Sister Tarpley: Labor Alone Will Not Satisfy

By Sister Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor

All the labor of man is for his mouth, and, yet the soul is not satisfied.

Ecclesiastes 6:7

How would you feel about yourself if your job was removed from you tomorrow? Let’s imagine that your income wouldn’t change, just what you did every day.

One of the schemes that Satan uses in the life of the Christian worker is to get him/her to view their value solely based on the type of work they do and/or how well they do it.  We call this performance-based acceptance.  It says, “As long as I have a good job and I do it well, I have self-esteem.”  This is a “slippery slope” and can be used by Satan to keep our focus on our performance versus Christ.

We are never to find our value in what we do.  Instead, our value is solely based on who we are in Christ.  The apostle Paul wrestled with this after he came to faith in Christ.  He had grown to the top of his field as a Jewish leader.  “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.

I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”  Philippians 3:4-9)

You’ll never really know to the degree that your self-esteem is rooted in your work until your work is removed.  Unemployment, illness, or a financial crisis can lead to job loss.

Why not evaluate where you are in this area of your life.  Affirm with God your desire to be known by Who (Jesus) you know versus what you do.

Because we can learn from God’s creation all around us, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”   Romans 1:19-20.

Have you ever had someone say, “I don’t see any evidence of God?  How can a person believe in someone you can’t see or see any evidence even exists?”

The Bible tells us that God is revealed in His creation every day.  Look at the human body and consider the likelihood of how thousands of body parts that must work together.  Someone created it to work this well.  If it were a manufactured product, it would be in the repair shop all the time because of all the moving parts required to make it work.  Therefore, trust God for your value is in Him, not what you can do or how much you make.