How you can know whether what you do today really makes a difference
By Dean Collins
What if what you did today made a difference? What if your work was not just making a better life for you and your family? What if what you did today made a difference on a scale you can’t even imagine?
If you are human and bear the image of God (and you do) and if you choose to allow Christ to transform you by his death, burial, and resurrection (you have that choice), then what you believe is ordinary work becomes extraordinary.
Simple and powerful
In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul spent time explaining the simplicity and power of the work of Christ on the cross and the significance of his burial and resurrection. As Paul wraps up his discussion of the resurrection, he addresses questions believers then and believers now have about our own death and resurrection. In our busy routines of family and work responsibilities, we often are not thinking about our mortality. We might think of our fatigue, lack of sleep, or sore backs, but typically we don’t think much about the possibility of dying today. That changes quickly when someone we love gets a diagnosis or suddenly dies.
Death and grief create focus on our mortality and what is important. They also cause us to reevaluate and reclaim our trust in our eternal God and the promised resurrection. In the final verse of what we often refer to as the resurrection chapter, Paul summarized with this:
“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.”
Future hope, foundation now
Acceptance of the truth of the resurrection of Jesus allows us to find not only hope in our eternal future; it gives us a foundation for life now. It means that anytime I love another person, help another person, or serve another person, these acts of purposeful goodwill create eternal connections. Living and serving others empowered by Christ in us creates tributaries that can bring transformation to others who have not discovered they are created in God’s image, loved by God, and capable of being brought from death to life.
Whether you serve someone in the minutiae of processing an insurance claim, repairing a cell phone, plowing a field for a crop, or smiling at a cashier, every encounter can bring a connection straight from the God in you to the heart of another person. At the end of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul spoke of seeing things clearly versus through a fog. We practice this clarity when we embrace the reality of the resurrection and demonstrate it with how we serve the people around us each day.
You are loved by God, and what you do matters to God because through you he is bringing transformation to someone even today. Go make a difference!
Your time with God’s Word
1 Corinthians 15:35-58; Psalm 68:1, 19-20, 28, 35 ESV
Photo by Kilian Seiler on Unsplash
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.