The Work No Guest Notices
Written for Bible Journey Plan. Our editorial standards.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV
Some of the most loving work in a marriage is hard to point to. Someone keeps track of medicine, notices that the car needs attention, or makes sure a tired spouse has clean clothes for the morning. Visitors rarely see those things.
Paul assures believers that labor in the Lord is not empty. His confidence rests on the resurrection, not on a promise that every person will notice or express thanks. Christ's victory gives faithful service a future beyond today's recognition.
Be quick to thank your spouse for quiet work. Do not make them depend on your noticing it before they feel able to continue, but do not use God's reward as an excuse for your own ingratitude either. Share the load where it needs sharing. The Lord sees service offered to Him, and marriage gives many ordinary places to offer it. A completed task done in love may have more lasting worth than the achievement that receives the loudest applause.
Keep the passage in context
Paul's assurance follows his teaching about Christ's resurrection and the future resurrection of believers. Christian labor has lasting value because death does not have the final word.
Read further: 1 Corinthians 15 in the King James Bible.