However, I would like to suggest that for we who believe in Jesus, the most important thing is not to do works for our Lord, but that we maintain fellowship with Him. Our fellowship -- our sharing in common -- is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (See a previous post on this topic here.)
I'm not saying that we should not be busy and actively engaging in ministry and other works. Jesus Himself was very active, especially during His years of major ministry. However, there's a distinction between frantic workaholism and calm, trusting, peaceful, properly balanced work, done in obedience to the Lord.
I think the following short passage gives a good illustration of the difference.
Luke 10:38-42
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.
But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
While Martha was indeed doing a good thing by serving Jesus, she neglected the more important thing, which was to simply sit at Jesus' feet and hear His word. Martha became so 'distracted', 'worried', and 'troubled' that she actually questioned Jesus' intentions and tried to tell Him what to do. Her desire to serve was not necessarily wrong, but she, in these moments, allowed her work to become more important than her Lord.
Jesus reminded her, though, that "one thing is needed," not the many things that Martha was occupied with. Mary, having "chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" chose the wisest option.
Likewise, we today should remember that 'doing things for the Lord' is not as important as 'sitting at Jesus' feet and hearing His Word.'
On another occasion, Jesus spoke these chilling words:
Mattthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.Notice that these people's works were not as important as their relationship with Jesus. These people used the name of Jesus to do many great things, but Jesus never knew them. Despite their ostensibly 'wonderful' works done in His name, Jesus called their works 'lawlessness'!
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "
Our works, no matter how great, can't qualify us for the kingdom of God and Christ. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away our sins. God's righteousness is freely given to those who have faith in Jesus. Jesus alone earned our righteousness, and it would be an insult to Jesus and His Father to reject the Son of God's completed work.
As the Apostle Paul wrote so clearly,
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.(Romans 3:21-26)
God justifies those who have faith in Jesus. The blood of Christ Jesus is sufficient in God's sight for God to justify us, as long as we simply believe.
Now, shortly before He was arrested and led away to be crucified for our sins, Jesus fellowshipped with His disciples and had a personal, intimate conversation with them. The Apostle John recorded many of His words. Many of the things He said here apply to us.
John 14:19-28
“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I [am] in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
He who has My Commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”This has been a calming and encouraging Scripture to me. Jesus gives us His peace. He has given us His Spirit. He tells us, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." He tells us that He loves us, and not only He, but His Father loves us as well. He tells us that we must keep His commandment, His Word. If we keep Jesus' Word, we are keeping the Father's Word as well.
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming [back] to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I."
And later, He continues on to describe our relationship with Him:
John 15:1-17
God wants us to do good things in Jesus' name. That is what it means to 'bear fruit'. But the truth is that we cannot do this apart from Jesus. Branches alone are good for nothing but firewood. To bear fruit, they must be connected to the vine that they are a part of. Without Him, we can do nothing."I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every [branch] that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
“I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and [that] your joy may be full.No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another."
Only by sharing in the nourishment that flows forth from being in Jesus' presence and humbly listening to His word that we can bear fruit that He is pleased with. Otherwise, our works will be considered as 'lawlessness' by the Lord.
It is interesting that Jesus uses the symbolism of a vine to represent Himself, and we as the branches. Well, I have heard many believers use the term 'seasons of life' to describe the different phases of life we go through. I'm no farmer, but I do know that there are times of the year when fruit is planted, times when it grows, and times when it becomes ripe and is ready to be plucked and enjoyed.
If we consider this in terms of our relationship with Jesus, we should realize that every part of life is not meant to be the same. Some parts are for 'planting'... others are for 'growing'... and during others, we may be rapidly producing large quantities of fruit. But there is no such thing as us producing fruit apart from Jesus. There is no 'season' in which the branch needs not abide in the vine.
If we don't abide in Jesus, 'we can do nothing'. Therefore, let us obey Him. Let us sit at His feet. Let us hear and obey His Word. Let us trust Him for our salvation and our daily needs. And let us praise Him when we are able to bear fruit that glorifies His Name.
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All boldface emphases are mine.
Scripture references are from the New King James Version (NKJV).
Italicized words in the NKJV have been [bracketed] or omitted.
Some punctuation and Capitalization may have been altered from the NKJV text.
The NKJV, and many other translations, are freely available at http://www.biblegateway.com/
