Articles
Chores
In the home and at work there are tasks that are never ending. Day after day they must be
done in order to keep everything running smoothly. I know at my house things like laundry and
dishes pile up quickly when we don’t take care of them. We often call these things chores. The
word chore is defined as a routine task, usually unpleasant but necessary, especially a household
one. I am afraid that many of us often face our Christian duties the same way we face household
chores. I wash all the clothes in the house and feel good that they are clean but just as soon as I
get done there is a new pile to take its place. Sometimes it can wear on you and you feel like
giving up. It seems like a battle that cannot be won. God understands that the Christian life at
times can seem overwhelming. There are tasks that are set before us that often times we do not
see the results that we would like to see or expect.
In the book of Corinthians, Paul is encouraging a group of Christians to stay firm in their
faith. “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you
received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I
preached to you, unless you believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2). The everyday life of work and
living was wearing on these Christians. They had questions especially about the resurrection and
eternal life. It takes faith to work your entire life without being able to see the reward at the end.
Paul reminds them of the reward, eternal life, and upon what they had built their faith.
Paul also reminds them where their hope truly lies, in Christ Jesus. “But thanks be to
God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not
in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:57-58). “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the
proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). Paul’s statements are for us
as well. We continue to invite, to teach, and to live the Christian life even when we are tired
because our hope is in Jesus Christ and our home in heaven. ~B. Tolbert
