UV 1105/10,000 The Labour of Ultimate Gain
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
I Corinthians 15 v 58
To be faithful, one needs to be firm or steadfast in the beliefs and principles he cherishes. Faith can move mountains but faith itself ought to be immoveable. A ship however large and heavy is held in place in swirling waters by a heavy anchor that sinks down to the bottom of the sea. Similarly, we should send down deep and strong roots that hold us in place despite changing circumstances, trials and troubles. We should hold on to the hope that the gospel gives. I once wrote these lines: “ Gospel- go spell it out in the way you live, no need to yell, don’t talk of hell.” We need to communicate our faith in the way we live, in everything we speak and do. To be grounded in faith implies that we are rooted in the Word and we spare no effort in applying the Word in practical ways in our lives.
The Lord appreciates us when we give ourselves wholeheartedly to His work, the work of making Him known, of teaching the truths of God. Every little thing we do in His name, He keeps a faithful account. St Paul worked tirelessly after he met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. His zeal is reflected in the epistles he wrote to the churches he planted in many nations of Europe and Asia. He took along with him co-labourers like Timothy, Silas and Mark on his many journeys. He acknowledged that they worked as hard as he did. Their labour was not for material or monetary gain. It was not to please people. It was out of their love of God and it was to please Him and Him alone. This should be the benchmark we set for ourselves in our life’s mission. St Paul addressed the believers in the church in Corinth as “beloved brethren”. It shows that they were not just names or statistics for St Paul but that the priority of his life’s work was building people up in relationship with God and each other. He was not an aimless workhaholic doing work for work’s sake but focussed on edifying people while glorifying God. In contrast, many leaders these days stultify and quantify the gains they can get from people. St Paul’s focus was how much he could give to the people he ministered to not how much he could get from them.
“Always abounding” implies that we need to be witnesses in season and out of season, bearing fruit in and with our lives for the Lord. We need to be consistent and dynamic in our leadership and work all the time, drawing inspiration and strength from the Holy Spirit. The Lord Himself is our co-labourer and partner in our work. Since He builds the house or fulfils whatever He sets His hand to, our labour shall never be unfinished, shoddy, vain or unnoticed and unrewarded. It is bound to bear fruit many times over the amount of time, effort and commitment we invested in it. We should encourage ourselves that our labour of love is not in vain. The Lord is just and He knows how to distribute rewards, both here and now as well as eternal. We are rewarded regardless of where we are in the body or spiritual chain, regardless of how soon or how late we started our work for the Lord.
Prateep V Philip
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