Laboring in vain?

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

What do you do when your think on one is looking? What do you do when your instructions from the Lord seems to be of no advantage to you, and has no possibility of any financial gain for you? Are you quick to dismiss the prompting of the Holy Spirit when the instructions are difficult and will actually cost you? Are you always looking for how something will be advantageous to you?

Where is your focus? Is it on your goals or on the seemingly difficult instructions from the Holy Spirit to you? One focus is on yourself …the other is on being obedient to the Lord’s prompting. Which one will result in rewards? Well, anything you do for yourself could possibly result in earthly gains, but those things you do for Him when He has instructed you to do it — will result in eternal rewards — multiplied in ways only God can do.

Currently I’m writing everyday out of obedience to His command, and currently it has zero financial advantage for me, yet there may be the 1 or 2 people who are drawn closer to the Lord from reading my ramblings. What impact will that have? Only God knows. But I work in obscurity with a joy knowing He can take my small amount of ‘loaves and fish’ and multiply it to the amount that is needed at His time. What is He asking you to do that seems like there is no advantage for you?

Working for long periods of time on projects that seem to have zero financial rewards can be difficult to explain to people, and even to your family. Yet if it truly is from the Lord — there will be rewards for you. The key obviously will be whether or not He really gave you the task to complete for Him. And certainly after a long period of seeing zero results it can get really hard to keep going especially if the enemy constantly berates you that you are ‘laboring in vain’, and your work is useless. I think that’s what Paul is trying to convey to his readers that one needs to constantly know that being obedient to His ‘call’ / instructions to you … is worth it.

Can you remain steadfast in the midst of seeing zero immediate results?

Do you trust the Lord for the results .. whenever that may be?

Do you have enough courage and faith in the Lord to follow His difficult instructions to you? 

Can you even recognize when He is prompting you to do something? Are you working on your ‘listening skills’ with Him? Or is it safer for you to remain ‘in the dark’ so you can say to Him “When did you ask me to do this and that?” Do you really think that will work when you are standing before Him at the end of your earthly life?

Be ‘steadfast and immovable’ in what He has called you to do.