Daily Devotions

Friday, April 17, 2026

This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

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 15:58)

In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, the author of the book, is unflinching in his assessment of our life in this world—especially what it’s like apart from knowing God. “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” That’s the unforgettable refrain of the book. In itself, all is transient, temporary, even absurd.

At one point Solomon turns his attention to our work. He writes, “What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23). He looks at his labor and says, “If this life is all we’ve got, then what’s the point of all our work?”

According to Ecclesiastes, it’s like we’re all just making sandcastles by the seashore. Some might build grand, impressive sandcastles that win the admiration of all the onlookers. Others might just build humble little sand-huts. But all of them will likewise be washed away by the tide of time. All that labor is in vain. So it can seem.

Maybe you know this feeling. In view of the tide of time, the sting of sin, and the press of death, it can feel as though all of our work, all of our toil, all of our labor is in vain. Like it’s nothing more than making sandcastles by the seashore that we know will be washed away.

The apostle Paul says, not so. Instead, he gives the reassuring encouragement: “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.” How can this be true?

When Jesus died, was crucified, when He was laid in the tomb, it looked like the greatest waste of all. Here was vanity at its uttermost absurdity. Even the Son of God succumbs to the tide of time? Even Christ Jesus gets wiped out by the grave? What hope could there be for any of us?

But Jesus did not stay dead. The grave did not have the last word. God the Father raised His Son from the dead and said, “I will not let My Holy One see corruption” (see Psalm 16:10). I will not let His life be lived in vain. He shall be raised incorruptible, imperishable, indomitable, never to die again—and instead He will establish an eternal city with rock-solid foundations, a kingdom that has no end.

For you who trust in Christ, the resurrected Lord, your life is no sandcastle on the seashore. Instead, you yourself are the holy temple of our Lord, founded on the rock of Jesus’ indestructible life. And because He lives, Paul says, our labors carried out in Him, by faith in Him—however small or insignificant as they may seem—those labors are not in vain. Even more than that: In the eyes of our loving Lord, they are of extraordinary worth—more glorious than you and I could ever know.

WE PRAY: Gracious Lord, thank You that because of Your risen Son, my life and labor are not in vain. Give me Your Holy Spirit that I might live with confidence in His finished work. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Ryan Tinetti.

Reflection Questions:

In what ways have you experienced the sense of vanity that Solomon spoke about, especially when it comes to your work?
Are there any ways that you have already seen God’s promise being fulfilled that our labor is not in vain?
Paul uses the language of “steadfast and immovable.” What does that look like in everyday life?

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