Think back on your life; what have you accomplished? Have you completed work for the Lord or yourself? Understanding the fallen state of man, I know we have all done much for our own will and desires. But do not look back and worry about your mistakes of the past. Instead, repent and turn to the Lord for forgiveness and fix your focus on Jesus. Then, move forward in the future to work for Him.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Think about the work that you have done for the Lord. They are not little things, as you may think. They are the things that truly matter. One act accomplished for the Lord is great. The work you do for the kingdom of God and the will of Jesus Christ will last for all eternity. You may have achieved much for the Lord; either way, know that what you have done for Jesus has not been in vain. It has eternal value and will never pass away.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Colossians 3:23-25
Do not look back and be in sorrow because you have not seen a harvest. Refrain from feeling your work is unappreciated or you have not seen results. Be assured God has seen your good heart and your righteous deeds. He promises someday to acknowledge you for the good you have done.
And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Your labor for the Lord is never in vain. Just like the work accomplished throughout the week is not paid until later. You will be paid back a hundredfold for what you stored in Heaven because what you do for others and the Lord is essential. So keep it up, and don’t worry about the visible harvest. Every person you have touched will be revealed to you one day in Heaven, and your reward will be great. The Lord is working alongside you every moment. He will not let your work go unappreciated and unrewarded. It will be worth all the pain and struggle in the end.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11
You will one day put off this mortal coil and this weary life, fighting against the flesh, sin, and wickedness. So keep this in mind, the souls of the lost, the work ahead, and the rewards to come in the presence of the Lord. So many are affected by what you say and the message of hope you share.
We can’t even imagine the ripple effect of a single drop left by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping the brokenhearted. It reaches hearts and souls on the shores of foreign nations. The Spirit of the Lord goes before us and does the work we could never do but uses our words, hands, and feet to accomplish great things for His kingdom.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18
The effect in eternity far outweighs what you have suffered here. So keep trusting the Lord in all your ways and strive to follow and obey Him daily. The Lord holds the future and your daily life. The eternity of others may hinge upon one work of obedience and your straightforward proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember, your work for Jesus is never in vain.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:52-58
The Soul Sower 