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.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV). Whenever you see “therefore” you must stop and ask what it is there for. It tells us to look back and in our case see why we are to be steadfast. When we do we find that as believers we are raised in imperishable form, in honor, in power and with a spiritual body. We are reminded that we were once dead, but now our mortal body has put on immortality. However, we must be careful as sin is still present and can damage our relationship with God. Victory over sin is available through our Lord Jesus Christ, but requires steadfastness on our part.

Having a glorious position in Jesus Christ, and knowing that we have eternal life, we are to be obedient to the instructions of our verse and live this life in a manner worthy of our calling. As believers we are beloved brothers of Paul, who is writing this letter. He begins his instruction with “be steadfast”; we are to be devoted or loyal to God who has chosen us in Jesus Christ and blessed us with the kindness of his grace. We are to keep the focus of our faith on Jesus Christ with our time committed to doing kingdom work. In addition to being focused and intentional in the use of our time, we are to be “immovable”; we are to be incapable of being influenced by anything that would distract us from doing the work assigned to us by God. The qualities of being steadfast and immovable are to be diligently applied in doing the “work of the Lord” to produce much fruit to the glory of our Father. Apart from the Lord our labor is in vain and will accomplish nothing that is lasting or eternal, but in the Lord our labor is not in vain. We know that from the Scriptures, from history, and from experience.

Prayer

Father, I pray that we as your children we will be devoted to you in worship and in service, doing the work of the Lord. Protect us from being distracted and encourage us to press on with the Lord in doing kingdom work. Thank you for choosing us and assigning to us work that will bear fruit. Help us understand that we are here on assignment, not on a vacation.