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. (ESV)

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)

I struggle to comprehend ancient architecture. Massive structures that have watched empires rise and fall. 

Here’s a surprising fact: the Egyptian pyramids were already ancient ruins when Jesus’ family fled to Egypt (Matt. 2:13-15). They were already two and a half millennia old when Jesus may have seen them as a boy. Today, they are four and a half millennia old, still ancient and still standing.

It pains me to compare these ancient monuments to modern buildings. Modern buildings seem to be built just to fall apart. Entire neighborhoods of cookie-cutter homes are going up in months, with little to no vision of enduring for generations.

We can admit that work worth doing endures. It stands steadfast. It is immovable. It’s work that’s not in vain. But do we actually work and live that way?

Paul urges us to work like the ancient architects, pointing us toward work of real substance. Real value. Work that outlasts and outlives us. To Paul, this is “the work of the Lord.” 

When prayers for the lost seem to be unheard, keep working. 

When spiritual conversations seem to go in circles, keep working. 

When loving your neighbor seems to get stale, keep working. 

When there are a thousand tasks of little consequence you could do, work for the Lord. 

This work is much harder. More tedious. It may feel like it’s so slow it can’t be much good. But this work shapes us, and it builds our character. It’s work that takes endurance, and it’s worth it.

Written by Rainer Erani