Be This - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 CSB

Weak, useless, unworthy are the whispered accusations that echo in my mind. Well, I am indeed those things. Guilty as charged. 

And so what?

For I am the Lord’s and He is mine. See, I can always seek the face of God like Peter when he first jumped off the boat to run to the Lord. 

Or I can foolishly choose to look at the waves. Worried. And that would be the normal thing to do right? To fill up on anxiety. To hopelessly try to fix it. 

But did He call me to be normal? No. I'm not normal. I'm empowered, I'm filled with the Holy Spirit. 

See, Paul is addressing the believer who even in his weakness boldly runs to Jesus. The one who seeks the face of God. And even in the depths of despair and misery, I can seek the face of God. I must. 

Paul says, "Be steadfast." Never mind. Done. I can’t do that. I can't!

Hey, that’s how I used to read those verses. Then, out of great pain. I began to cry out. Lord, help me! And He answered me. He showed me that I could be steadfast when I looked at Him. 

Yet, I still relapsed without even thinking. The memory of trusting Jesus was fresh, so I found myself seeking Him again. 

I was looking for a one and done. 

My life with Jesus wasn’t a habit yet, but I was beginning to trust His work in my life. He showed me that I can be steadfast, immoveable. 

Now, the next word in the verse is a real doozy: always. What? Always? Jesus, I can’t. I’m not an apostle nor some super Christian. I’m not. I’m an embarrassment of a believer. 

"Look at Jesus. Depend upon Him. You can’t; you’re right. God can. That’s the lesson. That’s it. Let's review: Jesus died on the cross to take away your sins. And now you are filled with the power of the the Holy Spirit. Remember?"

Now, the verse says this: Always excelling in the work of the Lord. 

I am one hundred percent sure I can’t. But I’m starting to get it. I can’t; God can. He does. He will. He takes my fish and loaves (which I got from Him) and multiplies them. 

I can always excel in the work of the Lord. If I couldn’t, Paul wouldn’t say it. He knows the miracle God does in His children. 

To excel doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. I may get figuratively or literally beaten up. Paul did too. Jesus takes care of me when that happens. 

He gives me a promise with it. Here it is: I know my work in the Lord will always be productive, fruitful labor even when I don’t see it. What a promise! Right?

He has, He does, and He will work in me and through me. That's what He does. 

Lord, may I seek your face. May I know that I am dust. Lord I trust that you make me steadfast, immoveable. I believe that I can always abound (abound) in your glorious work. I believe that all of it will be productive. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!