Bible Verse of the Day Thursday May 4th, 2023

1 Corinthians 15:58 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.

In chapter 15 of the first letter from Paul to the Christians in Corinthian, we will find the most all-embracing dissertation on the resurrection and eternal life of the saved believer and follower of Christ Jesus. Paul addresses the Christians at the Church in Corinth as dear brothers and sisters, indicating his affection for the Body of Christ there and worldwide. In Philippians 4:1, Paul addresses the Christians as brothers and sisters he loved and dear friends. Paul had great affection and love for all of God’s people regardless of location, situation, or condition, which would be an excellent example for all Christians.

Paul is encouraging the Christians in Corinth and extending to all Christians down through the ages to do three things. He first calls on believers to stand firm. There will always be workers of Satan, both physical and spiritual, that will attempt to get us to move away from Christ Jesus. However, we can all stand firm in our beliefs because the Word of God is true and accurate, and with the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit, God will always lead us to the genuineness of the certainty of His promises. Paul then urges and inspires Christians to let nothing move them. There will always be many winds of doctrine that attempt to move us away from the love, grace, and mercy of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:14). His final encouragement is that we should surrender ourselves (give ourselves entirely) heart, mind, body, and soul to Christ Jesus and His mission of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Our resurrection from the dead, when we receive a new body that will be like the resurrected body of Christ Jesus, is a solid promise from God, with no shadow of a doubt. Our confidence in our resurrection to eternal life motivates our commitment to service for God and others. No one ever suggested that Christian service would be a bed of roses; it is challenging, demanding, and often vulnerable to criticism. Working in the ministry of Christ Jesus can sometimes become a labor. However, the rewards for faithful service to God far outweigh the long hours we spend to ensure that the Gospel is spread throughout the world. God loved us so much that He became flesh, suffered, and died on the Cross to pay our sin debt. We could labor 24/7 for the remainder of the time we have left in this life and would never move the needle of our repayment to God one nanometer. We can never repay God, and He does not expect us even to entertain the thought of compensation. Instead, he wants us to surrender ourselves to Him and allow Him to use us to spread the Gospel to all lost and on their way to Hell.