“Labour not to labour” by Charles Spurgeon

“Though I am a fool, God is my wisdom; though I am nothing at all, God is my All-in-all. This is the way to enter into rest through believing. (Hebrews 4:3)

Let me remind you, beloved, that this rest is perfectly consistent with labour. In Hebrews 4:11, the apostle says, ‘Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest.’

It is an extraordinary injunction, but I think he means, let us labour not to labour.

Our tendency is to try to do something in order to save ourselves; but we must beat that tendency down, and look away from, self to Christ.

Labour to get away from your own labours.

Labour to be clean rid of all self-reliance.

Labour in your prayers never to depend upon your prayers.

Labour in your repentance never to rest upon your repentance.

Labour in your faith not to trust to your faith, but to trust alone to Jesus.

When you begin to rest upon your repentance, and forget the Saviour, away with your repentance.

And when you begin to pray, and you depend upon your prayers, and forget the Lord Jesus, away with your prayers.

When you think you are beginning to grow in grace, and you feel, ‘Now I am somebody,’ away with such spurious growth as that, for you are only being puffed up with pride, and not really growing at all.

Labour not to labour.

Labour to keep down your natural self-righteousness and self-reliance.

Labour to continue where the publican was, and cry, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’

Labour to get where Mary was, sitting at the Master’s feet, and learning of him.

Labour not to grow upward in self-esteem, but to grow downward in humiliation, growing continually less, and less, and less in your own estimation, and ever crowning Christ Lord of all.”

–Charles H. Spurgeon, “The Believer’s Present Rest,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 55 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1909), 55: 536.