Devotional: Nothing in Vain
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
-1 Corinthians 15:58
This Scripture approached me timely during a Bible study about three weeks ago when I was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. If you have been a Christian for some time, you likely can relate to feeling as if your efforts are unseen by the Lord or as if no fruit is resulting from what you are sowing.
However, it is abundantly clear in Scripture that whatever we do for the Lord is never done in vain, even if we never get to see the fruit of our labor on this side of heaven. We are simply ambassadors and messengers for the God who is working through us.
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul tries to settle a dispute with the readers who have divided themselves. Paul says, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
Walking by faith is challenging because we cannot always see what our faith is producing. Like farmers who sow their seeds then trust the weather to cause growth, we likewise sow the Word of God and trust that He will cause the growth, not us. This is why Paul encourages the believers in Corinth to stand firm and continue to work for the Lord. We need encouragement in our walk with God because it is admittedly hard to walk by faith and not by sight! At the core of this truth is that we are nothing and Christ is everything, yet He chooses to use us as His vessels.
Take a moment: How do we stay encouraged to keep laboring for the Lord?
Keep records of God’s faithfulness in your life.
We tend to exhibit the stubbornness of the Israelites in the Old Testament– seeing God’s power and faithfulness, then doubting again and again.
When we face doubts, however, we can turn to the testimonies from our lives of how He has been faithful so that we can be encouraged to keep faith, even when it’s difficult.
A short personal testimony:
In high school, I was a leader in a group called Youth For Christ. For Valentine’s Day, we decided to write notes with Bible verses and encouraging quotes and slip them into random lockers. Obviously, we didn’t have enough notes for every single locker, so we prayed that these notes would end up in the right lockers for the right people.
Later that day, one of the girls in our group saw a post on Facebook from another student who had received one of our notes. In his post he said that he was having a crummy day, but when he opened his locker, he saw the note and was very appreciative and had felt loved by that.
This is one testimony I keep close to me to remember that we sowed, and the Lord did the growth. We prayed that it would impact the right people, and we saw the fruit of it. At the same time, there were probably others who this small action impacted and maybe even led them to Christ, but we won’t know until heaven.
2. As a Christian, speak up!
It’s important to tell someone when God has used them to bless us. The encouragement spreads from us to them and they can be spiritually strengthened by it. We should also regularly share what God has been teaching us with other brothers and sisters.
3. Remain in fellowship with other believers.
By default, when we fellowship with other believers, we are encouraging one another by sharing our daily testimonies– what God has done in our lives, what He is teaching us, how He is transforming us. It helps remind us that God is actively working.
4. Abide in Him.
This looks like reading the Bible, praying, listening to teachings, and listening to worship music. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, it is easier to see Him in all things that are going on around us and to trust that He is working behind the scenes.
5. Lastly, keep this verse close to heart:
Galatians 6:9– “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
I kept this verse posted inside my high school locker and it always reminded me to stay the course and stay faithful to God. Everything will unfold in His timing, ultimately.
What else would you add to this list? Do you have a testimony where you have witnessed the Lord’s growth from your obedience in sowing? We’d love to hear it!
Remembering that your labor for the Lord is not done in vain is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina