement for seventeen or eighteen years as a direct result of the Samaritans frustrating the efforts of the Israelites in building the temple. [1] The Samaritans were the people that the King of Assyria had brought to populate Samaria (2 Kings 17:24).
When they settled in the land, the settlers did not fear or revere the Lord. Therefore the Lord had sent lions among them that killed some of them. As a result, news went to the king that it was the result of the people not knowing about the God of the land.
So the king of Assyria sent one of the priests of Israel to teach the people about the laws of God and the manner of worship he required. (2 Kings 17:25-27) The people in the learned from the priest how to fear and revere the Lord. However, still they also held to and served their own gods from the land which they had been carried away (2 Kings 17:33).
While the Israelites were not to adopt the customs, intermarry with, or worship the gods of foreigners in the land, they were also not to reject foreigners who wanted to dwell with them and worship their God. Deuteronomy 10:19 says, “So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
And Leviticus 19:34 says, “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”
In the case of building the temple, the Israelites rejected allowing the Samaritans to join them and refused to treat them as one of their own. The Samaritans had offered to help and told the Israelites that they did / would seek and worship the God of Israel (Ezra 4:2). However, the Israelites refused.
Rather than letting the Samaritans join in and teaching them to truly fear the Lord, the Israelites made it clear to them that they saw them as adversaries. The Samaritans only once rejected began to frustrate their efforts and become adversarial in return.
In the case of Nehemiah the building of the wall, however, Sanballat the Horonite and Tobaih the servant, the Ammonite were enemies from the start and had no intention of becoming God-fearing and learning the ways of the Israelites. Sanballat and his friends became exceedingly distressed when someone had came to inquire for the good of the Israelites. They immediately became angry and mocked Nehemiah's efforts.
In the book of Joshua, God used both success and defeat against ones enemies to affirm or, in His mercy, discipline the Israelites and get them to stop and check their heart motives. In Joshua 7, God had promised the Israelites that they would take the Promised land, but then when they went up against Ai, they were defeated and fled before them. As a result, the people's hearts melted and became as water (Joshua 7:1-5)
Joshua cried out to the Lord and the Lord responded in Joshua 7:11-12a, “Get up! Why do you lie upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. They have taken some of the things devoted [for destruction]; they have stolen, and lied, and put them among their own baggage. That is why the Israelites could not stand before their enemies, but fled before them.”
Perhaps the hands of the Israelites were weakened (rather than strengthened) when their enemies opposed them and they failed to build the temple in the face of opposition because God in His mercy wanted them to see that they had sinned. Their hearts were not right with the way they treated the Samaritans. God did not need people to build a physical temple for Him. He wanted children who would share in the works of His kingdom.
Patrick Wood writes, “In designing mankind, the Creator wasn't interested in crafting mindless droids or mechanical slaves, as if a labor force would suit His needs. What He desired were children who would freely share in the 'family business' of shaping the world we inhabit. In this sense, we are craftsmen at His side, 'created in Christ Jesus for good works' (Eph. 2:10).” [2]
It is not necessarily the 'works' themselves that God considers as being significant. So often we can get caught up in a task and, like the Israelites building the temple, we can entirely miss God's kingdom purposes right in front of us.
Patrick Wood writes that the key to doing a task isn't so much what you know but “Whom you know.” He goes on to note that what matters is our friendship “with the One who says, 'Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know' (Jer. 33:3).” [3]
He writes, “The word 'friendship' implies a bond of sharing in God's priorities that renders us trustworthy with His pearls. Friendship also implies conversation, or a desire for His guidance, which assumes our intention is to hear and obey. When this relationship becomes our lifestyle, we are positioned to embrace its relevance for all kinds of practical applications.” [4]
Too often, we (okay me here) look to God to help us to complete the task well rather than ask Him what His purpose is and enter into it. Like the Israelites building the temple, we think we know what He wants to accomplish, especially when it is ministry related.
As an example, once when I was at a prayer meeting where people were gathered together and praying in community, things did not flow together well. There was a person who seemed to come out of left field with their prayers and take everyone by surprise. Prayer became jumbled spurts with many silent moments. Because it was all over the place, you couldn't get any read on any themes God may be speaking or working.
