Economies all over the globe are full of family businesses. These enterprises are influenced by generations that are members of one family unit. Unlike many other corporations and companies, members of the family establish the vision and goals that support the operational longevity of the business. One of the reasons these businesses have been around for such a long time is because of the bond shared by the families that own them. Most common to us among family businesses are restaurants, service-oriented businesses, and bakeries and pastry shops. The family business model is perfect for understanding an aspect of our responsibility as it relates to the commission Jesus Christ has given every believer.
John 1:12(NLT) tells us, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Because of what our Lord and Savior accomplished on the cross, we can receive the gift of salvation and become born again. Confessing the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and believing in his sacrifice and resurrection, makes you a child of God. Believing in his extreme act of love—an act of love that signified and confirmed God’s overwhelming and unconditional love for us—saves us! Through our belief and confession, we have the distinct honor and privilege to be God’s sons and daughters. We’re a part of God’s family, and laboring for Him is the family business.
Jesus Christ told the disciples in Luke 10:2(NLT), “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Our Loving Lord and Master told his disciples that the harvest is great. The harvest was great then, and the harvest is great now, perhaps even more so. Jesus is talking about souls here. There are many people that need to hear the good news about Jesus, and there are also too many believers who keep their mouths shut tight. This is what Jesus meant when he said the workers are few. We have been called to go into the field and bring in the harvest of souls that are hungry for Jesus, but many are not heeding this call.
God’s System of Compensation In Hebrews 11:6(NKJV), God tells us through the Apostle Paul, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” This verse should be at the forefront of every believer’s mind. Heavenly Father hasn’t kept us in the dark about what pleases Him. He tells us that without faith, pleasing Him is an impossibility. This allows us to know how important faith is to our relationship with God. Having faith in God’s Word is a requirement to walking in Christ. #1 We must believe that God exists, and #2 we must believe that He is indeed a Rewarder.
A rewarder is someone who gives rewards. Well, what is a reward? In the context of Hebrews 11:6, a reward is compensation. It is something we receive for our efforts. We shouldn’t think that humans came up with the concept of going to work every day and getting paid for the labor. Being employed and then receiving compensation for our efforts is a concept that comes from our Heavenly Father. This is extraordinarily good news for us, because Heavenly Father wants us to be confident in this aspect of His nature. He’s a Rewarder! But we must pay particularly close attention to exactly what He rewards. This verse tells us that He rewards diligent effort. It’s an effort that shows we care about what we’re doing for God. In other words, we’re conscientious about carrying forth our responsibilities for God’s Kingdom with the same diligence and caring of Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:23(NIV) echoes this. It tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
We first learned about God’s expectation for humanity’s work ethic in Genesis 2:4-5(NLT). This passage says, “4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil.” Heavenly Father was very systematic in His creation of the heavens and the earth. He didn’t send rain until after He created people whose job it would be to cultivate the soil.
God’s original intent for humans is that we not only work, but that we also enjoy the work we do. This is why labor is such an important component of human existence, because we were created and designed by God to work; we do this by taking care of the earth and taking care of each other. We have the privilege to be laborers among God's harvest, which is people. Let’s make a greater commitment to labor for God as we continue to pray for the harvest and pray for more workers in the fields. Remember that God is our Rewarder! He doesn’t expect us to work without compensation. He gives us the best insurance plan available and assures us in Exodus 23:25 that if we serve Him and Him only, He will bless us with provision, protection, and wholeness. So, we ought to be overjoyed to work in God’s family business, because He loves to reward us, and no one can reward us like Him.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Laboring for God”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life© 2019. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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