The work is hard, but you can't beat the pay

"From the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance."
Colossians 3:24


If there were a job description for your life, what would it be?  Not just what you do at your place of business, if you have one, but your whole life.  For instance, in my "job," I am responsible for loving, raising and teaching my kids; loving and supporting my husband; and maintaining our home.   In contrast, here's what the ad looked like when soldiers were needed for the American Revolution:

Wanted:

Brave, healthy, able-bodied 

and well-disposed young men

The pay was a "truly liberal and generous bounty of twelve dollars a year," along with "good and handsome clothing and all articles proper for his subsistence."  These men were also offered "a few happy years viewing the different parts of this beautiful continent, after which he may return home with his head covered with laurels."

In 1803, when Meriweather Lewis and William Clark were looking for men to accompany them on their expedition, here how their job description read:

Wanted:

Good hunters; stout; healthy

Unmarried men; accustomed to the woods

Capable of bearing bodily fatigue to a pretty considerable degree

The pay was $5 - $8 a month.

in 1860, the following ad for Pony Express riders appeared in a California newspaper:

Wanted:  

Young, skinny, wiry fellows

Not over 18

Must be expert riders

Willing to risk death daily

Orphans preferred.

The wages were $25 a week. 

And in 1914, Captain Ernest Shackleton placed the following advertisement in a London paper, for a crew to cross the Antarctic continent:

Wanted:

Men wanted for hazardous journey

Bitter cold, long months of complete darkness

Constant danger; safe return doubtful

The wages?  Small.  Honor and recognition in the case of success.


God's job description for His children is concise:  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  And love your neighbor as yourself."  Please notice I said "concise," not "simple."  You can work at for a lifetime and still fall short.   Fortunately, He cares more about our efforts than our results.  He's looking for workers who are sincere, not perfect.  


And the wages?  The promises are almost overwhelming, and certainly too numerous to mention.  Eternal life in heaven... abundant life here on earth... peace that passes understanding... rest... forgiveness... blessings beyond measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over into your lap.  


Take Him up on it.  Give Him your best, and He will give you His.  You'll get the better end of the deal, I promise. 

~ "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 

for great is your reward in heaven." ~

Matthew 5:12