It was easy to think that our purpose was to flow together well and feel like we had a 'productive' prayer session or heard something profound from God in all of it. In that, it would have been easy to become frustrated with the person who did not 'flow' with the rest of us, seeing them as counterproductive and desiring to exclude them. However, as a very wise woman once noted, what God is looking for is that we love each other well.
Throughout the Bible God makes it evident that what He is looking for is for a people who will love Him with their whole heart and love their neighbor as themselves. Galatians 5:14 says, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Not once does God put something tangible as the measure of our kingdom investment. We are the ones who look to what we produce. Because what is produced is something tangible and measurable, it is where we put our focus rather than on the heart behind it.
Thomas a Kempis writes, “People are wont to ask how much a man has done, but they think little of the virtue with which he acts. They ask: Is he strong? Rich? Handsome? A good writer? A good singer? Or a good worker? They say little, however, about how poor he is in spirit, how patient and meek, how devout and spiritual. Nature looks to his outward appearance; grace turns to his inward being. The one often errs, the other trusts in God and is not deceived.” [5]
Thomas a Kempis writes, “Out of a pure heart come the fruits of a good life.” it is the love in our heart as we enter into the kingdom purposes of God rather than the actual tasks we do that really matter to God. [6]
Mother Theresa once noted, “We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.”
Solomon is an example of someone who, by the world's standards, did 'great things' on earth. He made silver as common as stones (1 Ki. 10:27). He built a huge empire and his fame went throughout the world. However, he did it by oppressing the people (2 Chron. 10:10-11).
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, “The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.
If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward. But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], through he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire.”
Brother Lawrence is an example of someone who did not accomplish any great things with his life. He did not have a big ministry or even run an orphanage. If I remember right, he worked in a kitchen and later repaired shoes. Yet, in all that he put his hands to, he made it a priority to do it with great love.
It was written about him, “Brother Lawrence's only means of going to God was to do everything for the love of Him. He was therefore indifferent about what he did. All that mattered was that he did it for God. It was He, and not the activity that he considered.” [7]
It was noted about him, “He thought it was a shame that some people pursued certain activities (which, he noted, they did rather imperfectly due to human shortcomings), mistaking the means for the end. He said that our sanctification does not depend as much on changing our activities as it does on doing them for God rather than for ourselves.” [8]
While everyone else scurried around dissatisfied while trying to accomplish great things for God, Brother Lawrence lived a simple life that was full of God and full of contentment. Brother Lawrence chose the best part of life. He delighted in the Lord. He would experience a torrent of God's love, constant inner joy, and was even taken up to heaven on occasion.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6 (NLT), “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.”
When we set our hearts on accomplishing something (results) rather than on God, we are not fully present to the moment. Setting our hearts on God and being fully present to Him, allows us to see the moment from his perspective. We can connect to His Kingdom purposes rather than our own goals of accomplishment.
Many years ago when I was a new Christian, I wrote a poem that still resonates with me as what God is speaking to me today about being present to Him in the moment. Below is a small excerpt from it:
Our (speaking of me here) goals of accomplishment are based upon our desires for success rather than God's desires. We want to look good to others and be considered successful in our own eyes as well as other people's eyes.
Francis Chan notes that on an average day, we live caught up in ourselves rather than God. We forget that our lives are a vapor. We let worry and stress fill our days rather than delighting in God. He mentions that some people waste their lives and miss what this life is about. He later mentions that when we face God, our reputation and compliments will not matter. [9]
He writes, “The church in Sardis had a great reputation, but it didn't matter. Jesus said to them, 'I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead' (Rev. 3:1). All that matters is the reality of who we are before God.” [10]
This does not mean that we should never do anything. James asks (2:14), “What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?”
Our works matter. Ephesians 2:10 says, “for we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made read for us to live].”
