THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE – 8 God’s Work Is For All

“37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). KJV

Loved ones, in our Spiritual Battle Satan plants his subtle thoughts that after a certain age or amount of time, Christians can retire from the Lord’s work.

Many of us are familiar with many of the old songs that speak of the work that a Christian should do. We love to sing those old songs such as, "Work for the Night is Coming" or “We’ll Work Till Jesus Comes.”

Those songs teach the scriptural truth that we as Christians should be busy working in (Romans 16:12), with (1 Corinthians 3:9), and for the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58; cf. John 6:27).

This life is a time of labor; the next life in the hereafter is the time of rest. There are many passages that teach this truth (cf. Hebrews 4:1-11).

We like to think about the commendation Paul gave to the Thessalonians when he remembered “without ceasing their work of faith and labor of love” (1Thessalonians 1:3). This indicates that our faith and love for God will naturally be exhibited by our laboring in His ecclesia (church).

This labor can consist of several things. Probably the two main areas would be aid rendered to help the saints (Christians) in whatever need they may have (1 Corinthians 16:1), and the second area is evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20).

Jesus said He came to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10). As His disciples, His mission becomes our mission (Mark 16:15-16); thus, we are to be engaged in the great activity of saving the lost. Jesus called His disciples to be fishers of men (Luke 5:10).

Satan knows that one of the common maladies of man is that we grow old, and we lose much of our strength and vigor of youth. Often, people who once were very active in the work of the church become much less so in their older years. Some submit to the devil’s goal and virtually quit altogether.

The familiar reason (excuse) given is that they are older and sick, and they are not able to help. People often say that they have done their part, and now it is time for the younger ones to step up and do the work.

While certainly the older may not be able to do as much as they once did, we want to CHALLENGE the false thinking that the older or weaker individuals can or should do little or nothing in the work of the Lord. Indeed, there is work that we all can do.

As we look at the Bible, we find no indication that there is a time of retirement on this earth for God's servants. NOTICE: "17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come” (Psalm 71:17-18). This gray-haired individual was going to spend his time declaring God's goodness to all who came near.

A dear sister in Christ became a New Testament Christian (cf. Acts 11:26) in her later years. By the grace and love of God she stated that she wanted to die empty; in other words, she wanted to tell all she knew about God to anyone with whom she had an opportunity to visit. She passed on to her reward shortly thereafter.

In Luke 2:36-37 we read about the prophetess Anna, an eighty-four-year-old widow, "which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." She was like the “widow indeed” mentioned in First Timothy 5:5 who is to be cared for by the church, yet which is to trust in God and continue in supplications and prayers night and day.

We are always amazed at the attitude of Caleb in ancient Israel (read Numbers 13 and 14). When Moses sent the spies into the land of Canaan, ten of the twelve spies reported that there were giants and great walled cities in the land; therefore, they could not take the land.

Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, said that with God's help they could take the land; nevertheless, the people listened to the majority. For punishment, God decreed that no adult leaving Egypt would enter Canaan except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:30).

Caleb faithfully served God through all the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and he fought to conquer the land that belonged to the wicked Canaanites. When it came time to distribute the land to the various tribes, Caleb came to Joshua with a humble request (Read Joshua 14:6-14).

They were the two oldest men in the entire nation, and if anyone deserved a time of rest and leisure, it would certainly be Caleb. Yet, instead of wanting to take it easy, Caleb asked to inherit the mountains where the giants lived. He reasoned that his strength had not abated and with God's help he would drive them out. There was still something he could do, and he was going to do it.

There was an older lady in Texas who disproved the idea that there is nothing an older or a weak individual can do. Recently, she passed away, but she never stopped working for the Lord. At the end of her life, she was confined to her bed in a nursing home most of the day. She was only up a few hours each day, and she had to be literally picked up by the nursing staff and placed in her wheelchair.

However, she did not moan about her misfortune. Rather, she read her Bible and other spiritual material. She marked articles from Truth Magazine and made notes, which her local congregation copied for her. She then spent her few hours in her chair each day going up and down the halls of the nursing home, passing out tracts and articles from the magazine and discussing spiritual truths, mainly with the staff of the nursing home.

At least two of the workers were converted to Jesus due to her activity. She did not use the excuse that there was nothing more she could do in the service of God. Yes, she was very limited, but there was still something that she could do, and she was going to do it.

This is a great example for us all. How many times have we pleased Satan by using the excuse that we can do very little or nothing in God's service? It is so easy to think that our time of service and usefulness has passed us by, and we are only waiting for our reward.

Yes, we should be looking forward to heaven; however, in the meantime, there is still something we can do. We may have to change or modify our activities, forego some things or ask others to help us, but we can do something.

Let us always look for ways that we can serve God (cf. Mark 5:19). May we always be busy doing what we can as long as the blood is flowing warm in our veins, and we have life in our bodies (cf. James 2:26).

After that… “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).

Shared with you by Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35).