Work for God’s Kingdom

Everyone knows that if you put in the hard work, rewards will follow. This nugget of truth and wisdom originates from Sacred Scripture.

“Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6: 7-9)

After reading God’s word, we should always take the time to reflect on how to apply its message to our daily life. Considering the verse from Galatians, we might first ask what kind of work we should be doing. If we come to realize that we are made with special talents and a purpose, and we discover who we are and the gifts God has specifically given us, we should not hesitate to nurture our talents and give back by using our gifts.

Here are other similar spiritual nuggets of wisdom God gives us through Sacred Scripture.

“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 10:8)

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:15-17)

For good examples to follow, just look to the saints. Read about them and pray to them often. They are always ready to guide us towards God.

There are various paths you may take in this life, which is for you to prayerfully discern. I can say if your vocation is married life and you are single, a good prayer to meditate on is the “Be Satisfied With Me” prayer attributed to Saint Anthony of Padua. This prayer has really helped me to realize another truth: We need to put God first before any human relationship. For a marriage to thrive in the way God intended when He thought of bringing the two together as one, God must be first and the center of the relationship.

The following prayer is attributed to Saint Anthony of Padua.

Be Satisfied With Me Prayer
Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says,
“No, not until you are satisfied, fulfilled and content
With being loved by Me alone,
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me,
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship
With Me alone.
Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the perfect human relationship
That I have planned for you.
You will never be united with another until you are united
With Me alone,
Exclusive of anyone or anything else,
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning,
Stop wishing,
And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing,
One that you cannot imagine.
Please allow Me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things.
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I Am.
Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.
You just wait.
That’s all.
Don’t be anxious.
Don’t worry.
Don’t look at the things you think you want;
You just keep looking off and away up to Me,
Or you’ll miss what I want to show you.
And then when you are ready,
I’ll surprise you with a love far more wonderful than any
You could dream of.
You see, until you are ready and until
The one I have for you is ready
(I am working even at this moment to have you both ready at the same time),
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me
And the life I prepared for you,
You won’t be able to experience the love that
Exemplified your relationship with Me.
And this is the perfect love.
And dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love,
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your
Relationship with Me,
And to enjoy materially and concretely
The everlasting union of beauty, perfection and love
That I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love utterly.
I Am God.
Believe it and be satisfied. Amen.

I hope that along with whatever vocation or goals you find yourself working towards, you will first place your eyes and heart on God and let Him guide you in the direction that will lead you to His heavenly reward. Only by living in His kingdom with Him and all the angels and saints will you find eternal joy and fulfillment.