For What am I Working?

by W. Frank Walton

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."
(Matthew 6:33)

Labor Day is welcomed holiday to pause and rest from our labors. It is good time to reflect on, "For what am I ultimately working?" Do I live to work? Or do I just work to live?

Jesus' teaching implies that each day we face a choice. Will I pursue God's agenda or my own foremost? Truly, "choices are the hinges of destiny." God's "kingdom" is His reign over my life. Does God control my life? His "righteousness" is following the rightness of His will, which I can only know by study of His Word (Psa. 19:8).

My attitude is a result of what I choose to focus upon. What I choose to focus upon depends on what I deem most important. What I deem most important depends on whether I'm seeking God's or my selfish desires above all. Jesus urges us to get in touch with the part of us that will live forever: "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you" (Jn. 6:27).

The world surrounds us with a multitude of distractions, like "worries" or "the deceitfulness of riches" or "the desire for other things," which can "choke" God's word and work in my life (Mk. 4:18-19). A bumper sticker reads, "I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go." Am I making a living of temporary earthly stuff or making a life for God?

To be spiritually fruitful, I must focus upon and "welcome" God's truth into my heart as life's greatest priority (Mk. 4:20). Each day, I must decide if I will listen to God, which alone can strengthen my soul. Or, will I listen to the babble of worldly distractions, which will only delude and destroy my spiritual life, by consuming my life with earthly labor?

Let's remember that our greatest labor is seeking and serving God. This work of faith endures forever!

 

Other Articles by W. Frank Walton
God's Faithful Promises
Heavenly Power in Human Relations
Before the Foot Hits the Floor