Listen up, little ones
Listen for the words work or labor.
Reading
1 Corinthains 15:50-58—Labor Not in Vain
Optional Reading
Eccles 1:12-18
Keys for kids
- Work can be hard.
- Hard doesn’t have to mean unhappy.
- In Jesus our work counts.
Questions
- What is unhappy about work sometimes?
- How can we be sure our work is not in vain?
- How does the resurrection affect our work?
Notes
The Preacher of Ecclesiastes concluded that God has given man an “unhappy business” to be busy with. However, that is NOT the best that we can do! We, of course, have more of the story given to us now than the Preacher did. We know more than just work hard at all you have to do because you’ll be dead soon (Eccles 9:10). We know that in our labor we are serving Christ (Col 3:23). And, from our text here, we know that death is not the end. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we too will be raised from the dead. And, because we will be raised, our labor in the Lord Jesus is not in vain.
Stephen Um asks and answers, what does the resurrection mean for us? If Jesus rose from the dead, what does this mean for humanity? What does the reality of the resurrection say about the present circumstances and future prospects for God’s people? … The ultimate victory is already possessed by the believer, so he no longer needs to live an anxiety-ridden life in an attempt to win life—it has already been won. He can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. … But paradoxically it is this very freedom that allows the believer to work diligently, to work well, and to work with hope.
So, work hard—in the Lord. Even on days when it seems like you are only busy with unhappy business. Even if you are, that is not the final answer. You are working for Jesus. He makes the unhappy happy!
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 90b, 34a
Prayer
- Rejoice that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
- Give thanks for something from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.