Love's Labor
Today's Three-minute Bible
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Title: Love's
Labor------------------------------ Date: 7/18/2001
Keywords: ""effort" "labor" "love"
Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you
stand strong in the face of sexual temptation.
Passage: 1
Thessalonians 1:2-3*
2. We always thank God for all of you, mentioning
you in our prayers.
3. We continually remember before our God
and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love,
and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Questions
1. How much effort do you generally exert at a
given task?
2. Why would you exert more effort at some tasks
than at others?
Practical help
Most of us are quite familiar with labor. It's
something we have to do to make a buck. We generally have varied (and
often mixed) feelings about it, too. For some the payoff never seems
worth the exertion; for others the payoff is so much more because of
it.
The American Heritage Dictionary says to labor is "to
strive painstakingly; toil." Consider this definition as we look today
at the second thing the Apostle Paul remembered before his God
concerning the Thessalonians (verse 3) -- "your labor prompted by
love."
For many ditching a porn habit can seem an
insurmountable task, but when pressed by a spouse or a friend to
explain their efforts (their labor), curiously, they often don't have
much to say. Have they made a mole hill out of a mountain? Have they
underestimated the scope of the problem, or is it a lack of
substantial motivation?
Does God matter to you? Do you have
dignity? Do you care about the example you set for others? If married,
do you care more for your spouse than your physical urges? Do you seek
the respect of your friends and relatives? These are all aspects of
love -- loving God, yourself, your spouse, your relatives and your
friends. The next time you're tempted to surf to a porn site make a
point to examine why you want to resist. If love is now motivating you
then strive painstakingly. Toil at it. Labor in
love.
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*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New
International Version © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society. All rights reserved.