Relax, It's Not Up to You

Ken Rice

As a follower of Jesus, I often feel pressure to perform. Not necessarily perform in the sense of moral behavior but in the sense of works. It is like an internal drive to produce and earn my keep. I understand that we are to use whatever gifts and talents God has given us to further His Kingdom and we can’t do this apart from His empowerment. However, that doesn’t stop me trying from time to time.

I was reading in 1 Thessalonians 1. My curiosity was peaked about something I hadn’t noticed before in verse three.

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 1:3

Three words in this verse grabbed by imagination, work, labor, and endurance. In our English language work and labor can mean virtually the same thing. However, In the Greek as I discovered, there is a difference that spoke directly to my heart. The word “labor” in the Greek is kopos, which means labor or toil, no surprise there. But, the word “work” in the Greek is ergon, which can mean work, but is equally translated as “results”.

Ergon or “results” produced by faith reads a lot different to me than “work” produced by faith. Results produced by faith reminds me of the supernatural participation of the Holy Spirit over my life and actions. One speaks to my faith producing a lot of busyness and pushing rocks uphill. In other words, faith that produces lots of work for me to accomplish. While the other understanding paints a picture of how faith is the key to produce results that are supernatural in origin and nature.

Think of the verse this way, my hope that I have in Jesus, that he and he alone is the answer, inspires love and greater faith. This hope inspires endurance to love supernaturally, this supernatural love prompts me to faith filled action, and this faith is what produces results, not my actions.

 It’s not me that produces results, it’s not my work, toil, and labor that produces results. It is simply my faith in Jesus and my response to his redemptive message that results are supernaturally birthed out of.

For the driver in me, this was such a good and timely reminder to take a step back and remember, if I will posture myself in such a way to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit and move in the direction of God’s heart for the world, the results will exceed more than I could possibly do on my own and even more than I could have thought or imagined.