Worth the Effort. Colossians 1:29. Paul understood that we are workers together with God and must be aware that God is working in us and using us to fulfill His will. The work of the Gospel involves a mix of human effort and divine power. Toiling requires extra effort, and striving includes motivation that brings urgency to the effort. When there is motivation and urgent action, there will be perspiration. This work is ongoing. It is not finished yet, nor should it ever be temporarily halted for our own convenience.
If no one had cared for my soul, where would I be? Now, that same responsibility falls on me to pass on to others. "Why bother?" you might say, "It's a person's own choice!" That is certainly true, but God has given me the obligation of using my voice to admonish and teach so that others may hear and respond with repentance and reverence to the God of the Gospel, that they might be saved. It is worth a mighty effort to pass on all we have received so that others might be blessed with salvation.
When we share the Gospel, we are not speaking out of turn, even if some people do not want to hear it. We are passing on what we have learned, experienced, and lived by to others. God's work in me has often been powerful, and the impact of the truth I have received will last forever. Anyone who accepts what Christ died to give will experience the power of the Spirit, which dwells inside every believer. The Holy Spirit guides me to want others to hear and accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior, in whom they believe.
The ongoing work of God through us is His way of passing His salvation message to others, so that everlasting life is not just a topic in spiritual songs we sing but is the kind of life God gives when people believe the message we share. Just imagine if no one told others about the way of salvation and deliverance from hell! To labor diligently in the Gospel is certainly worth the effort, knowing that others, in turn, will see fruit from the Gospel when they pass on what they have received.
When we serve the Lord with fervent spirit, we will find the necessary power available to us to meet both present and future needs. A harvest requires effort and energy to prepare the ground for planting. Seeding doesn’t take too long, but protecting the seed and the emerging plants demands months of hard work and effort. Then comes the harvest, which is quick and rewarding.
Love, labor, power, preaching, rebuking, and warning are all part of the work of love for the salvation of precious souls. Being “put in trust with the Gospel is a great privilege!” Patience, suffering, and loss are typically part of what we can expect, but this is acceptable to God as our reasonable service. Christ suffered for us to bring us to God, so He is our example that we should follow in His steps.
To the extent of striving and agonizing, labor must be expended for this to happen. This is no casual stroll through life. So, when one is suffering in their service of the Gospel and fulfilling the word of God, the message of reconciliation is in us - "Christ in you." God's method today is the same as in Paul's day - the public proclamation of the Gospel. The motive behind the service is to present to Him everyone God saves as a mature believer in Christ. For this to happen, there will be earnest labor to pass on what we have personally experienced to others who need to hear what we know.