David Bahn – Reflections

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I’m using the 49 Week Bible Challenge for these blog posts. I encourage you to join me in this discipline. Today’s readings are 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; 1 Chronicles 18; 19; 20.

1 Corinthians 15:54-58

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Well, that was a wasted day! Have you ever had that feeling? You spend a day driving to some far distant government office, assured by means of a phone call that was where you needed to go, and they would have what you need. Only the office there is closed and they’ve moved to a new location – on the other side of town! Or you walk in and they have no idea what you’re talking about or why you would have come to their location. Perhaps you’ve worked on a project at work only to discover that it’s been scuttled; your work is in vain.

Humanly-speaking we may be able to identify 1000’s of cases where people’s work has been in vain. From carefully preparing a home-cooked meal only to learn your guests already ate to spending hours waiting for a repair technician who never shows.

But let’s go even deeper. Let’s say you pour yourself into discipling someone in the Christian faith, but who suddenly leaves without explanation, and abandons the faith. Is that even possible? I wish I had never had the experience of having a man come into my office and announce without apology that he was leaving his wife and two daughters to move away and start a new life with another woman.

Was my preaching, teaching, and pastoring in vain? It would seem to put Paul’s promises to the test. What good did it do in his case? Or what if our children abandon us, or worse yet, the faith and remove themselves from the fellowship of the redeemed? Is all our effort to raise them right in vain?

We must believe God’s word through Paul that our labor in the Lord is never in vain. There are two wonderful truths to which we can tie our hearts in regard to this. First of all – the last chapter of God’s story in our family’s lives, or a wayward church member has not been written – until that Great Last Day comes. Where there is life, there is hope. And second: look at this chapter! This is the Resurrection Chapter! The tomb is empty! In light of that reality, even the days that feel wasted or fruitless are gathered up by God, who weaves them into his saving purposes.

God can raise the dead. He showed that in Jesus. And those who believe in him can be certain that it’s not over until it’s actually over. Whatever energy, effort, blood, sweat, and tears we may have put into raising our children or guiding a brother in Christ is not wasted. It will be honored and redeemed. That’s the promise of the resurrection and the beautiful blessing of God’s grace.