“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.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58 “The Bible tells us that salvation is by grace, which is God’s unmerited favor. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast. We don’t work to earn our salvation, but Scripture does talk about some job openings in God’s kingdom. This has to do with the work we do for the Lord after we are born again. Another way of looking at it is that the Lord wants to use us in the work that he is doing on the earth. It is why the apostle Paul says in the New Testament that we are co-laborers with Christ. There are two aspects to the work of the Lord. Number one is the commission that Jesus gave us to go into all the world and share the good news. It takes time, energy, effort, tears, prayer, and at times even an investment of our own material goods to bring people to the Lord and the salvation he offers. Then, once the person becomes a Christian, we are tasked with the second aspect of the work of the Lord, which is to disciple the new believer. This means to nurture and instruct and pray and spend time with new Christians so that they will grow and become strong in their walk with the Lord. The apostle Paul encourages us to give ourselves to the work of the Lord. We can get involved in this work by joining a ministry of the church or going on a mission trip or praying for others or handing out food or leading a Bible study or going door to door sharing the good news of Jesus. When Jesus was here on earth, he said that he had come to do the will of the Father ‘and to finish his work’ (John 4:34). Likewise, we all have a work assignment from the Lord. There is a job opening for every Christian in God’s kingdom; and it brings us the same fulfillment Jesus had in doing the Father’s work. Let us stand firm, therefore, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.” – Pastor Cymbala