Look around your house. See that project in the garage that is unfinished. Remember that study you were working on but put down.

“⁶And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

God finishes His project, you. I sometimes forget this part. I know that God is with me always and will guide me through this life, but I forget that He is still working on my each day. I am His project. He has not neglected me. He has not abandoned me for some other “more important” project. He is still working on me.

As I study this morning I realize that God has given me tasks to complete and once I have completed those, He will reveal Himself to me to set me toward the next item on His to-do-list for me. God is the ever present coach that gives instruction and then allows us to do the work for our own sake. We are learning and growing in Him.

It is up to us to dive in and do the work. We have to study God’s Word to discern what is next. We are to look to Him for our next assignment. We are work to completion and know that God completes everything.

Where are you today? What tasks for God have you maybe walked away from? Are you aware and embracing that God finishes His work, you?

We have the ability to do many things. Where does that come from?

“²⁰Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” – Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)

Well there you go. Through “his power that is at work within us” – NIV. On our own, we are left to do human things. However with the power of God, we are able to far exceed human things. See the below verse as one that most of us have heard/seen before.

“¹³I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

Paul, now in two letters has addressed where our power comes from and, more importantly who it comes from. Our ability is not our own, and we owe praise to God for what He has provided for us.

“²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:21 (ESV)

Are you able to embrace the power of God within you? Are you able to use that power to accomplish more than you thought possible? What does the power of God at work look like in your life?

When you take time to do work, what care are you using? What are you looking to accomplish?

“¹²Now if anyone builds on the foundations with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—¹³each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” – 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 (ESV)

In reading this morning, the work we are doing will be revealed. We have a choice on the craftsmanship we take with the work we do for God. We can choose quality work and be master craftsman (“gold, silver, precious stones”) or we can choose inferior work and just get the job done (“wood, hay, straw”). When fire is introduced, which will sustain?

Not only must we do quality work, but we must start with a solid foundation, Jesus.

“¹⁰According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. ¹¹For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 (ESV)

It all starts with a solid foundation, and that foundation is Jesus Christ. We may have the best materials and the best plan, however if we are not building on Christ, our work is inferior.

We are tasked with doing the work of God. In that work, we are to have the pride of the master craftsman. We are to build only on the foundations of Christ with those materials. When we do, we will receive our reward.

“¹⁴If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.” – 1 Corinthians 3:14 (ESV)

When you are doing God’s work, what materials are you using? What about the foundations you are doing God’s work? What kind of work are you doing?

This really is hard for me to understand and accept. God allows me to suffer so that His works are displayed for all to see.

“¹As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ³Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.’” – John 9:1-4 (ESV)

Here is an example of someone suffering for his entire life, “blind from birth”, and he was given the opportunity to display the works of God as Jesus was able to heal him for all to recognize. This man was/is a testimony to the works of God. He was known around town as the blind beggar and yet now he is able to see at the hand of Jesus.

For me, this man was not looking to be healed, he was not searching for it, he was dealing with his suffering and Jesus came to deliver him from his suffering. Have I been looking too intently for deliverance, and not just carrying out the works of God? Have I been looking for relief, when I should be looking only to complete the Lord’s work?

My suffering has not been to the extent of living my whole life not being able to see, as the man above. I have been suffering only for a short while comparatively, but I have been suffering. Jesus here indicates that our role is simply to do the works of God, so that is what I should do. Regardless of our circumstances, we are to be doing God’s work and His work will be on display for all to see.

Are you simply doing the work of God? What suffering have you been enduring? How can you use your suffering for the work of God?

I am intrigued that doing right is looked on as wrong in society and how that society justifies its actions but looks onto others with contempt.

“²¹Jesus answered them, ‘I did one work, and you all marvel at it. ²²Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ²³If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? ²⁴Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement.’” – John 7:21-24 (ESV)

Jesus explains to the crowd that he healed a man’s physical body on the Sabbath and was chastised and vilified when circumcisions are allowed to happen on the Sabbath without so much as a cross eye. Yes, the law of Moses indicated that no work was to be done on the Sabbath, but isn’t circumcision work? Isn’t it done in hospitals with the birth of boys even today, by a doctor? We spend too much time looking at the rule and not enough time taking in the spirit of the rule.

When we are doing the work of God, we should not concern ourselves with whether or not someone is offended by God’s work. God is Love and His work is done in Love. If someone is offended or we are kept in contempt, then so be it. Those that are and do are likely concerned more with their own shortcomings and are looking to deflect that to us.

When you are doing the work of God, are you concerned with your appearances? Are we looking on others with contempt as they do the work of God? Is God’s Work drawing ire around you?

We should be doing the work of God and are commanded to obey Him and do that work, but what is that work?

“²⁸Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ ²⁹Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’” – John 6:28-29 (ESV)

Jesus straightens that right up in the above verses. The crowd is asking and Jesus answers. Aren’t we like the crowd and always looking for something tangible to help us understand? Remember Thomas who needed tangible proof that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. We are always looking to get our hands on something as “proof” but our faith should be strong enough. Isn’t our faith believing in God?

