Is My Living In Vain

1 Corinthians 16:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, since you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Pray

Introduction

When I was a child growing up, we didn’t have a full time Gospel channel, as a matter of fact AM Radio was prevalent, and we only had one black radio station. The call letters were WAMM, I don’t remember the station numbers. On Sunday mornings they would play Gospel music from 5:00 AM until about 1:30 in the afternoon. The Disk Jockey was named Sam Williams, and he only did the Sunday Gospel Show. It was my first experience with Gospel Music. I grew up in strict Baptist Church and all we sang were hymns, we didn’t have guitars and drums, the organ was reserved for “Holy Holy Holy” as the choir processed in. I knew the hymns, but Gospel was new to me. There was a song that would come on the radio on Sunday usually in the afternoons just before the Gospel Show would end and they would move back to the secular music by the Clark Sisters, “Is My Living In Vain”. I loved that song and still do. The Question was is my living in vain and the answer would come back of course not.

Praying

Living

Labor

Preaching

Giving

Fasting

Am I wasting my time

I know my brothers sometimes it fills that way. The more we try the harder it gets. The more we talk the more unlikely anyone wants to listen. The more we pray, the more trials and tribulation come our way and sometimes we must wonder is all for nothing? Its our midnight and weeping has endured and morning just wont come. It seems as though God has has closed up Heaven and I cant get God’s ear. Is my living in vain? Was everything I did for nothing? I cant catch a break while the wicked seem to prosper. Is my living in vain? No of course not. This song like this scripture reminds us that our living for God is not in vain. That promise is that if we live for God he has promised us eternal live. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He promised us he was going to prepare a place for us so we could be with him. He promised that one day he would come back and receive us. Oh Jesus promised.

I am always reminded by this song to keep on keeping on. To wait on the Lord to wait and see what the end is going to be. To Always be about my Father’s business. The truth be told we know what the end is. We know the story. The dead in Christ shall rise first and we that are left shall be caught up to meet hit him in the air. Oh that great getting up morning. No my brothers our living is not in vain, of course not.

Our hope is in Christ Jesus.

He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This scripture gives us instructions on how to live a life that is not in vain. We can say these are commandments on how we as Christians ought to live our life, and as with all of God’s commandments there is a promise. Eternal life.

Our Text

I just want to lift up a few words from our text. On the surface steadfast, unmovable, always abounding, seem to be the same thing, but they are not. These are three distinct characteristics that we need to have.

Before we get to that we must understand what the work is. If we understand what the work is. If we understand how important it is. If we understand what is at stake

We have to be steadfast in our work for the Lord: we have to be loyal we have to be faithful. We have to be consistent in our believe in the work we are doing for God. We should not start and stop.

We have to be unmovable in our work for the Lord:

We have to always be abounding in the work of the Lord

We have to know, that our work for the Lord is not in vain:

One Sunday in Church as Pastor was preaching I began to look back over my life and remembered all the times God saved me. All the times I should have been dead sleeping in my grave. I should have went to jail. Should have been maimed. Many had not made it but by the grace of God I was still here. Towards the end of the sermon I asked God a question, Why he saved me