DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR LABOR FOR YEHOVAH AS JESUS DID?

Would it shock you to know that the Messiah Jesus experienced the feeling of having accomplished little?

In Isaiah 49:4 we read these words: “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain….”

Note that these are not the words of Isaiah, who was called by Yehovah at a mature age. No, they are the Messiah's own words, spoken by one “called…from the womb; from the bowels of my mother… now says Yehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, so that Israel is gathered to Him” (Isaiah 49:1, 5).

When I come upon this passage, I am incredulous. I can hardly believe what I am reading. Jesus’ words here about “laboring in vain” were a response to the Father who had just declared, “You are my servant … in whom I will be glorified” (Isaiah 49:3). We read Jesus’ surprising response in the next verse: “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity - empty, worthless” (Isaiah 49:4).

Reading those words has made me love Jesus all the more. I realize Hebrews 4:15 is not just a cliché: we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that has been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Our savior is truly touched with the feelings of our infirmities and was tempted in all ways as we are, yet without sin. He’d known this very temptation from Satan, hearing the same accusing voice: “Your mission has not been accomplished. Your life has been a failure. You’ve got nothing to show for all your labors.”

The Messiah Jesus came into the world to fulfill the will of God by reviving Israel, and he did just as he was commanded. But Israel rejected him: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).

Why would Jesus, or any man or woman of God, speak such despairing words as these: “I have labored in vain”? How could the son of God make such a statement? And why have generations of faithful believers been reduced to such despondent words? It is all the result of measuring little results against high expectations.

The truth is, we’re all called to one grand, common purpose, and to one ministry. Our ministry as members of the Israel of Yehovah is to bear witness and testimony to the coming Kingdom of God that Jesus preached continuously. We are called to live out our lives walking as Jesus walked and doing as he did on this earth. He said he was the way, the truth, the life, the light, and the wisdom of Yehovah. By the power of his indwelling presence in us, we can be the same to all those we come in contact with. In this way, we can progressively grow into his likeness and be changed into his express image.

Jesus was the outshining of Yehovah in his life and we are to strive to be the same in our lives. How? by keeping the creed of Jesus [Mark 12:28-34] which is to love Yehovah will all our being and love our neighbors as ourselves. In doing this we glorify the name of Yehovah and pull the people who accept our testimony out of the fire of the second death! What an awesome privilege and responsibility our God and Father Yehovah has given to each of us. He gives us the power to do what He desires and then rewards us for doing so. Truly, it is all of Him and nothing of us.

At the end of our lives, we may not think we have done much as a witness to others, but Yehovah knows how many lives we have touched as we have walked according to His will in our lives! In the same way, we don't know how many times Yehovah has intervened in our lives to protect us, guide us, and bring us to where we are today. He reached out to us in love as we can do with all those we come in contact with in our lives. Let us hold fast to what we have and share it with others!

LIVE YOUR LIFE AS YEHOVAH'S BOND-SERVANT

Jesus calls us to live out our lives in a way that gives no thought about tomorrow and he tells us to put our future wholly into the hands of his God and our God, his Father, and our Father Yehovah: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:31-34).

Jesus doesn’t mean that we are not to plan ahead or do nothing about our future. Rather, he is saying, “Don’t be anxious or troubled about tomorrow.” When you think about it, most of our anxieties are about what might happen tomorrow. We’re constantly harassed by two little words: What if?

Jesus interrupts our “what ifs” and tells us, “Your heavenly Father knows how to take care of you.” He tells us further, “You don’t need to worry. Your Fathers know you have need of all these things, and he won’t ever forsake you. He is faithful to feed you, clothe you, and take care to supply all your needs.”

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?.... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:26, 28-30).

We gladly give all our yesterdays to Yehovah Elohim - God, turning over to Him our past sins. We trust Him for the forgiveness of all our past failures, doubts, and fears. So, why don’t we do the same with our tomorrows?

