Your Labor of Love

“Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

Good works are as much a part of a believer’s life as faith. Everything we do, all our deeds and all our works for God, should be a labor of love motivated by our faith and hope in Him. Good works are meant to be a blessing - not an obligation or a means to salvation. We do good works because of God’s love within us, not because we feel pressured to do so.

Many people try to work their way to heaven by accomplishing good works. But there is only one way to God, and that is through personal faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). God is not impressed by material gifts or the number of times you help another person. He is, however, impressed by the motivation of your heart - that is love expressing itself through faith.

Good works that hold eternal value are the result of an overflow of our devotion to Christ. If the devotion is there, good works will follow naturally. They never come as a result of self-determination. When God is evident in our lives, the evidence of His good works will be there. Praise, worship, obedience, and prayer are all signs of a heart totally committed to Jesus Christ and overflowing in good works.

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth...and how He went about doing good...” Acts 10:38