Hebrews 6:10, commentary and pictures

God sees, remembers and approves faithful work and labor of love shown toward His name in ministering to the saints, and He is righteous to reward it rather than forget it. Ministering to His people is work done in honor of His name, and no good deed done in service to Him loses its reward. That labor of love is active service to fellow people as the visible expression of love for God, for love cannot live without action and genuine faith uniting to Christ stirs the soul to such service. No act of devotion or sacrifice for His cause is forgotten, not even small and simple acts of unselfish goodness, but the self-sacrificing and benevolent will live in His memory and be rewarded. Those who have ministered to the saints are therefore to continue to minister with cheerful diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, for past good deeds recorded in heaven do not preserve if neglect and indifference persist.

God's Righteous Remembrance

God sees, remembers, and approves faithful work and labor of love shown toward His name in ministering to the saints, and He is righteous to reward it rather than forget it. Ministering to His people is work done in honor of His name, and no good deed done in service to Him loses its reward, for caring for and helping fellow believers is a labor of love that He remembers. He takes account of faithful service just as He knew the works, labor, and patience of the church of Ephesus, and He is equally exact to mark neglect of duty and unwilling service. No act of devotion or sacrifice for His cause is forgotten, and the self-sacrificing and benevolent will live in His memory and be rewarded, for no sacrifice is too costly to be offered on the altar of faith. Caring for the poor and supporting the weak are acts of love for God, and such generous giving enriches the giver, while giving in obedience is encouraged with the promise of richest blessings in returns proportionate to what is given.

Every sacrifice, every self-denial, and every pang of anguish endured for His sake is faithfully chronicled in heaven, including wearing labor in the cause of truth that crushes the spirits, ruins health, and leaves a family destitute. God keeps care of these things and will bring their reward, and the day of the Lord will declare and bring to light what is not yet made manifest. Sacrifices made in loving service, including separation from one's children while traveling to help others, are recorded by God and will bring their reward. Even small, simple acts of unselfish goodness are preserved and will be made known at the final judgment and reward, and their lasting worth rests on Christ's imputed righteousness.

God does not forget faithful service given for His cause even when those who serve sometimes make mistakes or are treated unjustly, but He sees and rewards devotion and sacrifice, restoring health, strength, and freedom of spirit. He is not unmindful of those who labor in love to give the word of life to perishing souls. The work of building up Christ's kingdom is of God and will go forward even when to all appearance it moves slowly and impossibilities seem to testify against advance, for He will furnish means and send helpers, true earnest disciples whose hands He fills with food for the starving multitude, and those perishing souls in their turn reach forth their hands for food for other hungry souls. Christ keeps an account of every expense incurred in entertaining for His sake and supplies all that is necessary for this work.

Labour of Love Defined

Service to fellow people is the visible expression of love for God and of faith working through good deeds, and caring for and helping fellow believers is the labor of love He remembers and will not forget when it is done in carrying out His will for others. Love is active and works for the good of others, and it cannot live without action. Labor of love grows from faith that unites a person to Christ and stirs the soul to active service, for good works do not by themselves secure salvation, but genuine faith produces them.

Love does not work for profit or reward, yet God has ordained great gain as the certain result of every labor of love. Every act of love increases, strengthens, and extends love itself. Caring for the poor and supporting the weak are acts of love for God, and such generous giving done for Christ's cause enriches the giver and brings blessings to the giver.

When the full debt of obligation to the Saviour is realized, believers are united to Him by closer bonds and their love is expressed in all their acts. A cherished act of faith and love is not forgotten but leads to spiritual growth and deeper knowledge of divine things. Such cherished grace brings commendation and blessing rather than the barrenness represented by the cursed fig tree.

Blessings God Promises

No act of devotion or sacrifice for His cause is forgotten, for every good work done in love and service is remembered and the self-sacrificing and benevolent will live in His memory and be rewarded, and no sacrifice is too costly to be offered on the altar of faith. When the full debt of obligation to the Saviour is realized, believers are united to Him by closer bonds and their love is expressed in all their acts.

Though duty should be done for its own sake, in compassion upon fallen people He joins His commands with promises and does not forget the work and labor of love shown in giving tithes, offerings, and gifts to Him in obedience. He encourages such giving with the promise that He will reward obedience with the richest blessings in returns proportionate to what is given.

Kind and generous acts of care for a suffering disciple, shown with interest, sympathy, and faith, are service to God remembered in heaven. Those who so care do not labor in vain, for each opportunity they use will benefit them in the end, and they will receive a reward. A reward will be given to every humble believer who labors in faith and love, and every good work and every kind act prompted by pure, unselfish motives is faithfully and tenderly cherished by the kind heavenly Father, and not one deed of goodness and self-denial is forgotten.

