1 Cor 15:58
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” If you read the preceding verses, some people in the church in Corinth claimed that there was no resurrection. If there was no resurrection, then Paul says that Christians and those who have died are a very pitiful lot of people. In response, Paul writes chapter 15 to prove that there is resurrection. For the reason that Christians will one day receive a resurrected body which will never die, fall sick, or sin, Paul urges the Christians to “stand firm” and not let anything move us, that is, not to allow anything discourage us from doing what we should do. Instead, we are to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. “Work of the Lord” refers to two things: things that Christians should be doing, and the things that will prosper the gospel, including saving souls and building lives. What we do as Christians, the sufferings we may have to go through to live good Christian lives, will not be in vain, that is, without value. The reason is that all our sufferings will pass away and bring us a reward when we receive the fullness of resurrection life. Hence, dear Christian, press on with living for your Lord. You will be richly rewarded.
Heb 12:3
“Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Life is filled with much sufferings: we face weariness that comes from both physical and mental challenges. On top of that, the Christian way of life is described as a narrow path or a difficult road to walk on (Matt 7:13-14):
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Some people may use dishonest means that displease God to solve life’s problems. Christians, however, are commanded to use holy ways to live life. When we serve the Lord, we may be criticised. To add to all these, we, like everyone else, have to face work and family stress or physical illness. In moments of discouragement, we may throw in the towel, that is, give up being good Christians. In the case of the suffering Hebrew Christians, they were considering giving up trusting Jesus and going back to their former faith of Judaism. In such times, the author of the Book of Hebrews urges them and us to recall Jesus’ example. Our Lord Jesus, in order to do the will of God, endured extreme sufferings: after all the good that he had done for humankind, he was betrayed, ridiculed, spat at, beaten, and finally nailed and died on the cruel cross. Jesus had only done good for humankind. Yet he was repaid with evil. May we Christians emulate our Lord’s example. Our sufferings will never been more than what our Lord had suffered. Being fully human who could thus feel pain like us, he endured for God’s sake. Let’s do the same.