Victory In Battle

Genesis 3:19a “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.”

I Timothy 6:12a “Fight the good fight of faith.”

 
Today I’m using two Scripture verses to encompass one thought, which is summed up in the following saying:
“Without labor no man can come to rest;
Without battle no man can come to victory,
And the greater the battle, the greater the victory.”
  (copied)
 
God always intended for man to work.  Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”   Tend means to look after, watch over and care for.  But after Adam sinned, God drove him out of the Garden and said he would now toil with sweat in order to eat.  Toil means hard continuous work, exhausting labor, exertion and travail.  Since then our work has not been as pleasant as before.  Yes, labor is necessary and good and as the poem states it brings rest.  You have worked hard all day and accomplished much.  Your body is weary and cries out for a place to lie down.  Oh, what a blessing to stretch out on a soft comfortable bed and close your eyes and sleep.  God’s word confirms this in Ecclesiastes 5:12a where it says, “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much.”
Now let’s look at the second half of the poem and compare it to our second Scripture verse.  Timothy tells each Christian, each born-again, blood-washed saint to “fight the good fight of faith.”  Once we’re saved, life’s battles are just beginning.  It is then that th orld, the flesh and the devil are our staunch enemies.  The main difference between the battles of life before we are saved and the battles of life after we are saved is that we now have the “armour of God”  to put on. (Ephesians 6:11) We are not floundering around helpless on our own, facing one failure after another; now we have the “girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.” Ephesians 6:14-17.
Oh, yes, the battles are great and the battles are fierce, but with each one comes stronger faith, more knowledge of the Scriptures, more boldness, more trust and more breaking of our sinful nature.  If the battles were not great, we would have little regard for them and learn little.  But since our battles against sin, the flesh, and the devil are great, what a glorious victory we have through the Captain of our salvation.
 
Theme: The Better Way: With Jesus Christ Our Labor Brings Rest And Our Battles Bring Victory
 
Read also: Living Victoriously  
Read also: Through the Flood

About Gail Slawson

I am a 74 year old wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. After 54 years of marriage, my husband and I have been richly blessed with 4 wonderful children and their wonderful mates and 19 precious grandchildren, five of whom are already with the Lord and 5 great-grandchildren. My husband and I are busy retirees and reside in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where we serve the Lord Jesus Christ through Bible Studies, as mentors in our church and telling others about Him "as we go." Mark 16:15
This entry was posted in Encouragement, Guidance for Women. Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Victory In Battle

  1. Michelle M. says:

    “Another great devotion Gail! Thank You”

    Like

  2. Who knew that when I clicked on “make a comment” there would be all this treasure on one page?! Your posts are always so encouraging and later today, I hope to return to this page and enjoy the treasure. Thank you Gail. This world is not our HOME and some days are much harder because of that fact. Janet

    Like

  3. QuinkSnub says:

    Really nice read thanks, I have added this to my bookmarks Diary

    Like

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