Stand Firm

Stand Firm

William Wilberforce fought for twenty years to abolish the slave trade in the British Parliament. He was mocked, threatened, and repeatedly defeated. His health was poor and he nearly quit multiple times. A letter from John Wesley, written three days before Wesley's death, kept him going: 'Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might, till even American slavery shall vanish away... Be not weary in well doing.' Wilberforce stood firm. The Slave Trade Act passed in 1807. He wept. He went on to fight for full emancipation, which passed three days before his death in 1833. His labor was not in vain. Not one vote of it.

Paul's 'therefore' at 1 Corinthians 15:58 anchors the call to stand firm directly to the resurrection. Because Christ is raised, because death has been defeated, because the end of the story is written — therefore stand firm. The resurrection is not only about individual salvation; it is about the vindication of all faithful labor. Nothing done in Christ — no prayer, no service, no sacrifice, no act of love — is wasted. The Greek word translated 'in vain' (kenos) means empty, hollow. Your labor in Christ is not hollow. It is being counted and preserved and will be seen in the full light of eternity. This means you can keep going today — stand firm, let nothing move you — because what you're doing matters permanently.