Perservere While Working Hard for God
By: Hannah Hoffman
Issue date: 2/24/10 Section: Opinion
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."
Perseverance, what a peculiar word! One of the definitions the dictionary uses for the noun perseverance is: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Why is it that perseverance is so hard to achieve? Why do things in life have to require perseverance? Well, one of the reasons that perseverance is required in life is that it helps your character to grow.
Think about this for a moment: if perseverance was not required for anything, what would this world be like? People would give up on everything once things got too hard for them. Things would never get accomplished. In the same way that it is important to work hard at a job, it is equally important to persevere in college studies.
You are preparing for the real world while you endure through the higher education of University. You are not only preparing for the real world, but you are working for God as well! One of the ways that you do this is by working your hardest at your studies.
As you know, the time for midterms is upon us, which means that the middle of the
semester is here. Stress is building, deadlines are coming, coffee is becoming more of a necessity and lack of sleep is increasing! You look in the mirror and wonder: "How in the world am I going to make it through the end of this semester?"
Well, I would like to encourage you today that you will make it! It is easy to lose focus on why you are doing what you are doing.
If you are studying hard and are about to pull your hair out or, you are trying to pretend that your homework does not exist, it is imperative to remember whom you are working for. Colossians 3:23a states "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.", The apostle Paul was speaking to Christians who were slaves to earthly masters, but I think that it is applicable today.
We are created in the image of God to work for His glory and to work the hardest at whatever we are doing. I encourage you today to work your hardest at your studies, remembering that you are doing your best not just for your professors, parents, friends, but for God's glory and building your character!
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."
Perseverance, what a peculiar word! One of the definitions the dictionary uses for the noun perseverance is: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Why is it that perseverance is so hard to achieve? Why do things in life have to require perseverance? Well, one of the reasons that perseverance is required in life is that it helps your character to grow.
Think about this for a moment: if perseverance was not required for anything, what would this world be like? People would give up on everything once things got too hard for them. Things would never get accomplished. In the same way that it is important to work hard at a job, it is equally important to persevere in college studies.
You are preparing for the real world while you endure through the higher education of University. You are not only preparing for the real world, but you are working for God as well! One of the ways that you do this is by working your hardest at your studies.
As you know, the time for midterms is upon us, which means that the middle of the
semester is here. Stress is building, deadlines are coming, coffee is becoming more of a necessity and lack of sleep is increasing! You look in the mirror and wonder: "How in the world am I going to make it through the end of this semester?"
Well, I would like to encourage you today that you will make it! It is easy to lose focus on why you are doing what you are doing.
If you are studying hard and are about to pull your hair out or, you are trying to pretend that your homework does not exist, it is imperative to remember whom you are working for. Colossians 3:23a states "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.", The apostle Paul was speaking to Christians who were slaves to earthly masters, but I think that it is applicable today.
We are created in the image of God to work for His glory and to work the hardest at whatever we are doing. I encourage you today to work your hardest at your studies, remembering that you are doing your best not just for your professors, parents, friends, but for God's glory and building your character!
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