“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
After dedicating an entire chapter to the subject of the resurrection, Paul concludes with this word: “Therefore.”
Based on the abundant proofs for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and based on the truth that Christ is the firstfruits of what all believers will experience through him, and based on the fact that we shall all be changed from perishable to imperishable – therefore, beloved, be steadfast!
Apparently, this lengthy discussion of the resurrection has very practical implications for our day-to-day service as Christians.
Do not settle into this world, do not settle for material and temporary pursuits, but do be settled in your Christian labors!
Be immovable in your convictions, immovable in your determination, immovable in your confidence in what Christ has done and so what must therefore also certainly come to pass as a result. Be always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. In fact the opposite!
Perishable pursuits will never fit into heaven; but your labor in the work of the Lord will never lose its reward.
What does this look like? What does steadfast, immovable conviction in the power of Jesus Christ over the grave look like when it is translated into abounding Christian labor? Let me give you just one example, from a recent Voice of the Martyrs magazine:
“Imagine going to your church to volunteer [to hand out Bibles] only to learn that you will probably be caught, imprisoned, and tortured within 18 months. Then imagine that they send you anyway, and that others in your church [join in and] support these efforts. That is exactly what is happening in Iran today. When Iranian workers volunteer to help with the printing and distribution of Bibles, they know that the life of their ministry will be about 18 months. And yet the believers in Iran are willing to sacrifice to get God’s Word into people’s hands.”
The VOM President makes this very fitting observation: “Such stories of faith and commitment prompt two inescapable thoughts: first, we are filled with joy that we have brothers and sisters like this; and second, we are challenged to love Christ and God’s Holy Word as passionately as they do.”
So whether you are changing diapers and laboring to the point of exhaustion to raise your children in the nurture and instruction of the Lord…
Or whether you are working two jobs to fulfill your biblical obligation to provide for your family and support the work of the church…
Or whether you are a young person struggling to make Christ-centered decisions in the face of an uncertain future…
Or whether you are a sin-battered believer, seeking yet again to gain the victory over some besetting sin in your life…
Or whether you are feeling the call of God to sign up to risk your life in order to take the gospel to new places where Christ is not yet known…
Or whether, after a lifetime of service to Jesus Christ you are feeling the effects of old age and being tempted to despair as death approaches…
Beloved, be steadfast. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave guarantees that every one who believes in Him will one day also be raised from the dead — which guarantees that your labor for the Lord now is not in vain. Live this day, then, in the eternal reality and significance of the Easter morning.