I have recently felt led to pick up the book, “Eternity in Their Hearts” by Don Richardson. The title comes from the Bible verse, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” (Eccl 3:11) In his book, Richardson gives accounts of numerous secluded, remote peoples who were just waiting for someone to come to them with the Good News. I remember what Luke wrote in his Gospel, “[Jesus] sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.” (Luke 10:1) He send us to the place where He Himself wants to go.
In the midst of this, we often find ourselves in circumstances and situations where we just might forget the mission that we are on, and see things only as a trial to be endured. We continue on doing what we do, but somehow we might forget why we are doing it. This can, and usually does, result in resentment, anger or even (God forbid!) bitterness that can be expressed to those we serve, those we serve with, or those serving us (office.) This not only can make for a miserable time for others, it doesn’t make a person in that state very content either.
Some of the hymns we used to sing are full of reflections upon difficult times endured by the author. But the hymns see the difficulties in the light of the mission on which we have been sent. We might sing, “It is well with my soul,” or “through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.” There is a lot under the surface of those words.
It’s not that difficult to remember the mission, but forget the purpose. We can stay in the work, but lose sight of why we are there. In Revelation, Jesus reminds the Ephesian church to return to their first love. This was not a “sinful” church, but apparently, a church with all programs working, things happening, busy doing the “work of God.” He said of them, “I know your works, your labor, your patience…Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Rev 2:2, 4) He told them to repent, or their lampstand would be removed.
In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he writes, “…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thess. 1:3) Paul commends the church for their work, because it is work being done in faith, he commends them for their labor, because it is labor being done in love, and he commends them for patience, because their endurance is rooted in hope. The exact same three things that the Ephesian were doing, but they were only laboring, not laboring in love. They were working, but not in faith. They were exercising patience, but had lost a sense of hope and purpose. We can be so involved in the things of God, that we forget that it is God who has placed us.
Isn’t it exciting to know that He is sending you to the very place that He Himself is wanting to go? Isn’t it exciting to know that God has placed eternity into the very hearts of those to whom He intends to visit? You can work in faith, or just work. It’s your choice. You can labor in love, or just labor. You can endure, or you can endure with a vision of God’s eternal glory being revealed in the people to whom you are sent. These are our choices. May the Lord help each of us as we serve Him in faith, in love and in hope!