However, our works need to flow from our relationship with Christ. Francis Chan writes, “My existence was not random, nor was it an accident. God knew who He was creating, and He designed me for a specific work. He goes on to note that because we were created for this work and God has been with us from the start, He knew us before we ever existed, we need not fear failure. We do not need to worry about not meeting of living up to His expectations. He writes, “God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine.” [11]
Coming back to what I originally noted, it is not the 'works' that are significant on their own but our heart towards God and relationship with Him in doing them that matter. When we come before God on that day, he will not rank us in order of the significance of the work that we did on the earth. This is the world's perspective not a kingdom perspective.
Jesus says in Matthew 19:28-30, “Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, in the new age (the Messianic rebirth of the world), when the Son of Man shall sit down on the throne of His glory, you who have [become My disciples, sided with My party and] followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And anyone and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for My name's sake will receive many [even a hundred] times more and will inherit eternal life. But many who [now] are first will be last [then], and many who [now] are last will be first [then].”
The fruit of our labors will be evident in that day. When we look back on our lives and the value of it in that day, we will fully realize that where we had invested in loving God and loving others, it really mattered. Whatever we did for the least, we did onto Him (Matthew 25:40). And where we invested in building accomplishments or success like Solomon in his later days, it really didn't matter.
Lord, forgive me where I have had the wrong priorities. Forgive me where I thought I was doing something worthwhile when I was accomplishing results rather than looking to Your greater kingdom purposes in the moment. We long to spend our time on the things that matter. Help us to live fully present to You in the moment. And where we get focused on the task in front of us, remind us to look up. Let our moments be filled with Your presence and joy.
1. Commentary. The Amplified Bible. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1987.
2-4. Wood, Patrick. Co-laboring with God. In Touch Monthly Magazine. pg. 15-17. January 2012.
5-6. Kempis, Thomas a. The Imitation of Christ. Dover Publications, Mineola, New York. 2003.
7-8. Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God. Whitaker House, New Kensington, PA. 1982.
9-11. Chan, Francis. Crazy Love. David C. Cook Distributions, Colorado Springs, CO. 2008.
Most Scripture quotations take from The Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel said to them, You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.
Then [the Samaritans] the people of the land [continually] weakened the hands of the people of Judah and troubled and terrified them in building and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose and plans all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius [II] king of Persia.
And in the reign of Ahasuerus [or Xerxes], in the beginning of his reign, [the Samaritans] wrote to him an accusation against the [returned] inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Later, in the days of King Artaxes, Bishlam, Mirthredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia...
Then the king [Artaxerxes] sent an answer:... Therefore give a decree to make these men stop, that this city not be rebuilt, until a command is given by me... Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. It stopped until the second year of Darius [I] king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:1-7,17-24)
During Nehemiah building the wall, there was also significant frustration by the enemy in trying to get them to stop building. However, all attempts were unsuccessful to weaken their hands, discourage them, or slow them down.
Nehemiah 2:19-20 says, “But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king? I answered them, The god of heaven will proper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you will have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
Sanballet, Tobiah, and his friends mocked Nehemiah and the Jews for building. However, rather than becoming weakened and slowing down, Nehemiah 4:6 says, “So we built the wall, and all [of it] was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart and mind to work.”
When they could not get the Israelites to slow down or weaken their efforts, Sanballet and others plotted to come and fight against Jerusalem, causing the Israelites harm and killing them. So Nehemiah set armed men behind the wall in the unprotected places as they built. (Nehemiah 4:8, 13)
The enemies plot was completely unsuccessful in slowing or stopping their efforts. Nehemiah 4:15 says, “And when our enemies heard that their plot was known to us and that God had frustrated their purpose, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
Finally, Sanballat sent an open letter threatening to report them as rebels to the Persian King and requested that Nehemiah come and take counsel with them. Nehemiah refused to listen or be threatened. He replied that it was not true and then prayed to God, “now strengthen my hands!” (Nehemiah 6:8-9)
As a result, the wall was finished without being slowed down or the work stopped. Nehemiah 6:15 says, “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us feared and fell far in their own esteem, for they saw that this work was done by our God.”
