Genesis 2:15 The Garden: “to dress it and keep it”
Dress – to work, to serve, to take care of Keep – hedge about, guard, protect
Genesis 3:17 The Curse: “in sorrow shalt thou eat of it”
Sorrow – labor, pain, toil
John 21:16 The Calling: He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “tend my sheep.”
Tend – to tend as a shepherd (take care of)
Luke 10:38
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Are you ‘tending’ your relationship with God or are you ‘toiling’ for Him?
Online definitions:
Tend: to pay attention; apply oneself; to act as an attendant (to serve); to apply oneself to the care of: watch over.
Toil: long strenuous fatiguing labor; to work hard and long
Some examples:
–> Toiling over work that to tend to Jesus seems unattainable.
–> Toiling to figure out the solution to a work problem, forgetting to tend to prayer and seeking wisdom/direction.
–> Toiling with anxious thoughts rather than tending to the Word.
–>Toiling over a child’s behavior rather than tending to positive connections.
–>Toiling to provide for the family while they slip away from lack of tending.
–>Toiling at your career forsaking the tending of the marriage.
The list goes one.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 “Each one must give as she has decided in her heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
All our giving (doing) should be from a cheerful heart. All our giving (doing) should not be reluctantly or because we feel constrained to.
I believe Jesus is telling us to “tend, don’t toil.”