Tired, But With Much Work To Do
All of us get tired at times. This is simply a part of life. Physical energy wanes and our bodies to recharge, rest and regroup. This is because there is always more work that needs to be finished, and if one task is completed, there is always more to be done. Part of the way our body is designed is to burn energy and when we ‘run out’ of energy, we need to be rejuvenated by rest and nourishment. One needs to be reinvigorated physically on a regular basis to be able to carry out the Lord’s Work, as the spirit of a man “dwells” in his physical body.
This has a spiritual application as well. Discouragement has a way of sapping one’s resolve. When we cannot convince the lost and the erring to make changes in their lives to follow God’s Word and Will, folks tend to become ‘spiritually tired”. Some even quit trying. This applies to all Christians, but faithful gospel preachers are more likely to get tired in this way, yet, they always have more work to do. As long as lost souls exist, many will look to the preacher to “do the work” to reach that soul.
Christ recognized this, and in Mark 6:30-32, we see that this existed in the lives of His apostles, even while Christ was with them. And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
The prophecy from Isa. 40:31 gives the remedy for “spiritual” tiredness. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Souls are so important, we cannot afford to become tired, weak or weary. To “wait upon the Lord” is to do His Word.
The following was in a May 1966 Unicoi church of Christ Bulletin, and was written by my wife’s dad while he preached there.
Gospel Preachers Must
1) Take heed to themselves – The personal life and conduct of gospel preachers must be above reproach. They must be examples to the believers and the unbelievers. “Ye are our epistles known and read of all men.” A lot of folk read the lives of Christians more than their Bibles.
2) Take heed unto the doctrine – (Note the doctrine is in the singular). Gospel preachers must speak the same things; teach the one and only doctrine of Christ. The language of Ashdod is condemned even in the Old Testament. “Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.” Why not use only Bible language? The apostles and early Christians did.
3) Preach the Word – The gospel is the “power of God unto Salvation”, but it must be preached and believed. “How then can they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? . . . How can they hear without a preacher?” Too many preachers (?) are not interested in “preaching” for the souls of men. Preacher’s duties are not on a par with those of lawyers, doctors, politicians, etc. Preachers are to help prepare men for Heaven.
4) Put the brethren in remembrance – The apostle said it is necessary to “stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.” Some of the brethren can’t remember to attend the services of the church; give at least a tenth of their financial income PLUS offerings; love each other; cooperate in the furtherance of the Gospel that the lost be converted to Christ; can’t remember that there is ONE church and but ONE; that a new birth of water and the Spirit brings one into the family of God.
5) Exhort with all longsuffering – How often we forget to encourage, lift up with kind words of praise, the brother who is at the point of despair and retreat. A pat on the back, a tender smile at the right time has won many battles. We need to remember that patience is a Christian virtue and it is right to covet it. Anybody can tear down, but it takes a master-builder to build up. There is all the difference in a wrecking crew and a construction company.
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ. . . “ (1Tim. 4:6). Gospel preachers often for-get what it means to be a “good minister of Jesus Christ: because they cater to the ways of the world and worldly-minded church members.
O.D. Wilson – deceased
Upon re-reading this brief article written by my Father-in-Law, I realize that with the exception of point # 3 (speaking from the pulpit), every one of these applies to all Christians. Sure, we may become tired. We may want to “cease from our labors”. But, if we are diligent here, and follow God’s Word to reach lost and struggling souls, God has promised there is plenty of rest beyond this life. But if we become too weary or lazy to work here, what awaits us?
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
