In my last post I shared the difference between works of faith and labor of love.
Today, let’s look further at that labor as was written to the Hebrews:
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10 KJV).
Here are some ways our labor of love is expressed:
• by serving one another;
• bearing one another’s burdens,
• forbearing with, and forgiving one another,
• praying for each other,
• and building up one another on their most holy faith;
• exhorting each other to the duties of religion,
• and not suffering sins upon one another,
• but admonish in love, and
• restore with meekness;
• distributing to the necessities of the saints,
• ministering: to them of their worldly substance,
• and supplying their daily wants.
These labors of love are both apparent and evident. We do them in truth (1 John 3:18) when they are done cordially and heartily, with cheerfulness, and without grudging.
The Apostle John then adds, “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him” (1 John 3:19 ESV).
By what do we know that we are of the truth?
“By this,” writes John.
But what is this?
The effectual outworking of God’s love—our labor of love!
By loving one another in deed and in truth, we know—as the cause is known by the effect—that we are of God.
And that assures our hearts before Him because His love is working in our heart, and thus our life, as we in turn labor in love!
The last two words of verse 19 are so important in understanding just how our hearts can be assured, for the heart must be assured before Him and not merely assured in us.
“Whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything [v. 20]); that is, when there is failure on our part “we shall quiet [our heart] with the assurance that we are in the hands of a God who is greater than our heart—who surpasses us, in love and compassion no less than in knowledge.” [1]
This means the Lord already knew the failed choices we would make and loves us nonetheless.
This way we know that it is not our work of love that assures us, but it is the work of His love in us that brings assurance of heart before Him.
Oh, the labor of love and its assurance!
