Stay Put. Don't Quit. Jesus Wins!

Scripture

56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:56-58

Observation

I think we could all use a little perspective refresh and boy does Paul bring it in this morning’s reading. Stay Put. Don’t Quit. Jesus Wins! You may feel like what you’re doing is thankless, but it sure isn’t useless. Paul is telling the church in Corinth, surrounded by evil and sin, that they have already won through Christ. If Death is defeated then we shouldn’t be discouraged. In light of Christ’s victory we aren’t meant to live as victims to our circumstances, but as victorious through the Cross! Tripp writes, “This is the sharpest and the shrillest note, the boldest and the bravest challenge, that ever man rang in the ears of death … Death is here out-braved, called craven to his face, and bidden to do his worst.” “Oh death, where is your sting” is our rallying cry in a time when it feels that many dreams have died and are never coming back. Now is not a time for retreat, but advance. Now is not a time to shrink back, but to press forward and claim the ground Jesus paid for! Christians aren’t just supposed to go through the motions, but to move enthusiastically with the Lord where we wake, work, and worship. In light of what Jesus has done, those very places where we feel the most useless He wants to use us to show His glory. In the places we want to quietly resign, God is calling us to re-sign up for His purposed plan!

Application

Have you heard of “Quiet Quitting”? It’s the concept of no longer going above and beyond at work, and instead doing the bare minimum of what a job description requires. Apparently, this is a response to the reimagining of work/life balance caused by the global pandemic. Working remote, cutting out early on Fridays, or not even showing up to work if something better comes along is now a trend in an already struggling work force. Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post and CEO at Thrive, wrote in a viral LinkedIn post, “Quiet quitting isn’t just about quitting on a job, it’s a step toward quitting on life.” I’m seeing this “Quiet Quitting” with Christians after the disappointment of the midterms who are wanting to leave California. Literally, Republican candidate Robby Starbuck was tweeting, “If you’re a Republican voter living in a blue state and blue congressional district then it’s time to make a plan to leave. Life will only get worse… in the hell you live in.” An argument can be made that if so many Christians hadn’t already quit on California we could have made seen a real change for conservative values in the ballot results. But, the real change we need to see won’t happen there anyway. It will happen when we actually live the way Scripture commands us to, “strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” And yet, I’ve seen this same “quiet quitting” trend in the Christian Church. With over 50% simply disconnecting from Christian community during the Pandemic and a growing number of those who are left quietly quitting on their faith expression. Oh, they will still show up to service on Sunday, but at about half the amount they were before. They still want the same level of care, but are less likely to contribute to the overall health of their Christian Community. Paul was addressing this in the church in Corinth so obviously it’s not a new thing, but it is concerning. This is why Paul brings it back to what Christ did on the Cross. It’s not about sustaining the same level of church programs that we had pre-pandemic. It was time for many of those to go anyway. It is about staying put, refusing to quit, and working with enthusiasm to show the love Jesus demonstrated on the Cross for all of our neighbors here in California.

Prayer

Thank You Jesus for this fresh reminder that You are up to something big here in California. No matter how hard it may get, in the end You Win! You have called us to be consistent in our character, persistent in our passion for the lost, insistent on Your promises through intercession, and resistant to the siren’s song to retreat. Now is not the time to quit. You didn’t quit when you faced the horrors of The Cross so how can I even consider quitting on what You have planned to do right here? I give you every place where what I'm doing for you feels useless and I trust Your promise that is useful in Your hands.