Keep Going

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.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Tug-of-war is a game that tests the strength of two teams as they face off against each other. You might have played this game at recess or in PE. Some people take the game very seriously. At one time tug-of-war was a royal sport played in Egypt and China. It was an Olympic game from 1900 to 1920. Today, it is still part of some important competitions like the World Games and the Scottish Highland Games and is played in almost every country.

The official rules for tug-of-war call for two teams of eight people, one team on each end of a rope. The center mark of the rope is directly above a line on the ground. Each team attempts to pull the other team across that line. In order to win the competition, the players must continue pulling and not let up for even a moment, or they will be pulled over the line. The team with both the most strength and the most perseverance wins.

Showing consistent strength and perseverance is also needed when doing the Lord’s work. The apostle Paul encouraged the believers to be strong and immovable while serving God enthusiastically. He knew that it would be easy for them to get tired or discouraged when doing God’s work.

Sometimes it may seem like you share the gospel with your friends, invite people to church, and help with missionary projects or community service but never see any results. But the work you do for Jesus is never wasted or useless. That’s because success isn’t measured by getting a trophy or becoming famous. It’s not measured by how many people like you or think you are doing a good job. It’s measured by spiritual values—or by how much difference what you do makes for eternity. Maybe only two or three friends attend church because you asked them to. For those friends, your work made a difference.

Keep being faithful. Keep standing firm. Work enthusiastically for God, and leave the results to him.

Keep inviting friends to church. Keep sharing Scripture with your friends. Keep giving book reports about Christian books and history reports about people who believed in God. It may not seem like it’s making a difference now, but if you are sincerely doing these things for God, he’ll use them to reach others.