I Corinthians 15 is called the Resurrection Chapter in the Bible. It gives us more information on the resurrection than the rest of the Bible as a whole. The resurrection of Christ is important for our salvation, but verse 58 challenges us in light of our resurrection at the second coming of our Lord. If the Lord only wanted us to be with Him in heaven, He would have taken us there the moment we trusted Christ as our Savior. He leaves us here with the purpose of getting to know Him by working in His service. The verse begins with the word therefore — in other words, because of our resurrection we are to work for the Lord by developing our gifts and obeying His calling to our place of service.

The word steadfast comes from the root word for “seat.” It means we are to settle down in our place of service not jumping up and being distracted from it. The word is used here to be firm and secure in our mind and purpose for our existence for the Lord. We are to settle in our hearts why we are here on planet earth during this phase of our existence. We are to remain personally faithful to our responsibilities. Some call these “Bubble Gum Christians,” those who stick to their jobs. There will be times when we may become bored, feel unappreciated, or even alone but keep on working. The pressure to quit comes from within.

The word unmoveable means to be faithful against opposition from without. Colossians 2:7 teaches how to establish our faith. It is be being rooted and built up in Him. Being unmoveable is to send our roots down deep in Him to withstand the winds of affliction. We are also to build upon Christ, our foundation to withstand the sinking sands of life.

A third word used is abounding, meaning to be abundant or to take in excess. Our time in this world is short therefore we need to take advantage of every chance to serve Him. Through our faithfulness to our spiritual gifts, He will increase our opportunities of services. We are not in competition with others to be more than them. We are, however, in competition with ourselves to be all we can be and do for the Lord. It is the difference between our good, better or best.

Finally our labor is not in vain. It is not so much what we do, but what it costs us to do it. Our sacrifice and devotion is what is recognized. What the Lord is looking for is not medals of recognition but scars for serving Him. Our labor is not in vain, that is to be empty or meaningless. He does not offer us little trinkets for our sacrifices, but more than we can dream or imagine.

If you are working for Him, keep on working and do not quit. If you are not serving Him, get busy because the time is short. Be faithful with the little things you have, and He will multiply your opportunities for greater service.

Rev. Steve Conwell is the pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church. He is heard mornings on WFLO and WVHL in “A Thought For Today.” His email address is SteveConwell@outlook.com.