Give Yourself Fully to the Work of the Lord

56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I Corinthians 15

The words that stood out to me was 'work' and 'labor'.

I guess it's something I have not heard preached very often in churches. I hear how 'easy' life should be because of God's promises. Now don't get me wrong, there are lot's of promises and by faith and prayer we will see them answered. However, it's not a sit and pray, you just relax and here you go Santa kind of life in Christ either. We are called to go into all the world and that can truly be work!

So in verse 58 we are told to stand firm, let NOTHING move you. ALWAYS give yourselves FULLY to the work......because you know that YOUR labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Fully is Abounding in the KJV – in the concordance it means – be in excess...superabound or excel...be better...increase

Sounds to me like we are to go above and beyond, get out of our comfort zone, out of our home, out of our church building. We are to be so full of God and His Word; His Love, His Mercy, His Forgiveness, His Joy and His Peace - these are the works of God (Isaiah 32:17NKJV) that overflow in us and we should be displaying them in our workplace, in the grocery store, where we volunteer, etc.

Now let's look at 'work' in Strong's – task, employment, a deed, action, that which is wrought or made, a work. #2041 érgon from ergō, "to work, accomplish") – a work or worker who accomplishes something..

Employment – this is necessary to survive today. Men need to have jobs, employment so they can provide for their wives, their families, their parents as they age. Singles need employment so they can move out of their parents homes and begin their lives. Employment is not a BAD word, God expects it of us and where He puts us can be a mission field.

So, if we are to fully....work – we need to quit complaining and making excuses .God will not ask us to do anything He won't equip us for - then we need to make sure we are doing the Works of God (Isaiah 32:17) People should see a difference in us,not 'preaching' but actually 'living' the Word.

When you put yourself on God's throne, ….you are so good because blah blah blah ...and throw God's name in here and there, you talk about prayers that were answered with a pride of how God favors YOU – yet you do not admit when your prayers are not answered the way you have prayed them (at least not yet) and how are you treating your spouse, your parents, your employers and employees with honor – seeing others as better than yourselves ( Phil 2:3) These are things you need to go before the Lord with, to make sure you are 'working' according to God's will.

When I work or volunteer I need to make sure I'm focused on God and not on self. I can tell you, that when I get focused on self it can lead to listening to gossip and sometimes joining in, It can lead to focusing on a pain here or there and my thoughts take a wrong path.

I have been told they wish they had more volunteers like me. Do you know what they are really saying? They wish they had more volunteers that do their work as unto the Lord. Because when you do that you aren't focused on building yourself up but your focus is on honoring God and I believe you do better work.

The word 'labor' is toil #2873 - laborious toil, involving weariness and fatigue.

We are to give it our all for the Lord. He will renew our strength and He will give us the rest we need. I don't know about you, but when I'm working for the Lord, it is a labor of love, I want to touch people, through the work I'm doing, for the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe this 'labor' is not a bad weariness (one where we are doing things for self) but it's one where you are so full of the joy of the Lord and you are shining for Him, that you really have no idea how tired you are until you finish your work. Once your work is finished you feel great but are looking forward to resting at home. You have a sense of accomplishment and are thanking God for the day and now for your time to relax. This is kind of hard for me to explain, but a weariness from doing God's work is not the same as the weariness from doing things for selfish reasons. My husband summed it up for me this way - you have a clear conscience at bed time.

Prayer and Speaking in Tongues

I have heard there is power behind your words when you speak in tongues. I have heard people speak in tongues and sometimes it sounds forced and other times it flows with such beauty and peace.

With that said, I do not speak in tongues, at least not that I’m aware of. I do get lost in my time with the Lord and deep in prayer to where I’m not aware of anyone or anything around me, it’s just my God and me. Could I be speaking in tongues then? Don’t know, what I do know is my God hears me and my prayers are answered. I know my Father is with me and wants a relationship with me, He wants me to talk to Him, to praise Him, to give Him my every care, to trust Him and to walk in faith.

The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous Proverbs 15:29

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:21-24

He hears the prayers of the righteous and I have been made righteous through the blood, through my faith in Jesus Christ.

I wanted to look up the original Greek words in a couple passages.

I used www.biblos.com

The first Scripture is

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

The first word ‘building’ - Definition: I build upon (above) a foundation.

2026 epoikodoméō (from 1909 /epí, "apt, fitting on," which intensifies 3618 /oikodoméō, "to build up, edify") – properly, appropriately build on, following aplan with pre-designed (pre-defined) specifications

Holy –

40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world."  The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is "different" – thus a temple in the 1st century washagios ("holy") because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios("holy") has the "technical" meaning "different from the world" because "like the Lord."   [40 (hágios) implies something "set apart" and therefore "different (distinguished/distinct)" – i.e. "other," because special to the Lord.]

Faith –

Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

4102 pístis (from 3982/peithô, "persuade, be persuaded") – properly, persuasion(be persuaded, come to trust); faith.

Faith (4102/pistis) is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In short, 4102/pistis("faith") for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).

Faith (4102/pistis) is also usedcollectively – of all the times God has revealed (given the persuasion of) His will, which includes the full revelation of Scripture (Jude 3). Indeed, God the Lordguarantees that all of this revelation will come to pass! Compare Mt 5:18 with 2 Tim 3:16

Holy –

Definition: set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred

40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world."

The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is "different" – thus a temple in the 1st century washagios ("holy") because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios("holy") has the "technical" meaning "different from the world" because "like the Lord."