In the case of Nehemiah, the efforts were unstoppable. God strengthened their hands and gave them the victory despite overwhelming obstacles. But in the case of building the temple with Zerubbabel, the efforts were slowed and the Israelites hands were weakened until work stopped.
God is sovereign and more than capable of bringing forth his plans. Psalm 33:11 says, But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
And God makes it clear that man can not stand in the way or delay His purposes from coming forth. Psalm 2 says,”Why do the nations assemble with commotion [uproar and confusion of voices], and why do the people imagine (meditate upon and devise) and empty scheme? The kings of the earth take their places; the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed One (the Messiah, the Christ).
They say, Let us break Their bands [of restraint] asunder and cast Their cords [of control] from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision [and in supreme contempt He mocks them]. He speaks to them in His deep anger and troubles (terrifies and confounds) them in His displeasure and fury, saying,
Yet have I anointed (installed and placed) My King [firmly] on My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree of the Lord; He said to Me, You are My Son; this day [I declare] I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth as Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like potters' ware. Now therefore, O you kings, act wisely; be instructed and warned, O you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with reverent awe and worshipful fear; rejoice and be in high spirits with trembling [lest you displease Him].
Kiss the Son [pay homage to Him in purity], lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for soon shall His wrath be kindled. O blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are all those who seek refjuge and put their trust ion Him!”
As these psalms make clear, God is more than capable of bringing his purposes forth. And it was in God's heart to both have the temple built and for the walls to be built. God divinely sent both Zerubbabel and Nehemiah to lead the Israelites in the work of building. While both the temple and the wall were eventually built, the temple was delayed and the walls were not.
So why were the plans frustrated and delayed with building the temple as a result of adversaries, but hands were strengthened and purposes fully accomplished in building the wall in the midst of adversity?
Commentary notes about building the temple that work had ceased because of discouragement for seventeen or eighteen years as a direct result of the Samaritans frustrating the efforts of the Israelites in building the temple. [1] The Samaritans were the people that the King of Assyria had brought to populate Samaria (2 Kings 17:24).
When they settled in the land, the settlers did not fear or revere the Lord. Therefore the Lord had sent lions among them that killed some of them. As a result, news went to the king that it was the result of the people not knowing about the God of the land.
So the king of Assyria sent one of the priests of Israel to teach the people about the laws of God and the manner of worship he required. (2 Kings 17:25-27) The people in the learned from the priest how to fear and revere the Lord. However, still they also held to and served their own gods from the land which they had been carried away (2 Kings 17:33).
While the Israelites were not to adopt the customs, intermarry with, or worship the gods of foreigners in the land, they were also not to reject foreigners who wanted to dwell with them and worship their God. Deuteronomy 10:19 says, “So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
And Leviticus 19:34 says, “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”
In the case of building the temple, the Israelites rejected allowing the Samaritans to join them and refused to treat them as one of their own. The Samaritans had offered to help and told the Israelites that they did / would seek and worship the God of Israel (Ezra 4:2). However, the Israelites refused.
Rather than letting the Samaritans join in and teaching them to truly fear the Lord, the Israelites made it clear to them that they saw them as adversaries. The Samaritans only once rejected began to frustrate their efforts and become adversarial in return.
In the case of Nehemiah the building of the wall, however, Sanballat the Horonite and Tobaih the servant, the Ammonite were enemies from the start and had no intention of becoming God-fearing and learning the ways of the Israelites. Sanballat and his friends became exceedingly distressed when someone had came to inquire for the good of the Israelites. They immediately became angry and mocked Nehemiah's efforts.
In the book of Joshua, God used both success and defeat against ones enemies to affirm or, in His mercy, discipline the Israelites and get them to stop and check their heart motives. In Joshua 7, God had promised the Israelites that they would take the Promised land, but then when they went up against Ai, they were defeated and fled before them. As a result, the people's hearts melted and became as water (Joshua 7:1-5)
Joshua cried out to the Lord and the Lord responded in Joshua 7:11-12a, “Get up! Why do you lie upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. They have taken some of the things devoted [for destruction]; they have stolen, and lied, and put them among their own baggage. That is why the Israelites could not stand before their enemies, but fled before them.”
