WHENEVER YOU FEEL TIRED, WEARY OR JUST DOWNHEARTED

WHENEVER YOU FEEL TIRED, WEARY OR JUST DOWNHEARTED

It's a fact of life that everyone of us goes through times when we can feel tired, discouraged or bummed out. Every one of us do sometimes. But there is a quick solution and it's found within the pages of the Holy Bible. In fact it's a great verse even during those times when you even feel overworked or underappreciated.

This is my favourite version of the scripture, found in 1 Corinthians 15:58 (Message Bible), "With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort."

What a wonderful verse, and what a timely reminder that God oversees all and is master of all whenever we allow Him into our issues - and then trust Him to show us a viable way through. Now having said that, I want to take this verse and detail its message by using a more traditional version of the same verse as expressed in the King James Version. And for those that read the New King James version the scripture is almost the same.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)

So what is the meaning of this verse to each one of us, and why is that message so applicable to us in our time of Tiredness, Weariness or just plain Downheartedness? In order to understand that, allow me to break sectionalise the full meaning. I believe it carries a really powerful message.

1. My beloved brethren. In this one statement the Apostle Paul addresses us as family. As Christians we should never forget that we are, and will always be brothers and sisters in the eyes of Christ, as well as, our entire Christian brethren. In other words, Christians are a part of a family that cares deeply for one another, and the church is the visible expression of that caring love. So whenever that you may sometimes feel alone, it must be remembered that we all belong to the family of God.

2. Be ye steadfast. Stay still, and stop always moving around. "Be steadfast" means "be stable," "be firm," and "be content" whatever state you may find yourself in. The Greek word (hedraios) suggests we should be unmoveable, or immoveable, simply by sitting in a chair, in a "fixed" state rather than moving or pacing around.

3. Unmoveable, deepens on the meaning of "steadfast" means "not to be moved from a certain place." To further explain this, it also suggest that you should "not veer from a certain mindset." Another extension of this would be to be considered "stubborn." The down-shot of this is that each one of us can be stubbornly opposed to God's will during the times we feel down. That's bad. On the other hand you can be stubbornly, or doggedly, devoted to God, so that your current circumstances and those around you don't distract you from Him or God's direction for you at the time - and that's a good thing. Call it persistence, call it faithfulness - I call it submission and having an ear to hear what God is guiding you through.

4. Always abounding. Whether you associate this word to mental thoughts, health, friendships, wealth or the Work of the Lord, "abounding" translated means "exceeding a fixed number or measure," "over-and- above," or "something special. " Some people do "what is expected, " others do this "out of love," and yet others "go way and far beyond that." In the process their lives pour out and overflow in everything they put their hands to. "Doing what?" you ask. Being submitted and harnessing the blessing associated with God's overflow in their lives.

5.The work of the Lord. The answer here is simple - because the answer simply is work. "Not a good suggestion," you might say. "I work five or six days a week now and when I get home I just want to rest." Now that's understandable. But that's not what I mean. Allow me to explain.

Do you have any lazy people, or those others at work may call loafers or bums? The people who only do the minimum, and only when the boss is looking over their shoulder. Then because of that you and the other workers takes up the slack.

It's the same doing God's work. One of the ways we can do His work, to build His kingdom here on earth, is to start by teaching our children about Jesus at home and at Sunday school. We serve and encourage those believers who are down. Remember a church (any church) is a caring body. However it should also be remembered that when the loafers around us don't pull their part of the load, it falls on others to do so on their behalf. Therefore we should "always be abounding in the work of the Lord." Always, and it should "always be" at a level that is "over-and-above" what is expected.

Knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. A good example of this is that there are many people hate washing dishes because more dirty dishes magically appear over night. Sweeping and vacuuming are the same to many of us. The reason for this is that things never stay clean for long. Because of this is that many of us get discouraged. It's only when the alternatives are considered we get around to doing something about the things in our life that cause us grief.

Now it is a fact that your wife may not keep track of how often you change the spark plugs. Or your husband may have no idea of how often you dust. But God will always keep track of our faithfulness regarding His work. He sees us serving Him when no one else does, and seeing us hanging in there, adjusting our mindset, and seeing the good in others and our surroundings brings joy to His heart.

Above all, our Christian service can never be done in vain for three reasons:

1. Christ's kingdom is, and always will be, built on your service, stone upon stone, and act of kindness upon other acts of kindness, continually serving and spending time with someone going through tough times or just having a "downer" they cannot get on top of.

2. Seeing your faithful service and the love that you willingly extend to others around you brings joy to God's heart.

3. God will always reward you for your faithfulness, even when no one else looking or sees what you do. He even monitors your prayers for others, and the more you pray the more pleased He is. In fact, God's ledger book gets fresh entry and personal notations every time you serve Him. And even more so when you serve Him through others around you.

In conclusion, we all get discouraged and we all get discouraged many times each week - every week. But God keeps bringing us back to this wonderful verse found in 1 Corinthians 15:58 (Message Bible),

"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort."

Or as expressed in the King James Version,

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)

And He does that to encourage us up and help us to see the importance of faithful service - be it to Him or to others He brings into our lives.

So don't give up, don't dwell on your circumstances in your times of distress and always remember to call on Him whenever you feel dismayed or downhearted. He will always be there, and remember He says He will "Never leave you, nor forsake you."