Devotional:
When I worked in a carenderia (roadside kitchenette) as one of the cooks, every day was long, hot, tiring, and required sustained effort. I had to stand almost all day to do the job. My boss had a very high standard, and he would rant every day.
We work at our earthly jobs in order to have earthly comfort, home, food, transportation, etc. We need these for our physical, worldly existence. But we need to ask ourselves the question, “How much of my time and energy am I devoting to my spiritual well-being? Am I so tired and frustrated at the end of the day, that I have no time or energy left for God and His glory?”
We rush to our jobs each day, where we spend long hours and tremendous amounts of energy. And we ask ourselves: what is our reward? A paycheck? Promotion? Deep satisfaction? Is the reward worth the amount of time and energy I’ve spent?
In 1 Corinthians 15:58 are words of encouragement for all of us involved in God’s work. To be steadfast and immovable means to stand strong in our faith and commitment to our work for the Lord.
What is the Lord’s work? It’s every time we pray for another person, give our time to share God’s love with the children around us, share our energy and resources with others, and give God glory for His grace and His mercy.
Verse 58 says, “Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Vain means empty acts that result in nothing, fruitless, pointless, and having no purpose. However, our labor for the Lord, no matter how difficult and wearisome, will never be without meaning or value. God is not unjust; He will not forget our work and the love we have shown to Him.
The Lord’s work is never in vain because Jesus rose from the grave. Everything we do in His name gives glory and honor to Him who died and rose again, giving us the promise of eternal life. That is the reward for our labor in God’s vineyard! Whatever we do for the kingdom of God, our labor is not in vain. God has promised to reward us for our efforts. That reward may come in this life; but if not, our reward will definitely be waiting for us in eternity.