Perhaps the hands of the Israelites were weakened (rather than strengthened) when their enemies opposed them and they failed to build the temple in the face of opposition because God in His mercy wanted them to see that they had sinned. Their hearts were not right with the way they treated the Samaritans. God did not need people to build a physical temple for Him. He wanted children who would share in the works of His kingdom.
Patrick Wood writes, “In designing mankind, the Creator wasn't interested in crafting mindless droids or mechanical slaves, as if a labor force would suit His needs. What He desired were children who would freely share in the 'family business' of shaping the world we inhabit. In this sense, we are craftsmen at His side, 'created in Christ Jesus for good works' (Eph. 2:10).” [2]
It is not necessarily the 'works' themselves that God considers as being significant. So often we can get caught up in a task and, like the Israelites building the temple, we can entirely miss God's kingdom purposes right in front of us.
Patrick Wood writes that the key to doing a task isn't so much what you know but “Whom you know.” He goes on to note that what matters is our friendship “with the One who says, 'Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know' (Jer. 33:3).” [3]
He writes, “The word 'friendship' implies a bond of sharing in God's priorities that renders us trustworthy with His pearls. Friendship also implies conversation, or a desire for His guidance, which assumes our intention is to hear and obey. When this relationship becomes our lifestyle, we are positioned to embrace its relevance for all kinds of practical applications.” [4]
Too often, we (okay me here) look to God to help us to complete the task well rather than ask Him what His purpose is and enter into it. Like the Israelites building the temple, we think we know what He wants to accomplish, especially when it is ministry related.
As an example, once when I was at a prayer meeting where people were gathered together and praying in community, things did not flow together well. There was a person who seemed to come out of left field with their prayers and take everyone by surprise. Prayer became jumbled spurts with many silent moments. Because it was all over the place, you couldn't get any read on any themes God may be speaking or working.
It was easy to think that our purpose was to flow together well and feel like we had a 'productive' prayer session or heard something profound from God in all of it. In that, it would have been easy to become frustrated with the person who did not 'flow' with the rest of us, seeing them as counterproductive and desiring to exclude them. However, as a very wise woman once noted, what God is looking for is that we love each other well.
Throughout the Bible God makes it evident that what He is looking for is for a people who will love Him with their whole heart and love their neighbor as themselves. Galatians 5:14 says, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Not once does God put something tangible as the measure of our kingdom investment. We are the ones who look to what we produce. Because what is produced is something tangible and measurable, it is where we put our focus rather than on the heart behind it.
Thomas a Kempis writes, “People are wont to ask how much a man has done, but they think little of the virtue with which he acts. They ask: Is he strong? Rich? Handsome? A good writer? A good singer? Or a good worker? They say little, however, about how poor he is in spirit, how patient and meek, how devout and spiritual. Nature looks to his outward appearance; grace turns to his inward being. The one often errs, the other trusts in God and is not deceived.” [5]
Thomas a Kempis writes, “Out of a pure heart come the fruits of a good life.” it is the love in our heart as we enter into the kingdom purposes of God rather than the actual tasks we do that really matter to God. [6]
Mother Theresa once noted, “We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.”
Solomon is an example of someone who, by the world's standards, did 'great things' on earth. He made silver as common as stones (1 Ki. 10:27). He built a huge empire and his fame went throughout the world. However, he did it by oppressing the people (2 Chron. 10:10-11).
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, “The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.
If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward. But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], through he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire.”
Brother Lawrence is an example of someone who did not accomplish any great things with his life. He did not have a big ministry or even run an orphanage. If I remember right, he worked in a kitchen and later repaired shoes. Yet, in all that he put his hands to, he made it a priority to do it with great love.
