My dear readers,

Always Abounding in the Lord’s Work

1 Corinthians 15:55-58: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 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.”

With death overcome by Christ in every believer’s life, we have nothing to worry about or fear, for death is our last enemy. Since God has categorically defeated our last enemy in Christ, we can focus our heart, mind, soul and strength on all things spiritual. Is this not the meaning and significance of this revelation from our Heavenly Father? Have you experienced this power of God in your life where you no longer fear death?

The year 2023 is behind us. All of us have regrets and blessings, sad and happy moments to remind us of the brevity of life and how fast time flies. Will 2024 be the final year for us, for Christ may come to catch us all home to glory, or will it be another year to reflect on another past year with mixed feelings? How has 2023 been? Was it lived in a manner like gold, silver and precious stones, or wood, hay and stubble, pertaining to our service unto the Lord regarding worship, witnessing and walking (cf. 1 Cor 3:11-15)?

Death and the fear of death have been the bane of man since sin entered into man’s heart when Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. Ever since that fateful day, death has been plaguing mankind without any reprieve for man. Man is conceived and born in sin. He will one day die in sin. He is reminded of this cold, pertinacious invasion whenever he falls ill. It is like an unwanted appointment that all men, women or children have to contend with, for man’s last enemy does not respect age, gender, status, powers, goals, ambitions, strength of relationships or anything that man desires. Death seems to be all-powerful over all life!

Yet to the child of God, death is nothing but the servant of his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He knows that his time on earth is not in the hands of any disaster, disease, or anyone, but His omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God, the Lord Jesus Christ! The reason is that every child of God has died in Christ. Jesus Christ took the sting of death from his life when He died for his sins and rose from the dead for his justification and destroyed the devil. The power of death has been completely and irrefutably rendered impuissant. God explains in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57. The sting of death is sin. Man will remain in the grave after he dies and after his soul is cast into hell because of this sting. God defines the strength of sin as His laws that reveal to man what sins he has committed against Him, who is his Creator! The strength of sin is the law of God, especially the Ten Commandments, which set the standard of God's justice and holiness that He demands from every sinner who will stand before Him after he dies. The sinner will stand as a condemned sinner. Death remains victorious over him.

But God obtained victory over death for His children. Jesus Christ obeyed all the laws of God perfectly when He lived, suffered, died and rose from the dead. Anyone who genuinely receives Jesus Christ as his substitute who died on the cross for his sins will receive the forgiveness of God. The blood of Christ shed on the cross washes away all his sins, including the original sin and the sins he committed against God. With God’s forgiveness in Christ, he will be given the righteousness of the law. In God’s eyes, it will be as if he has obeyed all the laws of God perfectly; otherwise, God will not impute this righteousness to him. Once a sinner is born again in Christ, he is safe and secure for eternity. He can never lose his salvation. If he can lose his salvation, it would mean Christ has to die again and that His resurrection is temporary. Christ will never die again! He is seated safely at the right hand of God, interceding for His disciples who are serving Him faithfully.

The conclusion of the matter is taught in 1 Corinthians 15:58!

Every child of God must remain stedfast and unmoveable in his faith and service for Christ. Serving God in this sinful world is onerous and wrought with many hurts. However, nothing must move him, especially not the fear of man or death! To be stedfast means to stand still in the faith he has in his heart and in his confession with his mouth that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Saviour. He must be unmoved even when pulled or pushed by loved ones, threats, or temptations. He bears the image of Christ in his life. Whenever he sins, he brings shame to the name of Christ. He is to be a mirror image of Christ in thought (as he has been given the mind of Christ), motive (the love of God has been shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit), word (what he says and writes) and life (all his deeds). By his good works, others must see Christ in him and glorify God in heaven because sinners are saved, and spiritual blessings are given to all children of God.

Every child of God must study and obey God's Word faithfully at all costs! He must not disobey the Word for the sake of self, children, loved ones, friends or any of his earthly masters, no matter how indebted he feels toward them! The debt Christ paid with His life’s blood to redeem him from sin, death and hell trumps all debts any believer has. To disobey God’s Word is to deny Christ and jeopardise his salvation's reality! Luke 14:26-27: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” This is a non-negotiable warning and truth that believers must take heed of with fear and trembling today!

His love for God in Christ and for Christ must be with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind. With this love in him, he will learn to love his neighbour as himself, i.e. biblically. For example, when he obeys the Word of God and not his loved one who is in sin, he is helping his loved one see the sin in his life. By condoning the sin of his loved one and disobeying God’s Word, he will send the wrong message and hurt his loved one. All parties will be hurt. He will tarnish Christ’s holy name. His loved one will continue to live in sin, thinking it is not wrong because he, the believer, takes his side. The believer will remain in sin, and the Lord will not hear his prayers or accept his worship until he repents (cf. Ps 66:18).

In the face of trouble, the believer must abound in his faithful service to the Lord, which is true service. He knows that his labour is not in vain in the Lord. Christ’s holy Name is honoured and praised when he chastises the loved one who sinned, and God willing, there will be repentance of sin. Even if the loved one does not repent, at least he knows he has sinned against God. Perhaps, by God’s mercy, he may repent one day. The believer will be strengthened in the faith, for he has passed the test and knows experientially that he truly loves God with all his heart, soul, strength and mind.

God's children must always regard serving God in holiness as a privilege of the highest honour. Every day that he is alive and able to witness and serve the LORD must be counted as precious so that he will spend that day wisely, carefully, and holily.

Be encouraged, child of God, whatever lot in life you are in as you begin the new year. Do not let regrets refrain you from serving and witnessing for Christ. The day of service will end when the Lord returns, which will be soon, and all God’s children will be caught up to glory! Then eternal rest will begin, and you are home! Amen.