Not in Vain

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (I Corinthians 15:57-58 NIV)

There is probably nothing more frustrating to a student than to take a class on a subject he will never put to use in his life. Putting the time in to go to class, to research papers, and to study for tests is a real struggle because it seems so useless.

It is hard to get motivated about something when it seems irrelevant to our lives. For those who believe life ends here, they have little interest in a God who promises eternal life. They think the idea of an eternal God was made up by those who can't face reality--death is the end of things and there is no alternative.

There were many in Paul's day who were of the same mind. They considered the claim of eternal life a fairy tale. For them, the resurrection of the dead was nonsense. It was better to "live for today, for tomorrow we die." Of course the end result of this fatalistic thinking was that people lived for themselves--a direct contradiction to the Christian life.

To live the Christian life, we have to have hope. For hope is what makes being obedient to Christ relevant. For as Paul says, if there is no resurrection, then we are to be pitied more than all men (I Corinthians 15:19). For why make the sacrifices of time and money? Why give up many of the pleasures of this world? Why put ourselves in positions to be ridiculed by others? If there is no hope for eternal life, then there is no reason to live as a follower of Jesus.

In the midst of all of the world's troubles and life's woes, it is easy to lose perspective and to be overwhelmed by a sense that our faith is irrelevant. It seems more myth than reality. Yet it is to this thinking that Paul speaks. We will each face death. That is a fact about which there can be no denial. But Jesus has overcome death. And for His followers, victory over death will be theirs as well. That is the motivation for not letting the world move us away from Christ and gives us the confidence that our obedience is not in vain. For He is the way, the only way, to live forever.

Today know that following Jesus is not lived in vain. For at the end of your days awaits a life that will go on forever.

© Jim Musser 2013