Rest From Your Labors

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" Revelation 14:13

D.L. MOODY
Think of Paul up yonder. People are going up every day and hour, men and women who have been brought to Christ through Paul’s writings. He set streams in motion that have flowed on for more than a thousand years. I can imagine men going up to him and saying, “Paul, I thank you for writing that letter to the Ephesians; I found Christ in that.” “Paul, I thank you for writing that epistle to the Corinthians.” “Paul, I found Christ in that epistle to the Philippians.” “I thank you, Paul, for that epistle to the Galatians; I found Christ in that.” 
When Paul was put in prison, he did not fold his hands and sit down in idleness! No, he began to write. His epistles have come down through the ages and brought thousands on thousands to knowledge of Christ crucified.

ERWIN LUTZER
Like a pebble thrown into the water, the ripple goes all the way to shore, just so, the deeds we do have eternal repercussions. We might not all be writers as was the apostle Paul but, nevertheless, our impact never ends. Everything we do for God is eternally preserved. 
God never allows us to see all the good we do. We just have the bits and pieces of our own experience, but we are influencing those around us in ways that are unknown to us. No good deed is lost, and what we consider to be a meager though positive influence, might be much greater than we can ever imagine.

PRAYER
Father, I thank you for any good deeds I have done that have impacted others. And thank you for those whose works have followed them to glory.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Read Matthew 25:35-40. How does this passage highlight the eternal repercussions of our actions?

How are you praying for God to use your good works for His glory and for His kingdom?