1 Corinthians 15:57-58
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Why are we so often admonished in Scripture to keep our focus on the heavenly and the eternal?  Because that is what gives meaning to what we do here.  Paul has just explained that if there is no resurrection, nothing we do in this life matters.  But when we know that there is a resurrection and there is a life beyond this one, then everything we do matters.  The work we do for Christ matters more than anything else we do because souls are at stake and eternal life is at stake for millions of people.

The work of the church and the work of each individual has a depth of meaning we can hardly grasp as we think about why we do what we do.  It’s not about us being right and someone else being wrong.  It’s not about making some kind of political statement.  It is serious business.  And so it is worth it to be faithful, to humbly yet boldly serve the Lord, to proclaim His truth, to make Him known, to help those lost souls not be lost forever.

The hope of heaven, life after death, is a marvelous thing, for it spurs in us an ability to go on when all reason would tell us to stop.  That hope of Christ and His rewards draws out of us a commitment to go forward and press on even though we are weary, beaten, cast aside, or persecuted.  The hope planted within us by the knowledge that our physical death is not the end of us leads us to do more, work harder, expend ourselves more heartily for the Lord.  There is a greater purpose much higher than ourselves.  It’s easier to continue on and persevere when we know there is a reason for what we are doing.  And our service for God is not fruitless, even if we don’t see the results in this life.

The work of the Lord is never in vain.  And we must keep that perspective in all that we do.  So let’s keep going, keep serving, keep toiling.  Let’s keep living for Jesus, because it is worth it.  There is something to come after our time here is over.  We will live on in the presence of Christ forever.  There is ultimate victory through Him.  So let’s not quit or give up, but may we be encouraged to live one more day for our gracious Lord.