SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 15
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Jesus is the guarantee that the good we do in this life will bear fruit in the next life!
All good things must come to an end. What a depressing thought. Why bother seeking anything good, it’s only going to end soon. This is what life is like, when death has the last word. God did not create the world this way, but because of sin and death, this is what the world has become. People ignore it, deny it, run from it, but eventually it catches up with them. They can eat, drink and be merry all they want, they will still die in the end.
Jesus came to break the cycle of sin and death, to restore God’s original design – eternal life. This is the good news. Jesus is presently working to bring everything back to God; at the very end, He will do away with death once and for all. In the meantime, we still die. But now, with hope. Jesus is the guarantee that life, not death, has the last word. Jesus gives us hope to get out of bed each day, to face the challenges that come, to resist evil, to do good, to be courageous, to defy the devil’s lies, and to refuse to give death the last word. Because He lives, I can face today, and tomorrow!
Paul assures the Corinthians that life today matters for tomorrow. The work we do, the sacrifices made, the love spread, the message shared – are not in vain because Jesus is alive. Jesus takes our efforts, which seem weak and insignificant – like seeds – and produces news life and blessing through them. When we spend our life in blessing others in Jesus’ name, even though we may suffer and will eventually die, Jesus multiplies the results of our efforts and produce more life, more blessing.
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. [John 12:24] Jesus embodies this: though He faced the curse of death for us, He accomplished the blessing of resurrection. As a result, by His death, He has produced a family of resurrected people, serving by His side to extend God’s life and blessing. We are not just saved for our own sake, we are saved to serve, blessed to be a blessing. And Jesus is the guarantee that the good we do in this life will bear fruit in the next life. Death has lost, Life has won!
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 labour in the Lord is not in vain. [1 Corinthians 15:58]
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to plant my life for good, and trust in You for the harvest!
Fear God and keep His commands is what the preacher says. The reading of today reminds me of those words. Being back at school, having enjoyed the summertime meeting friends and relatives and family, all I do, I must do unto Him. There is a time for summer relaxation and a time for daily work. God gives them both so that He may be glorified. It is by His power I am able to do what I have committed myself to do. I serve a living God, Christ Jesus, today and tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that. This is my Father’s world. He created me for a purpose. He’s not finished with me yet. And so today, my first day back at school I go forward as this reading encourged me to do
“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
What a mighty God we serve!
What a mighty God we serve!
Reigning now above,
on His throne of love,
What a mighty God we serve!