It was written about him, “Brother Lawrence's only means of going to God was to do everything for the love of Him. He was therefore indifferent about what he did. All that mattered was that he did it for God. It was He, and not the activity that he considered.” [7]
It was noted about him, “He thought it was a shame that some people pursued certain activities (which, he noted, they did rather imperfectly due to human shortcomings), mistaking the means for the end. He said that our sanctification does not depend as much on changing our activities as it does on doing them for God rather than for ourselves.” [8]
While everyone else scurried around dissatisfied while trying to accomplish great things for God, Brother Lawrence lived a simple life that was full of God and full of contentment. Brother Lawrence chose the best part of life. He delighted in the Lord. He would experience a torrent of God's love, constant inner joy, and was even taken up to heaven on occasion.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:6 (NLT), “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.”
When we set our hearts on accomplishing something (results) rather than on God, we are not fully present to the moment. Setting our hearts on God and being fully present to Him, allows us to see the moment from his perspective. We can connect to His Kingdom purposes rather than our own goals of accomplishment.
Many years ago when I was a new Christian, I wrote a poem that still resonates with me as what God is speaking to me today about being present to Him in the moment. Below is a small excerpt from it:
On great accomplishments, your heart do not set,
And over past failures, no longer fret.
Make each choice as it comes your way,
To show your love, listen and obey.
There is a place for you at the center of my heart,
Of my love, you never part.
To my will, fully give your all,
And into my hands, let your heart fall.
Our (speaking of me here) goals of accomplishment are based upon our desires for success rather than God's desires. We want to look good to others and be considered successful in our own eyes as well as other people's eyes.
Francis Chan notes that on an average day, we live caught up in ourselves rather than God. We forget that our lives are a vapor. We let worry and stress fill our days rather than delighting in God. He mentions that some people waste their lives and miss what this life is about. He later mentions that when we face God, our reputation and compliments will not matter. [9]
He writes, “The church in Sardis had a great reputation, but it didn't matter. Jesus said to them, 'I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead' (Rev. 3:1). All that matters is the reality of who we are before God.” [10]
This does not mean that we should never do anything. James asks (2:14), “What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?”
Our works matter. Ephesians 2:10 says, “for we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made read for us to live].”
However, our works need to flow from our relationship with Christ. Francis Chan writes, “My existence was not random, nor was it an accident. God knew who He was creating, and He designed me for a specific work. He goes on to note that because we were created for this work and God has been with us from the start, He knew us before we ever existed, we need not fear failure. We do not need to worry about not meeting of living up to His expectations. He writes, “God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine.” [11]
Coming back to what I originally noted, it is not the 'works' that are significant on their own but our heart towards God and relationship with Him in doing them that matter. When we come before God on that day, he will not rank us in order of the significance of the work that we did on the earth. This is the world's perspective not a kingdom perspective.
Jesus says in Matthew 19:28-30, “Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, in the new age (the Messianic rebirth of the world), when the Son of Man shall sit down on the throne of His glory, you who have [become My disciples, sided with My party and] followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And anyone and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for My name's sake will receive many [even a hundred] times more and will inherit eternal life. But many who [now] are first will be last [then], and many who [now] are last will be first [then].”
The fruit of our labors will be evident in that day. When we look back on our lives and the value of it in that day, we will fully realize that where we had invested in loving God and loving others, it really mattered. Whatever we did for the least, we did onto Him (Matthew 25:40). And where we invested in building accomplishments or success like Solomon in his later days, it really didn't matter.
Lord, forgive me where I have had the wrong priorities. Forgive me where I thought I was doing something worthwhile when I was accomplishing results rather than looking to Your greater kingdom purposes in the moment. We long to spend our time on the things that matter. Help us to live fully present to You in the moment. And where we get focused on the task in front of us, remind us to look up. Let our moments be filled with Your presence and joy.
1. Commentary. The Amplified Bible. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1987.
2-4. Wood, Patrick. Co-laboring with God. In Touch Monthly Magazine. pg. 15-17. January 2012.
5-6. Kempis, Thomas a. The Imitation of Christ. Dover Publications, Mineola, New York. 2003.
7-8. Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God. Whitaker House, New Kensington, PA. 1982.
9-11. Chan, Francis. Crazy Love. David C. Cook Distributions, Colorado Springs, CO. 2008.
Most Scripture quotations take from The Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
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