Nothing Wasted

1 Corinthians 15:58 – 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 labour in the Lord is not in vain.

What this means is that what we do for God is never wasted. We had an illustration of this two weeks ago when Evelyn and Cathie, two members of our congregation, planned a Seniors Valentine Social. Amid games, readings and an old-time sing-along, they had invited a speaker, Diane, a member of another church, who had recently been elected to the local School Board. The organizers didn't tell her what to speak about, but she told the story of how she decided to run for the School Board. Her family had moved to town three years previously and decided to take a breather from their accustomed community involvement. After a year, unacceptable wording on a sign beside the condom machines in the High School washrooms became a public issue. Where they had come from, condom machines wouldn't even be allowed, so her husband phoned the School Board to get copies of minutes relating to how these machines were installed in the first place. Recorded there, Diane read how two women had undertaken the intimidating task of appearing before the School Board to make a presentation on The Myth of Safe Sex. Diane was so impressed that there were people in the community who would make such a strong stand, that she decided to run for the School Board. And she won. In her speech, she pointed out that, despite the presentation, the School Board had installed the machines anyway, and the two women must have felt like they had failed, but their work was not wasted. As a result of their presentation, the warning sign was posted, Not having sex is 100{8395b6ce96fcf25a14d80edc3b65c36a8995b6c1ba5f8c16ac11d8adaa79f35b} Safe, and the rewording of the sign prompted Diane to run for School Board. Then she revealed that the two women who had gone to the School Board were none other than Evelyn and Cathie!

So when you take on a project for the Lord, be assured that even if it looks like you have failed, nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted. His long-term plans incorporate even apparent failure into final success.

Prayer: Lord, give us Your strength, so that, in what we do for You, we do not become discouraged and weary in well-doing. Give us a glimpse into Your long term plans, in which we can have a part. Amen.