TBC Notes

Labor of Love

The Bible teaches that there is nothing we can do for our salvation beyond simply believing the gospel. Eternal life can be obtained only by receiving Christ by grace through faith. Period. It cannot be of works. On the other hand, once we have been saved there is much for us to do—and some of it is simply plain hard work. As just one example, prayer comes to mind.

Prayer takes discipline. Christ’s disciples seemed to have had little discipline when they were with Him that night in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before He was crucified. They couldn’t pray with Him even one hour. In Luke:18:1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
See All... we find the exhortation that we “ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Still, many if not most Christians have trouble maintaining an effective prayer life. They become weary of it.

In many cases this happens because in our going to God for something we focus on the “something” rather than the “going to God.” Hebrews:11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
See All... tells us that God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” When intimate fellowship with the Lord becomes our primary motivation, our prayer life and every other good work turns into a labor of love.

T. A. McMahon

Executive Director