“²⁶Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.’” – John 6:26-27 (ESV)

I tend to find myself in the same state as the crowd Jesus is speaking to here in that I am waiting for the reward/result of my labor. I am looking to get something out of the work I am doing as opposed to just doing God’s work with faith that my reward will come. When I am doing the work of God, I should be simply doing the work of God and that work is clarified by Jesus as “believe in him who he has sent.”

What is your reason for doing the work of God? What do you understand as the work of God? Are you doing that work?

Have you ever started some work half-heartedly? I read this morning and am brought to that question myself.

“¹⁰Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.” – Jeremiah 48:10 (ESV)

I am wondering if I am I all-in with completing the work of God. I study each morning, I attend church services, I spread www.trevors-thoughts.com when the opportunity presents, but I still wonder if I am all-in.

According to Jeremiah, if I am slacking, then I am cursed. It is important that when we have a task to complete that is commanded by God we should be diligent in completing that task. We should be working at it until it is done.

Until it is done is where I run into questions. I work and work and work at something and yet find that I don’t know when to stop as I am not seeing the results of the work. And because I do not see the results, I may give up continuing to work. This is not in God’s plan. If you remember, the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness and those that began did not get to see the land they were promised. But the work they did led to the attainment of God’s Promised Land.

We are tasked with doing the work of God and in that we are to continue until he tells us otherwise. We may not get to see the results of our work, however, that does not make the work any less important, nor are we to do the work with any less diligence and attention.

Are you doing God’s work with less attention than you should? Are you looking for the reward as opposed to the work of God? Are you fully diligent in God’s work?

We are tasked with doing the work of God. We obey the Lord’s commandments and for that work we are provided.

“⁷For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” – Deuteronomy 2:7 (ESV)

As I was typing this out this morning, I realized that there is more than just what is there. God blesses us (not just the Israelites in the passage) for the work we do, when that work is true work. We are to be doing the good work of God for His pleasure, not our own. We are to be glorifying Him as opposed to ourselves. And for that work, God blesses us.

Our “wilderness” is the time we are here. God knows we are here and what we are struggling with. He knows the seasons we are in, and He has been and will be with us through it all. God not only allows us to pass through the adversity, He only allows the adversity that we can get through.

What we have is sufficient. We are complete with our needs, and we have to remember that it is our needs that God provides for. Not the wants and desires, it is our needs that we are not lacking. Our human nature is to want more and greater things, but God understands and provides for our needs.

Ultimately, God provides for our needs for the work we do for Him. When I write that I have to be careful not to think that the works I do provide for my needs though. The work is required of us and the more work we do does not get us anything extra. I liken this to the quote: “An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay”. Our role is to do the work of God and in return, He will provide for our needs.

What kind of work are you doing? Are you looking for more than just having your needs fulfilled? Are you allowing God to provide for your work for Him?

When we have finished a week of intense work, are we taking time to rest, really?

“¹Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” – Genesis 2:1-3 (ESV)

Even God rested after completing creation. His major project and His involvement, He finished it and then sat back and rested. I can picture God putting the last star in the sky and sitting down in the rocker on the porch with a glass of iced tea and a smile as He drifts into a nap.

You see, we are to do our work, and then rest, but it seems as though there is always something getting in the way of our rest. We finished the project at the office and yet we take our office with us everywhere. Our phones, our laptops, our memos, our media. I know that for me I get caught up finishing my training classes, coming home only to think about what I am doing the next week. I find myself logging in to check email to see if there is something I missed in the past few hours. The thing is, I am not taking the time to walk away and clear my mind from the work, and therefore do not really rest.

We look to our vacation time for rest, but how many of us take our work with us? We go to the beach, and then set up our laptop to “stay in touch”. We justify it with wanting to minimize the amount of work we will have when we get back, but do we really rest from the work?

What is rest? Now that is a question. I believe rest is getting away from our daily grind to do something we enjoy. Whether that is mowing the grass, going to a ball game, attending a museum, taking a walk, a TV binge, a day on the back porch, reading for you, unplugging from the world, meeting with friends, floating the river, hanging with the family, writing a story, or whatever you do not get the opportunity to do when in the throes of your career.

We should be taking the time to walk away from work and rest. God did and he instructs us to do the same.

How many of us do as God and rest? When you find yourself finished on Friday, what is your plan for Saturday? What actions are you taking to rest after work?

When do you engage in lifting spirits up? When are you active in magnifying God?

“¹I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. ²My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. ³Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” – Psalm 34:1-3 (ESV)

At all times we should be lifting spirits. At all times we should be magnifying God. These are areas that I certainly need work.

You can see in the verse above that we are to bless, boast, magnify, and exalt the Lord. When we do, we are lifting the spirits of those that need some lifting. My NIV Bible uses the word “afflicted” where my ESV Bible uses “humble” in verse 2. I think that may be a better descriptive word to use in what our overt praises do to impact others. When we are lifting up with overt positive outpouring, those around us will pick up on it begin to “be glad”, at least more than where they were before.

As stated in verse 1 we should “bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be”. We are to always be praising God and lifting spirits. Not just in our times of fortune, but for all so they will have more fortune than before we arrived.

Are you lifting others? Are you blessing the Lord? Are you exalting the name of the Lord? Are you doing these at all times?