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Welcome, beloved readers!
"Labor Day, in the United States, has traditionally been a day to cease from one's labors and rest. God offers a lifetime of rest to all who will cease from their fleshly labors and enter His rest. Easier said than done! It is very difficult for most of us to give up on all our 'so-called good works.' I know it was for me."
- Dr. Lewis Gregory
Please join me in welcoming IFEL writer, Dr. Lewis Gregory, as he shares with us, Labor Day for the Rest of Your Life. Read More Below
Kathy Hill
Managing editor
Exchanging Life Publishing
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KEY SCRIPTURE
Rest in the Lord
"'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest'"
(Matt. 11:28, KJV).
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LABOR DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
by Dr. David Gregory, contributing writer
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Labor Day, in the United States, has traditionally been a day to cease from one's labors and rest. God offers a lifetime of rest to all who will cease from their fleshly labors and enter His rest. Easier said than done! It is very difficult for most of us to give up on all our "so-called good works." I know it was for me. My thinking went something like this. "I'm trying as hard as I can, doing all that I can, the best that I can. It may not be the greatest (admittedly I was defeated), but I'm giving it all I've got. If all my hard work has only gotten me this far, just think what would happen if I gave up. Why, it would be a disaster, and I would become passive."
Passivity or Divine Activity
Since then, I've discovered this kind of thinking to be all too common among Christians. Ceasing from our fleshly efforts, in order to enter God's rest, is actually shifting from a works-oriented approach, to a grace-oriented approach to living. Ironically, many people have mistakenly thought that an emphasis on grace will lead to a life of passivity. The concern is a strong emphasis on grace-which declares the responsibility for our lives belongs to Christ, and that He will take care of everything for us-will cause many to become passive. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When you truly realize your union with Christ, you are not about to sit back and do nothing. Passivity is the last thing on your mind. Once you have discovered what it means to be a new creation in Christ, you are finally ready to do something of eternal consequence. As you begin to realize your true identity in Christ, it actually liberates you to an even greater level of activity-Divine activity. You are fully equipped for godly living. At last, you're free to do what God has put in your heart to do.
Paul, the chief proponent of this truth, was no slouch. In fact, he was one of the most active Christians on biblical record. Here is what he wrote, "By the grace of God I am what I am . . . I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God" (1 Cor. 15:10).
Did you notice he said that he labored much more than everyone else? He is not bragging-far from it. It is merely a statement of fact. Yet, in a sense, it is bragging, though not about himself. Who did Paul credit for such fervent activity? He emphatically stated that it was God who made him who he was, and enabled him to do what he did. He described this remarkable phenomenon as the grace of God. Paul declared that his labors were a result of God and God alone. He was bragging alright-on God!
The grace of God does not result in passivity. Paul made it very clear that this life of grace, as a new creation, is anything but passive. He told the Colossians, "I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily" (Col. 1:29). Paul declared that such a lifestyle is a labor, which involves striving, and results in work being accomplished.
What was the source of Paul's labor? The energizing source of his dynamic labor was none other than the indwelling Christ! He also asserted that everything he did was a result of God's work in his life. It was Christ who did the work. Christ chose (and chooses) to do it in and through human personalities. That's you and me. We have been granted the marvelous privilege of being co-laborers with Christ. We are the human instruments through whom He has chosen to accomplish His Divine purposes. Divine activity is to be the order of the day, for those believers who are living by the grace of God as new creations in Christ.
On one hand, you don't do anything; yet, on the other...read more here
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Dr. Lewis Gregory (Georgia, USA) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development.
© 2005 Dr. Lewis Gregory.] Articles, or portions of articles, may be used without written permission, as long as credit is given to the author. Editorial changes by IOM America approved by author.
Scripture note: Changes made to original verses [i.e. bold, indent, underline, parenthetical contents...] are by this article's author for emphasis and/or clarification.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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