Stand Firm

 

1 Corinthians 15:58
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, 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.” (NIV) 

First Corinthians 15:58 has been my life verse for years. It reminds me that no matter what may come, I can serve the Lord with assurance that my service is not wasted. 

Speaking of standing, I thank God that He has allowed me to stand in some amazing, and vastly different, places: 

  • Hadrian’s Wall in northwestern England 

  • A beautifully painted, mud-hut chapel in the countryside of Zimbabwe 

  • The Lincoln Memorial, looking down the Mall in Washington, DC 

  • The white sand beaches of Grand Cayman 

  • The rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona 

I could list more, but you get the picture! I imagine you have memories of your own that flood your mind as you think about places you’ve stood.

Picturing each one brings back memories of the people I was with, the emotions I felt, and the beauty of the place.

But some of my favorite places to stand are atop mountain peaks, especially those with a 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside. I marvel at the vast expanse and stand in awe of God’s creative genius and beauty. 

I’ve also stood in some places where devastation occurred and beauty is hard to see. 

  • Biloxi, Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina wiped out thousands of homes and businesses

  • The poorest areas of Cuenca, Ecuador, and Antigua, Guatemala

  • The pulpit of a funeral for a 17-year-old girl in my youth group

  • The gas chambers of Auschwitz

As we enter this new year, we will inevitably stand in places of beauty and places of trial and devastation. Each one of us will stand in these places with other people and experience a variety of emotions. We might even witness beauty in places of devastation, often seen in how people love and serve one another in time of need.

But our ability to stand in the midst of the good and the bad is completely based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. He’s defeated sin, death, and Satan and provided us with life in Himself. With Him, we can stand firm through any circumstance.

Notice how this truth is contained in the context leading up to verse 58:

“Now I would remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you… that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Cor. 15:1-2, ESV)

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then, the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54b-57).

Dear Saints, we can stand in both good and bad circumstances because Jesus is victorious. Sin and death have been defeated and will ultimately be swallowed up in victory.

So let me say it again: “Therefore… stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord for we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

I pray that you give yourself fully to the Lord and His work in 2026.

Stand firm!

 
 
 
Daily Devotion, Identity in ChristDan StudtIdentity in ChristComment