1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
In the verses preceding this verse above, Paul in considerable detail is describing what it will be like when at that great and awesome moment, believers will be changed from mortal to immortal at the coming of Jesus. At that instant we will ‘bear the image of the heavenly’! 1 Corinthians 15:49-54. Because of these fantastic events that are yet to come, Paul concludes this section of scripture by encouraging believers to continue to live in such a way that they will be ready when that day suddenly comes. Believers experience trials and difficulties in this life and there may be times when they are tempted to give up on being faithful in the work of the Lord, but God reminds us that our labor in the Lord is not in vain-even though we may at times be tempted to think that it is. We must avoid the trap of becoming disappointed and losing our passion for the Lord because things did not happen as we thought they would or because things are more difficult than we expected. Contrary to what we like to hear, sometimes there is ‘toil’ in the work of the Lord-it’s not always easy or immediately fulfilling. Yet, when we are about the Lord’s work, there are rewards in the here and now and rewards reserved for us when we meet the Lord. Human resolve fails at some point, but the presence of the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to remain steadfast and immovable when it comes to continuing in the work of the Lord. Not only can the believer continue in the work of the Lord, he or she can abound in that work because they understand that their toil in not in vain. The believer who, from his heart, is about the Lord’s work does not require the approval or praise of man because he is doing what he does as unto the Lord and not unto man. There is something much more difficult, more dangerous and carries a high price tag for the believer than ‘toiling’ in the work of the Lord, and that is not to be about the Lord’s work. It is a simple matter of the heart: if the heart is turned to the Lord and from the heart one wants to know God, he or she will find themselves about the Lord’s work. There is no greater joy than the joy that comes from doing what the Lord calls us to be about.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 “Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
Blessings,
Buddy