From my reading in 1 Corinthians 15:29-58 in the One Year Bible New Testament.
As a campus ministry leader I get tired.
For those of who work on campus the last few weeks have been some of the busiest days of our lives.
Passing out flyers and tabling in the hot sun. Having fun events virtually every night. Meeting with students. Preparing Bible studies. Preparing sermons. Answering emails. Working on seminary assignments. Leading staff meetings. Leading core team meetings. Writing blogs. Praying. Sharing the gospel.
I love these ministry tasks, but they take energy.
While I do need to rest, I need to never forget why I do what I do. Here is one verse has become huge encouragement to me when I don’t feel like continuing.
“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” 1 Cor 15:58
Be strong and immovable…
We are called to be strong. Ministry is not for wimps. If you want to be on the front lines, you must be strong. Our strength should not come from ourselves though, but from God as we trust him. He is the one who gives us strength to stand strong even when ministry gets hard.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord…
Ministers should be passionate about what they do. They should work with zeal and enthusiasm. Even if you don’t feel excited in the moment your vision should propel you to give yourself fully to your work.
Notice it says work for the LORD, not for ourselves. Sometimes we get so caught up in the mechanism of ministry that we forget who we are doing it for! It is not to make a name for ourselves. It is not to have a really cool newsletter. It is for the glory of Jesus!
Jesus uses us for his purposes, we shouldn’t try to use Him for our purposes.
Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
Hard work in Jesus name is never wasted. He will bring about the result in his time and way. It will not be a waste.
Your work is worship. Even if you do not see big numbers (or any numbers for that matter), you will not have wasted your time because Jesus was glorified by your work. So here’s the three encouragement for those of us in ministry.
Be strong. Work hard. Leave the results to God.
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