Working very hard (Dan Wells)

Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. (Romans 16:6)

If there’s one thing that marks out a number of people Paul mentions in Romans chapter 16, it is working very hard. Mary is mentioned specifically as someone who worked hard, Tryphena and Tryphosa in verse 12 are two women who work hard, as is Persis. All women commended by the apostle Paul, and all people who worked very hard.

Working hard is something good and commendable. But it is also something that we can easily put too much emphasis on. We think that our worth and value, in God’s eyes and in the eyes of others, is based on how much we do and how hard we work.

It’s important to note, therefore, how these women worked hard. Mary worked very hard for you. It wasn’t for her that she worked, but for others. It was based on relationships and fellowship with other Christians. It wasn’t to prove herself spiritually but to build others up.

The other women Paul mentions also work hard, but they work hard in the Lord. We can read that and think it means they worked hard for the Lord, and I’m sure it does include that. But it means also that they worked in and through the strength that God gave them. They didn’t overwork or burn themselves out, but found their capacity in God.

What strength has God given us to work hard for others today? Our capacity won’t be the same as others, and we should never compare. But what is God calling us to do, and how can we work hard at it, and then rest afterwards knowing that God is the one truly at work?

Lord Jesus, thank you for the example of Mary. Thank you that she, and others, worked very hard for others in the strength you gave them. Give me strength today to work hard at the things you have given me to do, for your name’s sake. Amen.