THE TRUTH IS, MANY OF US CLING TIGHTLY TO WHAT WE WANT TO TAKE PLACE IN OUR FUTURE. WE WANT TO HOLD ON TO OUR DREAMS. WE MAKE  OUR PLANS INDEPENDENT OF WHAT OUR GOD AND FATHER YEHOVAH DESIRES FOR US. THEN WE EXPECT HIM TO BLESS AND FULFILL ALL THAT WE WANT, TO FULFILL ALL OUR DESIRES.

If we act in this manner we totally misunderstand what it means to be totally committed to loving our God and Father with all our hearts, minds, being, and strength. We are forgetting that we have been bought and paid for by the blood of the lord Messiah Jesus and we are not our own. We are the bond-servants [slaves] of the lord Jesus and of Yehovah. As such self is dead [which happened when we were baptized - we died to self]

Now as bond-servants we are to obey the instructions our "Master" Yehovah has given to all those He has placed in the body of His son Jesus to do. So we are to obey and carry out all the words that Yehovah gave to His son Jesus to give to all those who are in him, members of His body - the called-out Assembly of God. So when Jesus tells us to "seek you first the KIngdom [Kingship] of God that is exactly what we ought to do. 

If we obey the words of the lord Jesus then all that we need will be provided by our God and Father Yehovah!

John 14:23-24: ... if a man loves me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loves me not keeps not my words: and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

Jesus message to all who are in him:

John 17:6-9: I manifested your name [Yehovah] unto the men whom you gave me out of the world: yours they were, and you gave them to me; and they have kept your word. Now they know that all things whatsoever you have given me are from you: for the words which you gave me I have given unto them; and they received them] and know of a truth that I came forth from you [was commissioned by Yehovah], and they believed that you did send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom you have given me; for they are your: and all things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine: and I am glorified in them.

John 2:5-6: ... but whosoever keeps his word, in him truly has the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: he that says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.

If we walk as Jesus walked we will seek first the Kingdom [Kingship] of God and His righteousness and we will receive all we need even as Jesus and his disciples were provided with all their needs.

Jesus says:  I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

I can speak for myself and say all that I have need of, has been given to me by my God and Father Yehovah. He has blessed me more than I deserve. I own nothing as his bond-servant but exercise stewardship over all He has given to me, knowing that if I am faithful in the little things He will give me more to exercise stewardship over.

Trust in Yehovah and you will see how much He loves you and will help you to live life more abundantly, spiritually, physically, and emotionally!

A SPIRITUAL TSUNAMI OF WAYWARD DRIFTING

When we observe what is happening in Christendom around the world one witnesses a “spiritual tsunami” of wayward drifting is taking place. Entire denominations have been caught up in the waves of this spiritual tsunami, leaving in their wake the ruins that come from leaving their first love, which leads to apathy. The Bible warns clearly that it is entirely possible for believers to drift away from the Messiah Jesus.

When believers seek “peace and safety at any cost” and think they can merely just hang onto salvation; do so at a high spiritual cost. So, how can we guard against drifting from the Messiah Jesus and neglect “so great a salvation”? Paul tells us how: “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1).

Yehovah isn’t interested in our being able to “speed-read” through His Word. What’s more important is that we “hear” what we read with spiritual ears, and meditate on it so that it’s “heard” in our hearts, and then act on it, enabled to do so by Yehovah's indwelling presence.

Remaining steadfast in loving Yehovah and His word was no small matter for Paul. He also says, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus the Messiah is in you? unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Paul isn’t suggesting to those believers that they’re reprobates. Rather, he’s urging them, “As those who say they love of the Messiah, to test themselves. Take a spiritual inventory. You aught know enough about your walk with Jesus to know you’re loved by him, that he hasn’t turned from you, that you are redeemed by his shed blood.”

Ask yourself today: How is your communion with Yehovah and His Son, the Messiah Jesus? Are you guarding and holding fast with all diligence, all that you have received according to His amazing grace? Are you leaning on Yehovah in covenant faithfulness during your hard times? And as you examine your spiritual walk, allow your God and Father Yehovah to show you where you can be strengthened to bring glory to His holy name - Yehovah..

