YOUR REWARD IS COMING

"Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor"
(1 Corinthians 3:8).

Do you feel as though you are "overworked and underpaid"? Sometimes you can
feel like this as a mother. But don't despair, you will receive your reward.

But let's talk about one thing at a time. Firstly, the work! Yes, mothering
is work. Hard work. Sleepless nights. Never letting up. Always available.
It's real labor. The word the Bible uses for labor in the New Testament is
kopos and it means "toil which reduces the strength, labor, trouble,
weariness." Do you relate? I know you sometimes feel so weary at the end of
the day. Praise God, He gives His beloved sleep. He gives us the night to be
refreshed.

Can I encourage you not to complain about work? Work is good for the body
and the soul. We accomplish things when we work. We become creative when we
work. We think of new ways of doing things. We think of new ideas.

Get a good attitude about work. Confess, "I love work." When you work with a
positive attitude or sing while you work, you are healed and uplifted. If
you do it with a despondent and complaining attitude, you'll feel weak.
Everything hinges on your attitude. And your children will learn the right
attitude to work. One of most important mothering responsibilities is to
teach our children the value of work. How to work hard. How to work
efficiently. How to love work.

It saddens my heart to see the lazy attitude in many young people today.
They don't know how to get "stuck in." When they work, they do a shoddy job.
They only do what is required, never any more. They don't go the second
mile. We must prepare our children to face the real world. Teach them to
arrive at their work before the allotted time and never leave on the dot of
5.00 pm! Always give that extra!

You see, we show our love by our work. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 calls it a "labor
of love." And God never forgets our "labor of love" (Hebrews 6:10). The
scripture above reminds us that we will
be rewarded according to our labor. God notices our labor.

As you toil and labor with the joy of the Lord in your heart, not one tiny
bit of your labor will be wasted. God is watching it all. 1 Corinthians
15:58 encourages us to be "Always abounding in the work of the Lord (which
is our mothering God has given to u), forasmuch as ye know that your labor
is not in vain in the Lord."

The NLT says: "for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever
useless." You are not useless, dear mother.

You are not receiving a weekly paycheck for your powerful work in the home.
That would be just too shameful. You are not working for wages as a hired
laborer. You are doing something far greater. You are working for an eternal
reward. Far greater than monetary reward. And it's going to be big. You
better believe it.  

If you are still feeling sorry for yourself, read how Paul worked for the
Lord. In 2 Corinthians 11: 23-28 he mentions 30 different areas he suffered
and labored for the Lord including "weariness and painfulness." And he
gloried in them all.

PRAYER:
"Dear Father God, I thank You that You are watching over me in my home. You
notice when I am weary and tired. But I also thank You that You have given
work as a blessing. It is not a chore. Please help me to always see it as a
blessing and to work with the right attitude. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:
I love work. I rejoice that I have work to do. It is good for my mind, my
soul, and my body.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell
nancy@aboverubies.org
www.aboverubies.org

Further Scriptures for you to look up:
WE WILL GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE IN THIS LIFE
Old Testament Scriptures: Job 7:17, 18; 23:10; 31:4; 34:11, 21-23; 1 Samuel
16:7; 1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 29:17; 2 Chronicles 32:31; Psalm
11:4, 5; 17:3; 26:2; 33:13-15; 62:12; 66:7, 10; 81:7; 139:23, 24; Proverbs
5:21-23; 17:3; 24:12; 25:4; Isaiah 1:25; 40:10; 48:10; 62:11; Jeremiah 9:7;
11:20; 12:3; 16:17; 17:10; 20:12; 32:19; Ezekiel 7:27; 33:20; Daniel 7:10;
11:35; 12:10; Hosea 7:2; Zechariah 13:9; and Malachi 3:3.

New Testament Scriptures: Matthew 10:26; 12:36, 37; 16:27; John 12:48;
Romans 2:5-11; 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:8, 11-15; 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10;
11:15; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:24, 25; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; Hebrews
4;13; 1 Peter 1:7, 17; 4:5; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 2:23; 11:18; 20:4, 12,
13; and 22:12.