Rooted In His WordSample

In Chapter 15 of I Corinthians the Apostle Paul defends belief in the resurrection of the body and the reality of the life to come (I Corinthians 15:12-57). Verse 58, the final verse of Chapter 15 and our verse for today, follows logically from the defense that precedes it. Given the reality of the resurrection and the life to come, we should live our lives in a certain way. We should live our lives in such a way that we will inherit everything that the life to come has for us. We should not say with the foolish “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!” because there actually is a life beyond the present one (I Corinthians 15:32). How should we live our lives, given what is to come? First, we should be “strong and immoveable.” That is, we should never give up our faith in Jesus Christ and our walk with Him. There will be trials, troubles, and tribulations that will test our faith and tempt us to give up. There will also be the enticements of sin that will endeavor to lead us astray. Nevertheless, we should, as Paul says elsewhere, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). Second, we should always “work enthusiastically for the Lord.” Since we have become citizens of the Kingdom over which Jesus Christ reigns, we should take up our tasks as citizens and advance and enhance the Kingdom. In every area of life in the Kingdom we should do the will of God and fulfill the callings we have. And we should do all this enthusiastically, not half-heartedly. The reason why we should do all this enthusiastically is that “nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” That is, nothing we do for the LORD is ever meaningless work without purpose or reward. The work we do for the LORD advances and enhances the Kingdom. It simply makes life better. As a bonus, it also stores up treasures in heaven for us that we will receive when the next life commences (Matthew 6:20). There will be a resurrection of the body and there will be a life to come. If you keep this in mind, it will help you to be strong, immoveable, and enthusiastic.