By Godfrey Miranda
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
– 1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV
In their work as pediatric specialists in immunology and respiratory medicine, it’s not hard to imagine that doctors Patricia and David Mrazek dealt with many suffering children. Over the years, however, they were struck by the fact that some kids bounced back from their physical trauma to live happy, healthy lives while others were crushed by it.
In an effort to pinpoint what made the difference, the Mrazeks conducted an extensive survey and found that one overriding trait rose to the top in those children who went on to build healthy lives: hope. Do you know the power of hope?
THE IMPACT OF HOPE
The Thessalonian believers knew the power of hope, and Paul was quick to highlight it right from the onset of his first epistle to them:
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3, NIV).
When Paul remembered his friends, it wasn’t just their occasional work of faith or labor of love that was so noteworthy. He saw in them a steadfast perseverance to keep working and keep laboring and that endurance grew out of hope. Hope inspired them to overcome the odds and keep pressing on toward a productive discipleship journey even in the midst of violent opposition. This is the practical impact of hope that we ought not take for granted. After all, as the Mrazeks discovered, it can make the difference between a flourishing life or a floundering one.
BEATEN BUT BUOYANT
Maybe you’ve noticed that seasons of trial in our Christian experience tend to temper our zeal, or even make us question whether to continue in the way or work of the Lord. It’s an entirely natural response, and it happens to the best of us. But when I read the New Testament, that wasn’t Paul’s response. This is the apostle who was beaten, stoned, and even left for dead for the sake of the gospel … then got up and went right back into the town whose citizens had just tried to kill him (cf. Acts 14:19-20). Where did that kind of buoyancy come from? Hope!
AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, IT WAS HIS HOPE IN THE RETURN OF JESUS.
Notice how Paul connects the dots between hope in the promise of eternal life and his unflinching steadfastness in God’s work.
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory … (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, NKJV).
Even when buffeted by hardship, Paul didn’t lose heart. Instead, he felt constantly renewed! His hope-filled perspective allowed him to see his affliction as light and momentary when compared to the “eternal weight of glory.” The hope of being with and seeing Jesus in glory truly does outweigh all other cares and concerns.
A BOLD APPEAL
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul waxes eloquent about the promise of the resurrection at the return of Jesus. With hymn-like enthusiasm, Paul describes the time when the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible (v. 52). It’s the time when this mortal must put on immortality (v. 53) and Death itself will be swallowed up in victory (v. 54).
What a blessed hope! And then, to cap it all off, Paul extends a very specific appeal—not just to keep believing this to be true, but to keep working until it all comes true.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV).
So, when we have this hope that burns within our hearts, we can abound in the work of the Lord no matter our past or present trauma. Like the Thessalonians and like the apostle Paul, we can steadily give our all in the way and work of God. It’s my prayer that each of us will personally experience the power of the blessed hope. Though the heavens fall, may our labor for the Lord be constantly fueled by our hope in the coming of the Lord.
—Godfrey Miranda is lead pastor at the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Republished with permission from Littleton Adventist Church Pastor’s Blog. Photo by Na Inho with Unsplash.
