Useless

1 Corinthians 15:58
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

As I read this verse this morning, one work jumped out at me: useless. It is the very last word in the verse, but carries with it a lot of weight. Surely there have been things I have done in the name of ministry that felt very useless. In retrospect, I realize that anything that has ever felt useless afterwards, I have done some with vigor and some with just an ounce of energy.

You see, that last phrase, "...nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." can be hard to believe. Of course we want everything we do for the Lord to be the best, but in our imperfect and busy world, a lot of the times He gets the short end of the stick. We look back at our work and think, "it wasn't my best but I tried on what fuel and time I had. Next time will be the best!" only to find ourselves in the same predicament later on. Let's look at 2 options:

1. That last statement depends on the one just previous to it. The previous phrase from the same sentence says "Always work enthusiastically for the Lord". True enthusiasm requires a belief in what you are doing, that it really matters and the cause is worthwhile. Too many times we have labored in vain "for the Lord", that is, our efforts are done from a mindset of unbelief. We are simply going through the motions. We are putting in the "work" so we can check the box on a list of chores that we perform begrudgingly. By the way, the Lord never gave us a list of chores. That whole thought process is legalism and it kills any kind of enthusiasm we may have in what we do for the Lord. When we believe that we can make a difference and that the Lord will do great things in people's lives, our enthusiasm goes through the roof! Then it doesn't matter what our talents or skills are. It doesn't matter if we are short on time, which brings me to the second point:

2. You don't work as if the results depend on you. Of course anything we do for the Lord is never useless! When we join our faith in Him with the work of our hands, we release the power of God (not the power of work or ourselves) and great things do happen. It doesn't even matter if we see the results. It is not useless. That's the kind of thought that the enemy attacks us with. You need to hear God say, "I wish you could see what I see!" The result could happen immediately on the inside of someone's heart or it could happen a year from now when we are removed from the circumstance. God will use anything and everything He can to reach His lost children and save them and heal them. It is true that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-24) and vice versa. It may be a good work, but imagine the life that you can attach to your work when you apply your faith in God to move mountains! You may not be able to move a mountain on your own, but you and God working together? All things are possible to him that believes (Matthew 19:26)! Remember, when God is involved it is never useless.

So don't let the Devil use that against you. Don't let him have your enthusiasm. Be encouraged by this scripture and work enthusiastically today for the Lord, it makes an eternal difference!