[40 (hágios) implies something "set apart" and therefore "different (distinguished/distinct)" – i.e. "other," because special to the Lord.]

Spirit –

Definition: wind, breath, spirit.

4151 pneúma – properly, spirit (Spirit), wind, orbreath. The most frequent meaning (translation) of4151 (pneúma) in the NT is "spirit" ("Spirit"). Only the context however determines which sense(s) is meant.

[Any of the above renderings (spirit-Spirit, wind,breath) of 4151 (pneúma) is always theoretically possible (spirit, Spirit, wind, breath). But when the attributive adjective ("holy") is used, it always refers to the Holy Spirit. "Spirit" ("spirit") is by far the most common translation (application) of 4151(pneúma).

The Hebrew counterpart (rûach) has the same range of meaning as 4151 (pneúma), i.e. it likewise can refer to spirit/Spirit, wind, or breath.]

Praying –

Definition: I pray, pray for, offer prayer.
4336 proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, "towards, exchange" and 2172/euxomai, "to wish, pray") – properly, to exchange wishes; pray – literally, tointeract with the Lord by switching human wishes(ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith ("divinepersuasion"). Accordingly, praying (4336/proseuxomai) is closely inter-connected with4102 /pístis ("faith") in the NT. See: Ac 6:5,6,14:22,23; Eph 6:16-18; Col 1:3,4; 2 Thes 3:1,2; Js 5:13-15; Jude 20.

And then I looked up a passage about tongues

I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. I Corinthians 14:5

Speak –

Definition: (I talk, chatter in classical Greek, but in NT a more dignified word) I speak, say.
Word Origin  from lalos (talkative)

Tongues –

Definition: the tongue, a language, a nation (usually distinguished by their speech).

1100 glṓssa – tongue, used of flowing speech; (figuratively) speaking, inspired by God, like the evidence of tongues-speaking supplied by the Lord in the book of Acts to demonstrate the arrival of the new age of the covenant (i.e. NT times).

[The normative experience of the 120 believers received "tongues (1100 /glṓssa) as of fire" (Ac 2:3) and miraculously spoke in other actual languages, i.e. that they could not speak before (Ac 2:4f). This sign was repeated in Ac 10:46, 19:6 – furnishingample proof (three attestations) that the Lord had incorporated all believers into Christ's (mystical) body (1 Cor 12:13).]

After looking up these few Scriptures and studying out the original meanings in the Greek. I believe all prayers, prayed in faith by the person that has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, are answered!

When I hear someone speak or pray in tongues do I discount it? No, I do not.  Who’s to say they are not speaking in a ‘nations’ tongue that we are not aware of yet? I have learned to give it over to God, He knows I don’t understand it, and I pray quietly, giving Him praise and asking Him – if this is from you then please move among us, let us hear what You are speaking to us in a way we can receive and move forward giving You all the glory, honor and praise!

That is my heart’s desire – to glorify my God, my Redeemer, my Savior, the Creator of everything, the Bright Morning Star, my Provider, my Healer….the list goes on and on.

He’s these things to you too!

If you have never received Him as your Savior, call out to Him now, repent of your sins and let His cleansing come in. It doesn’t have to be a wordy or flowery speech – just talk to Him and then listen and receive. If He puts it on your heart to sing – sing, to dance – dance – to speak works of Hallelujah then speak!

1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: 

it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad 

in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children

We had another awesome class!

It has been awesome having some of the husbands join us in this study.

We were on Chapter 3

'Pray That your Adult Children Will Grow in Wisdom, 

Discernment, and Revelation'

This chapter starts out with an excellent point.

Stormie Omartian says

'In order to have peace as parents, we have to pray for certain things to be true in the lives of our adult children. And then we have to trust God to answer those prayers. We can't be obsessing over everything that happens in their lives, because that would not only drive us crazy, but everyone around us as well.....We don't have to figure out every little detail: that's God's job.'

Once again this brings it back to us. What do we need

to change in our prayer life as parents?

Are we trusting God? Or still trying to take things

into our own hands?

We need to stop praying....God change my son/daughter....

make them ..... and then it's something we want

maybe even worldly.

One thing I'm learning from this study is to make

sure my prayers are Scripture based and that

my heart is right.

To do this I must have a relationship with my

Father. I need to be in His word, to pray

and praise Him daily.

So as you pray for wisdom, discernment and revelation for your

children - pray it for you and your spouse too.

In the Greek

wisdom = insight, the art of using wisdom - clarity

discernment = perception - cuts through hazy ethical (moral) matters

revelation = once hidden now revealed in the Gospel

We need to pray for our children to have wisdom, discernment and revelation.

We want them to know God, have a relationship

with Him that is their own.

As they begin to have wisdom and allow the

Holy Spirit to work in and through them, they

will have discernment.

With discernment they will begin to have

revelation from the Lord, which will give

them purpose.

So Father, I ask that you give our daughters and sons Your wisdom. Wisdom to understand Your word and Your ways.

As they gain wisdom, teach them discernment so when

faced with the many decisions and situations, they will

know when to flee, how to pray and when

to boldly speak Your Name, Your Word.

And give them revelation into Your Word so they

will know what Your good and perfect will

is for their lives.

I praise You and thank You for blessing me with

my wonderful children. I trust You Lord, to

fulfill your word in their lives.

In Jesus Name I Pray,

amen

Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

Proverbs 1:5 

let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance

Psalm 119:125

I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

1 Corinthians 2:14

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

Ephesians 1:17-19