Not in Vain

“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

Ever felt like you wanted to give up? Like you didn’t want to continue on? Maybe you are so frustrated with life that you don’t want to try anymore? Perhaps you have labored for the Lord only to see problem after problem and failure after failure. Take heart! Your work is not in vain!

The apostle Paul knew that ministry was hard. He describes it,

“For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”—1 Corinthians 4:9-13

How many of us would continue on after experiencing the things Paul had and still possess the perspective that his work was not in vain? Knowing all of the problems and pain he met in his pursuit of Christ should cause us all to pause and marvel. Problems, pain, and persecution would cause even the strongest disciple to give in and give up. But, not Paul. He pressed on, standing strong in the face of hostility and adversity.

The problems he faced in the world were legion, but it was the difficulties inside the church that could be most unsettling. Traveling from church to church he encountered various problems that would cause most of us to throw up our hands and throw in the towel. Consider the church at Corinth. In Paul’s letter he addressed major problems: quarreling (1:10-17), jealousy and strife (3:3), a situation of sexual immorality of which they boasted (5:1, 6), lawsuits against one another (6:1-8), divisions (11:18), humiliating those less fortunate (11:22), and a host of other issues. Talk about dysfunction! And yet, he could say to them, “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.”

Paul knew that the task before him was extremely difficult, but he also knew that God saw his labor and that he would reap a harvest if he didn’t give up (Galatians 6:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13). This encouraged him to press on in the face of such opposition. He knew that there was good seed growing (Matthew 13:23), and he was simply a servant performing the task God had entrusted to him—his work was not in vain. And neither is yours.

How about you? Are you pressing on in the face of opposition? Or are you ready to give in and give up? Don’t! You will reap a harvest! Your work is not in vain! God has guaranteed to reward us! It is promised! Amen.