Why must we work hard?

Why must we work hard isn't really the question. The question is, What are we working hard to accomplish? Does our heart reflect Christ in our lives? Does it change our motivation? I'm quick to laziness, quick to distractions. We all have idols in life that become more important than our purpose. What are my idols, and what is my purpose?

Going through Kay Arthur's book "Lord, Only You Can Change Me," this topic has been broached. The next set of verses I may be where my heart is at, but do my actions reflect this?

Philippians 3:7-10
But whatsoever was to my profit I now consider a 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.

How can you truly be a testament to this? Have you been frustrated with not getting your way? Challenged by disappointment? How have you responded? Have you been denied by Christ? NO. In order to live with the desires of our heart quenched, we must see through the mind and heart of Christ. We must ALSO have faith that he has the best for us in mind. Christ suffered for us, so that we may live in Him and in doing so, turn away from the world's riches to the everlasting riches God offers us through His son Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

God's purpose for us is to make Jesus our priority through life and to share Jesus with others so they may also live with the faith and hope He gives us. We may not see QUICK results in any of our actions.

Hebrews 11:8-12
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Why must we work hard? What are we to do?
Proverbs 27:23-26
Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.

Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Psalm 90:17
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands.

What happens when we are in God's favor?

Psalm 91:5-7, 9-12
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the Lord, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.