1 Corinthians (1 Co) 15:10, 34, 58 CJB “But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain; on the contrary, I have worked harder than all of them, although it was not I but the grace of God with me. Come to your senses! Live righteously and stop sinning! There are some people who lack knowledge of God — I say this to your shame. So, my dear brothers, stand firm and immovable, always doing the Lord’s work as vigorously as you can, knowing that united with the Lord your efforts are not in vain.”

What keeps you awake at night? One of my greatest fears is that I have not done enough to work hard for the Lord.

Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 15 convicts me deeply: “By God’s grace I am what I am… I have worked harder than all of them, (v. 10). Then he commands believers to “stand firm… always doing the Lord’s work as vigorously as you can” (v. 58).

Grace does not produce complacency. It produces diligence.

Work Hard for the Lord by Fighting Sin

The Christian life begins with a personal battle.

Every day the flesh resists the Spirit. My thoughts, words, and actions are constantly tempted to serve self rather than Christ.

Following Jesus means putting sinful desires to death and cultivating the character of Christ. It means choosing obedience when comfort is easier. It means waging war against pride, lust, anger, greed, and selfish ambition.

This is exhausting work—but it is the work every disciple is called to embrace.

Work Hard for the Lord by Making Disciples

The labor doesn’t stop with personal holiness.

Jesus commanded us to go into the world and make disciples. Countless people remain ignorant of God’s love, Christ’s sacrifice, and the coming judgment. They need someone to tell them.

Too often, that someone should be me.

Family members, neighbors, coworkers, and friends need more than my silent example. They need loving conversations, faithful prayers, and bold gospel witness pointing them to repentance, faith, and obedience to Jesus Christ.

One Day We Will Give an Account

I often wonder if I am laboring as vigorously as I could.

Not to earn salvation—salvation is by grace alone—but because I love the One who saved me and desire to hear, “Well done.”

Thankfully, God has not left us to ourselves.

He has given us:

• His Word to instruct us.
• His Spirit to empower us.
• His Church to encourage us.
• His grace to sustain us.

Our labor is never performed alone, and it is never wasted when done for Christ.

Run Today’s Play

• Examine one area where you’ve become spiritually lazy.
• Confess and repent of any known sin you’re tolerating.
• Share the gospel or encourage one person in Christ today.
• Spend 15 extra minutes in God’s Word instead of entertainment.
• Ask God for grace to work harder for His kingdom than for your own comfort.

By God’s grace, let us pursue holiness with intensity and proclaim Christ with boldness. Then we can stand before Him with confidence, knowing we sought to work hard for the Lord, trusting that our labor in Him is never in vain.