HE IS RISEN – GET TO WORK
April 10, 2023
“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
Have you heard the term
“quiet quitting?”
It’s a recent phenomenon that’s sweeping across offices and workplaces throughout the nation. “Quiet quitting” is when an employee does only the minimum job requirements, putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary.
Why in the world do folks quietly quit on the job?
I imagine one reason is that they feel their work doesn’t really matter. Or, to use the Apostle Paul’s words, they think their work is “
in vain” or void of any real meaning (1 Corinthians 15:58). Fed up with the meaningless monotony of their daily tasks, they begin to quietly quit on their employer.
If you can identify with this at all, I pray you won’t miss the life-changing wisdom found in today’s key verse.
According to Paul, all of our work…all of our labor and toil…is
not in vain.
Why?
Because Jesus is alive.
I realize that might sound a little odd. But our belief in the Resurrection has profound implications on our everyday life, including how we work.
You see, Paul’s challenge to the Corinthian church comes at the conclusion of one of the most extensive, most glorious treatments of Jesus’ resurrection in all of the Bible- 1 Corinthians 15.
(You should read it.)
Earlier in the chapter, he boldly asserts that if Jesus hasn’t been raised from the dead, then not only is our work in vain, but the entire Christian faith is utterly worthless (1 Corinthians 15:14). If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, Paul concludes, then, “
let’s eat and drink for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32).
In other words, if Jesus’ body is still in the grave, then none of our work is of any eternal value. We might as well go out on the town, abandon our self-control, and party ‘til the sun comes up.
But…we know the truth, don’t we?
Jesus has defeated sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). He is alive and well. And incidentally,
nothing we do for the Risen Savior is in vain. He infuses even the most mundane tasks with meaning and purpose.
So, in response to the reality of the Resurrection, it’s time to get busy and “
give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
When people give their full selves to something, they give their best. They hold nothing back. Motivated by the abounding grace they’ve received from the Risen Savior, they seek to abound in His work, going above and beyond minimal requirements.
Remember that the “
work of the Lord” encompasses far more than ministry, missions work, or church-related activities. It pertains to whatever work God has put before us.
In another one of his letters, Paul writes,
“Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). So, whether we’re
bankers, teachers, pharmacists, painters, or construction workers, etc. if we do our work in Jesus’ name, we are participating in the “
work of the Lord.”
Commentator Ray Stedman explains how this changes our perspective, “When you go to work, do not see it as simply a way by which you earn your living. It has been given to you as an opportunity for you to have a ministry in which you witness, you demonstrate a changed life, a heart at peace, and the radiant joy of fellowship with a living Lord on your face.”
For those who work for the living Lord, the Risen King of the universe, “quiet quitting” is most certainly not an option.
Now, let’s get to work!
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
