Steadfast In Service - May 25

Read 1 Corinthians 15:58

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.”

Reflect

Prayerfully consider how you are “abounding in the work of the Lord.”

When I think about people who have led faithful Christian lives, I tend to think first of people who served the Lord well in their lifetimes. People like evangelists, missionaries, pastors, teachers, etc. People whose steadfast service was well-known and celebrated for having a huge impact on others.

But sometimes, the work we do just seems to go unnoticed, doesn’t it? The congregation thanks the talented musicians for their service in leading worship but fails to appreciate the skilled sound technicians who made it possible for them to clearly hear the worship team. We recognize the pastor’s sound biblical teaching from the pulpit each Sunday but often fail to acknowledge the faithfulness of the Sunday school teacher who shows up every Sunday to make sure little hearts know about Jesus. We praise the cooks for the delicious food served up at fellowship meals but fail to thank the custodians for giving us a clean place to worship and fellowship together. We celebrate the missionary who went across the world to evangelize the lost, but no one even notices the missionary who simply crossed the street to do the same.

Sometimes, you may wonder, does my steadfast service even matter? Well, in today’s verse, Paul encourages us to remember that our work for the Lord is never in vain. Therefore, we should be faithful and determined to do what God has called us to do.

Prior to this verse, Paul wrote: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

Then, in today’s verse, he says “therefore...be steadfast.” His point is that because we know that Christ has already secured the victory, we can be confident that our work done for His purposes and His glory will yield eternal results. We may not see the fruits of our labor right away. We may not see the fruits of our labor ever here on earth. But if we are being obedient to Christ and seeking to do the will of the Father, we can rest assured that He is using our good work for His eternal purposes. And even if no one else even notices, He always does.

The online commentary Gotquestions.org explained: “Believers can always be abounding in the work of the Lord no matter what we do to further the kingdom of God. Whether we are onstage preaching the message or behind the scenes cleaning toilets or cooking for the crowds, we ought to devote ourselves to it wholeheartedly: ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving’” (Colossians 3:23-24).

As we seek to live our lives faithful to Christ, we should be steadfast and abounding in humble service to the Lord, always seeking to advance His kingdom and make Him known. It’s not about us, it’s about Him. Still, we can rest assured that He notices us, He sees…and the work that we do for Him will always be worth it.

Respond

Lord, thank You for equipping me with certain talents and abilities that I can put to good use to serve and honor You. Help me to steadfastly serve in Your name. When I get discouraged or frustrated in my work, remind me that my labor for You is never in vain. It is always worth it. Amen.

Reveal

When we serve the Lord, it often opens up opportunities to share the Gospel. Go out and humbly serve someone in God’s name today!