Self-denying companions who sacrifice for the truth and for Christ, such as wives who yield up their husbands to labor in the vineyard for the salvation of souls, will not lose their reward but will be tenderly cared for. All is written in the book and will receive its just recompense, and when the chief Shepherd rewards the under-shepherds for unselfish labor they will be rewarded with the crown of glory and the commendation to enter into the joy of the Lord. One who has given herself to God is His property, and He will work for her and none can hinder. Past faithfulness and true service, even under a hard lot, give ground to trust Him without anxiety or fear to sustain in sickness, relieve affliction, and raise up to still act a part in His work.

Services He Remembers

God sees, remembers, and loves the constant, self-denying labor of gospel ministers who advance His cause by lifting minds from earthly things to heavenly things. Their work is not measured by hours but by service day and night, and justice requires respecting their rights by not limiting their wages and by giving them means to lead out in building churches and advancing the work in every line. To audit their accounts selfishly and withhold due support discourages and depresses them and violates His justice. He also remembers and approves loving work done for His name in serving His people after the San Francisco disaster.

That work included making room at personal inconvenience for the homeless, refusing to turn the needy away, relieving those in distress, holding Bible readings night after night and being ready whenever called, and taking the sick and homeless into the home when they did not know what to do or where to go. He does not forget such service, and justice requires that those who do it not be left under suspicion and reproach but be stood by, recognized, and honored. Members of churches should receive traveling evangelists or missionaries in any line who labor among them and make a home for them even at considerable personal sacrifice. Those who for Christ's sake entertain their brethren, doing their best to make the visit profitable both to their guests and to themselves, are recorded in heaven as worthy of special blessings, for Christ keeps an account of every expense incurred in entertaining for His sake and supplies all that is necessary for this work.

He does not forget the work and labour of love shown in pioneer effort among foreign nationalities in the United States and Canada and in sacrifice to establish schools for training children in their own mother tongue. That labor will not be in vain. Those who sacrificed are to continue steadfast in the faith, and the workers trained in those schools are to find their places quickly in the Master's vineyard and labor perseveringly in behalf of those who know not the truth for this time, with the assurance that He will go before them and give them many souls for their hire. He notices and remembers the self-sacrificing work of those who help His cause in building the sanitarium, taking special note of every act of service and of the means and effort given, which may find satisfaction in seeing the work carried forward to His glory.

He recognizes and rewards liberality when means are invested in a righteous cause such as buying a school farm as a training school for Christian workers. Limiting personal spending and sharing resources with mission workers who feed the hungry and clothe the naked is a labor of love in service to others that He remembers for His name. Depriving oneself of meeting privileges to help people seeking present truth, and working to provide for His servants, are sacrificial labors recognized by Him, even when others mistake them for worldliness.

Call to Persevere

God sees, remembers and approves faithful work and labor of love shown toward His name in ministering to the saints, and He is righteous to reward it rather than forget it. He takes account of faithful service just as He knew the works, labor and patience of the church of Ephesus, and He is equally exact to mark neglect of duty and unwilling service. Those who have ministered to the saints are therefore to continue to minister, laboring unselfishly and cheerfully, each doing his part with diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end, not slothful but following those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Those who cheerfully do their part are sustained, while those who complain and murmur receive neither help nor reward, and caring for the poor and supporting the weak as acts of love for God enriches the giver.

Those who have shared good seasons together in sweet union and have ministered to others should keep that union until Jesus comes. They should be encouraged and let nothing cast them down, remembering that Jesus keeps watchful care over them. God remembers the church's past good deeds and self-denying acts recorded in heaven, yet that remembrance does not excuse it from continuing its mission. Past service cannot preserve it if neglect and indifference persist, for these bring weakness and loss of spiritual zeal.

Human worth comes from long connection with God, and all who maintain it are of value in His sight and their loving work is remembered by Him. That abiding causes a divine principle constantly to grow in a person, showing heavenly character and giving value to association with others. Workers are therefore to stay at their post rather than hastily leave their field, to make a second effort as carefully and perfectly as if the first had not been made, and to put every talent to energetic use in doing their best in the work and service of God.

God gives words of encouragement to assure faithful workers in emergency and great difficulty that He is not unmindful of their works and labor of love. That assurance means divine commendation for faithful work, not permission to become self-sufficient or to repeat His approval to vindicate one's own course. Misunderstanding His approval and using His encouragement to justify oneself places one in great danger, so one should instead walk softly before the Lord and tremble at His word. His promise to remember labors of love likewise does not excuse mingling the offering with forbidden strange fire. That strange fire is working in one's own unsanctified way instead of God's way, failing to deny self and restrain uprising passion, and acting in unholy zeal with unadvised speech and actions, which breaks both tables of the law, dishonors God, brings truth into disrepute, causes His work to be misjudged and reproached, and works against His honor and the salvation of souls.

The verse calls believers to cherish Christ's love and show it in loving service to fellow believers. Envy, suspicion and accusations in the church stand against that love.