1 Corinthians 15:58

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the Lord.

'Wherefore' -the conclusion.

'be ye stedfast' -1476. hedraios hed-rah'-yos; from. derivative of hezomai (to sit); sedentary, i.e. (by implication) immovable: -settled, stedfast.

-'continue to be firm, incapable of being moved' (Wms); 'hold your ground' (Mof); 'Stand firm...and let nothing move you' (Beck) 'Keep on becoming stedfast, unshaken. Let the skeptics howl and rage.' (Robertson p. 199) From the context, stedfast and unmoveable in the gospel which Paul preached to them. (1 Corinthians 15:1)

'unmoveable' -'Be not shifted from your position' (Lenski p. 753) (Ephesians 4:14) An open mind is only useful, if it is open to truth. (Colossians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

'always abounding in the work of the Lord' -'work for the Lord always, work without limit' (NEB). What. word for the thousands who work, pray, give, suffer AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE!' (Lenski p. 754)

'The attitude of doing as little as we can get by with doing is foreign to the spirit of Christianity. We are to have this attitude ALWAYS and not (just) for. few weeks after we are baptized' (Willis p. 592)

'forasmuch as ye know' -do you "know" this? Here is the motive for such diligence.

'that your labor is not vain in the Lord' -'because you know that your labor in the service of the Lord is never thrown away' (Wms); 'you know that NOTHING you do for the Lord IS EVER WASTED..'(Tay)

Since death ends nothing for the Christian, since Jesus was victorious over death, what we do in this life for God MEANS EVERYTHING! No we are not men to be pitied, WE ARE PEOPLE WITH AN ETERNAL PURPOSE!