I have heard an account of a situation that supposedly took place in the lives of Jewish prisoners in the concentration camps of World War II. I don’t know if it is simply legend or actually happened. It states that men were given wheel borrows and taken to a large pile of rocks. They were instructed to move the pile to a location several yards away. Once the task was completed, their next instruction was to move the pile back to its original location. Again, upon the completion of this instruction, they were told to move the pile to the place from which they had just taken it. After several rotations of purposeless activity, it is said that some of the men broke down mentally and could no longer function. This result was from the lack of a purpose in their labors.
As part of being created in the image of God, a man requires significance in his life. We need to know that we have a reason for existence, a purpose. Because of this, we seek experiences where we can see and celebrate a positive result. Many can achieve this through their employment or involvement in athletics or other hobbies. Others gain a sense of significance as a husband or father. As we pursue this fulfillment in our lives, we must not ignore God’s ordained plan for men to find this feeling of completion.
In Scripture, God reinforces this desire in the hearts of men with a command and a promise. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, Therefore, my dear brothers, 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. In a previous post, we have discussed the importance of standing firm in our faith. Here, the Apostle Paul goes a step further in defining how we do this. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.
Unfortunately, this opportunity to find fulfillment and purpose in our lives through service is sometimes pushed to the back burner in favor of other pursuits like our careers or recreational activities. It is easy to stay so busy doing good things that we don’t leave space for better things.
As I mentioned above, this is not simply a command from God, but it comes with a promise…because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Wow, don’t miss the significance of this statement. God is promising that if we seek our fulfillment through service to him, he will assure that we gain the significance and sense of purpose we are after. We may find these things at some level through other avenues; however, they are not guaranteed. We may work a career for forty years and discover that other than a paycheck there is no significant benefit involved. A few athletic victories may be rewarding, but the trophy eventually gets stuck on a shelf along with the feeling of accomplishment.
But an act of service administered in honor of our Lord will always give us that jolt of purpose and significance. And it doesn’t have to be a huge event. Jesus said, that offering a person a glass of cold water in his name qualifies. A purposeful expression of kindness to a neighbor, helping a friend with a project, spending a few minutes in Scripture with your children, sharing the gospel with a friend or family member; these are just a few examples of how to make our lives count for something important. To do this, two things must purposefully take place in our lives. First, we need to be attentive to the leading of God’s Spirit to see these opportunities. Second, we need to leave enough space in our lives and schedules to be able to respond when God reveals them to us. When we do, God provides the reward. We step away with knowing our lives matter.