Stedfast and unmoveable
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”1 Corinthians 15:58
Reflection
This verse closes the longest and most glorious chapter in the New Testament about the resurrection. After pages and pages explaining that Christ has risen, that those who sleep in Christ will also rise and that death has been swallowed up in victory, Paul reaches the word that ties everything together: "Therefore". All that enormous theology flows into a very practical exhortation. The resurrection is not only a doctrine to admire; it is a reason to live in a determined way today.
See the combination Paul asks for: "stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding". On one side, stability: staying in the right place, without being carried away by the wind of every opinion or every discouragement. On the other, abundance: doing the work of the Lord generously, without saving on love, time and effort. A healthy Christian life has both together: deep roots and full branches. Steadfastness without abundance turns into rigidity, and abundance without steadfastness turns into agitation.
And what is the reason for such constancy? "forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord". Much of what we do seems useless: the service nobody thanks, the prayer that seems unanswered, the care for someone who does not acknowledge it, the effort to do right in an environment that does not value it. It is easy to grow tired when you see no result. But the resurrection guarantees that nothing done in the Lord is lost. What looks like a buried seed is actually a promise of harvest. God sees, keeps, and one day will show the reach of every faithful act.
Think today of an "invisible" task in your life: caring for a relative, teaching a child, praying for someone, working honestly, serving in a ministry without applause. Renew your commitment to it. Stand firm, do not be shaken, and abound in what God has placed in your hands. Your labour in the Lord is not in vain. One day you will see what today only faith can see.
Prayer
Lord, thank You that, because of Christ's resurrection, nothing I do in Your name is in vain. Give me steadfastness when discouragement strikes, and generosity to keep serving when no one sees. May I abound in Your work, knowing that Your eye sees everything. Amen.
Put it into practice
Think of an "invisible" labour you have felt like abandoning for lack of results. Pray about it today, renew your commitment and do it with a little more love than usual. Remember: in the Lord, it is not in vain.
To reflect on
Which faithful task in your life have you felt like giving up because you see no result, and what does Christ's resurrection say about it?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).