Your labor is not in vain, thus says the Word, thus says the Lord. Paul writes to the believers in Corinth, 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58). Paul, in the previous verses stated that the sting of sin is death, but thanks to Christ we are no longer under the curse of sin that leads to death as believers. I specifically loved the phrase, “knowing that you toil (labor) is not in vain. If you are like me then at times, perhaps even often you may feel like your work for the Lord is all for not. You may think all your seeds are falling in the wrong places. But, the Word clearly says our labor is not in vain. The harvesting of seeds belongs always to the Lord. His Spirit is responsible for the seeds becoming beautiful and mature. Even if we never see one person in our lifetime come to Christ through our love and labor we still are able to glorify God through our obedience in service to him and our affections being chief for our Savior. We should concern ourselves greatly not with results, but with service and love for others. The results belong to Christ, not us. So, since we can not cause anyone to be saved we must continue to love and serve others in a way that points them to Christ, and we will trust Him with the results. I believe this can free us up to do the work of the Lord without feeling the pressure to see the results only the Lord can provide. Keep working, keep trusting, keep believing, keep loving, keep serving, and in all things giving glory to God the Father.
I Corinthians 3:5-7
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
6I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
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