“But you be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”
2 Chronicles 15:7
In contrast to those who forsook the Lord and had much trouble, the Lord is encouraging Asa not to do the same. The prophet Obed had come to remind Asa of the times when there was no peace, and God had destroyed the nation because they had stopped seeking the Lord. Obed encouraged Asa to seek the Lord and in doing so he would find strength to remove the idols and restore true worship to God.
We are surrounded by a world that is not seeking God and screams at us to do the same. Demands of life, even ministry, can overwhelm us and keep us from what is needed most — time in seeking God in prayer and being in the Word. We cannot live on yesterday’s bread. We must seek the Lord each day and receive our support, strength, wisdom, love, and joy from Him every day. As leaders the demands upon us are great, as are the voices demanding our attention, but we must not allow those demands to dictate our lives. To do this we need to “be strong”. We must have the will power and determination to seek the Lord, making Him our first priority. In doing so, we will have the strength we need as leaders to lead people to God.
Let us run with spiritual fervor, with determination to do what is right and we can be sure of reward. God does not tell us how our work will be rewarded but the certainty of it is there. If God uses rewards to motivate us then it is quite alright to expect God to do something. Just be careful not to put demands upon Him and leave it all in His timing. God’s blessing will be evident in the time ahead if we faithfully seek Him. For Asa the reward was favor of the people and rest from his enemies. Your reward may be something far different. It is best to leave the reward to God and not to have an expectation of something which God may not give you. Be sure, however, that it will be good. It will be a blessing of some kind.
Encourage the people you lead in the same manner. Everyone needs encouragement and the hope of being rewarded by the Lord is a great motivation.
How can you better seek the Lord and protect your private time with Him?
