There is no shortage of people who will talk and who will take. The Apostle Paul had little use for such people: he respected action. “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (I Corinthians 4:20). The people he pointed to as good examples and strong leaders “devoted themselves to the service of the saints” and really worked (I Corinthians 16:15-16). Their work was “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). So, he made sure his co-workers personally learned “to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).
Knowing the value of a good day’s work, Paul urged the Thessalonians “to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one” (I Thessalonians 4:10-12). He reminded the Ephesian elders of how he worked night and day, showing them “that by working hard we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:31-35).
When Paul, unworthy though he was, worked harder than any of the apostles, he knew “it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (I Corinthians 15:9-10). He knew that for his work to matter, he had to completely rely on Jesus. “For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29). When this is our focus, everything we do can be for God’s glory! “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). Because it is Jesus that we serve, we can find strength to endure, “always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58).
Jesus “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Our salvation is not meant for us to simply sit and talk: it is meant for us to receive God’s power and go work with Him!