WHAT WE HAVE IN THE MESSIAH JESUS

 Who am I and what do I have in the Messiah?

In the Messiah, I am sanctified and called a saint [holy one]. I am a holy one belonging to God - 1 Corinthians 1:2

In the Messiah, I am no longer a sinner. I have been made the righteousness of God – 1 Corinthians 5:21

In the Messiah, I am a temple and dwelling place of God – Ephesians 2:21, 22

In the Messiah, I am accepted by God and receive of His grace – Ephesians 1:6

In the Messiah, I am holy and without blame before God – Ephesians 1:4. Once I was darkness, but now I am light in the Lord – Ephesians 5:18

In the Messiah, I am secure in the love of God forever – Romans 8:38, 39

In the Messiah, I am God’s workmanship, a masterpiece created for good works – Ephesians 2:10

In the Messiah, I am delivered from the power of darkness, redeemed and forgiven and conveyed into the Messiah’s kingdom – Colossians 1:13, 14

In the Messiah, I am God’s child – Galatians 3:26, 28

What do I have in The Messiah?

In the Messiah, I have been placed into the commonwealth of Israel and given the covenants of promise – Ephesians 2:13. I have every spiritual blessing in the Messiah – Ephesians 1:3

In the Messiah all of my needs will be supplied by God – Philippians 4:19

In the Messiah I have a rich inheritance – Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:4; Romans 8:17

In the Messiah, I have a position of dignity and authority being seated at God’s right hand – Ephesians 2:6

In the Messiah, I have God’s wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption – 1 Corinthians 1:30, 31

In the Messiah, I am anointed being sealed by the Spirit of God – 1 Corinthians 1:21, 22; Ephesians 1:13

In the Messiah, I have everlasting life – Romans 6:23

YOUR POSITION IN THE MESSIAH JESUS

In John 14, Jesus tells us it is time for us to know our heavenly position in him. He explained to the disciples, “Because I live, you will live also. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in me, and I in you” (John 14:29-20). We are now living in “that day” Jesus speaks of. In short, we are to understand our heavenly position in the Messiah.

Most of us do know our position in the Messiah;  that we are seated with him in heavenly places, but do we know it with a full understanding. What does the expression “our position in the Messiah” mean? Very simply, the position is “where one is placed, where one is.” God has placed us where we are, which is in the Messiah Jesus.

In turn, the Messiah is in the Father and is seated at His right hand. Therefore, if we’re in the Messiah Jesus, then we’re actually seated with Jesus in the throne room, where he is. That means we are sitting in the presence of our God and Father Yehovah. This is what Paul refers to when he says we’re made to “sit together in the heavenly places in the Messiah Jesus:"

Ephesians 2:4-6: God, being rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, He made us alive together with the Messiah, and raised us up with him, and made us sit with Him in the heavenly [places], in the Messiah Jesus:

The moment you place your trust in the Messiah, you are placed into him by faith. God acknowledges you in His son, seating you with Jesus in the heavenly places. So now, as you surrender your will in covenant faithfulness to Yehovah Elohim - God, you are able to claim all the spiritual blessings that come with your position in His son.

Of course, being “in the Messiah” doesn’t mean you leave this earth. No, heaven has come down to you. The Messiah Jesus, the Son of God, and God the Father have come into your heart and made their abode there: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him/her and we will come to him/her and make our home with him/her” (John 14:23).

Seek first the Kingdom of God (Mat:6:33) leaving your sins and worldly pursuits behind and “lay aside every fleshly weight that so easily besets you.” Realize fully your position in the heavenly places in the Messiah. He has called you to enter into the joy of your acceptance in him. So, when you wake up tomorrow, shout, “Hallelujah! Praise God! I’m accepted by my God and Father Yehovah in His son, the lord Messiah Jesus and am seated in the heavenly places in him.”

Praise Yehovah! What an amazing position He has placed me in and what a responsibility to bring glory to His name by telling others what He has done for me and will do for them if they believe in the one whom He has sent and repent and are baptized!