What a Victory We Have in Jesus! Part Three

We are to abound in “the work of the Lord.” What is the work of the Lord? Our Lord allows us contact with other persons in order that we might serve them in His name. That is the work of the Lord. As Christ came not to be ministered unto but to minister, so we must all perpetually be ministers to one another in His holy name. What God considers is how we behave toward others. How much of a loving spirit do we show?

Do we evidence a gracious forgiving attitude,
a willingness to return good for evil,
to speak a helpful word of release to those 
who are captives of their own bad habits,
to help set free those oppressed by wrong, 
hateful attitudes,
to bind up the broken hearted, 
and open the eyes of the blind.

Be assured, such labor is not in vain. The ultimate confirmation of this will come in our inevitable victory celebration called “the day of the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19) 

Our supreme victory is spoken of in I Corinthians 15 in the verses preceding our text. It is summed up in verse 40. We are there referred to as having what  is called a “terrestrial” body. That is, a body perfectly suited for life on planet earth. Outside the sphere of earth’s atmosphere it isn’t perfectly suited. Capsules or space suits have to be used to sustain life outside our natural realm.

In death the believer is given a new body, a “celestial” body.  As our natural body is perfectly suited for life on this planet, so this new celestial body will be perfectly suited for life in Heaven.

You, the real you, will never cease existing. Just because you exit your natural body at the moment of death does not mean you cease to exist. In truth that isn’t the termination of life. It is the end of life in the terrestrial body. It is the beginning of life in the celestial body.

At that point it will be obvious your labor wasn’t in vain.

Now, note I Corinthians 15: 57 once more: “Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Greek word for gives is “didonti,” meaning to “bestow or grant.”

We don’t win it. We can’t earn, merit, or deserve it. It is a gift of God. For it the author says “Thanks!”

Imagine someone offering you a desired and needed gift. For you to say “No, thanks” means the gift isn’t yours. It doesn’t matter how lovingly sincere the giver is or what was paid for the gift, it isn’t yours until you say “Thanks” and take it. God wants to give you the gift of eternal life and the assurance of His presence with you daily. For you to share the victory you must be open and receptive to accepting Christ’s shared victory.