– Fully Give To The Work Of Our Lord
BRD REFLECTIONS:
1 Corinthians 15:35-58 and Psalm 147 (NIV)
(David Mok, Data Analytics Chair)
READ:
As I read both 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 and Psalm 147 (NIV), the following verses caught my attention:
1 Corinthians 15
v55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
v58 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 labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Psalm 147
v13 He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.
v14 He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
OBSERVE:
For us in Christ, death has no more sting. We have final victory through Christ. One day, we shall dispense with our current perishable bodies, and in a twinkle of an eye, when the trumpet sounds, we will all have imperishable bodies. In short, we have eternal life, which began when we first committed ourselves to our Lord! However, as much as we have the full confidence of eternal life, we still have to deal with our current lives on this side of heaven today. I will still need to give myself to the work of our Lord because I want to. In doing so, I know my efforts will not be in vain. As with our Lord strengthening the bars of Jerusalem’s gates and granting His people peace and blessings when His name is extolled, I know too that our Lord will protect me and grant me peace and blessings as I toil for Him.
APPLY:
I was very encouraged when a dear brother, Alvin Tay, shared how through prayers and effort, one by one, his many siblings came to know our Lord. Though the work is not completed, seven of his nine siblings are now committed to our Lord. Praise God! I, too, am doing my part. Through prayers and effort, my 96-year-old aunt was baptised by Rev Michael Tan on 1 July this year. Praise God! But I was tardy. My aunt had expressed her desire to see a pastor last year and it took me many months before I got my act together. God is merciful. He preserved my aunt until this year when she received our Lord. With my aunt’s salvation, the salvation of all who are dear to me in the generation before me is completed. What a blessing! However, like my dear brother Alvin, more is yet to be done.
DO:
Those dear to me in my generation are not all saved. I need to heed the lesson of not procrastinating. God is merciful. He preserved my aunt until her salvation this year. I cannot take our Lord’s mercy for granted. I will continue to pray for the salvation of my dear ones in my generation and make efforts in reaching out to them. I must do my part to toil for our Lord on this side of heaven. Because when the twinkling of an eye comes for me, when I open my eyes, I want to see my loved ones with new imperishable bodies too!
PRAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, grant me courage and perseverance to do your work during my time in my perishable body. Be it spreading your word or encouraging my brethren in their walk with You. My special prayers go out to my loved ones who have yet to commit themselves to you. Have mercy on them. In Jesus’ name I pray.
