Our life and witness for Jesus Christ are not in vain.

我们为基督而活，为祂做见证，绝不会徒然。

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. 1 Corinthians 15:58

所以，我亲爱的弟兄们，你们务要坚固，不可摇动，常常竭力多做主工，因为知道你们的劳苦，在主里面不是徒然的。-哥林多前书15章58节

A financial advisor I know describes the reality of investing money by saying, “Hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.” With almost every decision we make in life there is uncertainty about the outcome. Yet there is one course we can follow where no matter what happens, we know that in the end it will not be a wasted effort.

我认识的一位理财顾问，曾经这么描述投资理财的现实层面，他说：“抱最好的希望，作最坏的打算。”的确，在生活中，几乎我们所做的每一个决定，都无法确定会带来什么后果。然而，有一个我们所做的决定，其结果是肯定的，不论发生什么事，我们都可以确信所付出的努力，到最后都不是徒然。

The apostle Paul spent a year with the followers of Jesus in Corinth, a city known for its moral corruption. After he left, he urged them in a follow-up letter not to be discouraged or feel that their witness for Christ was of no value. He assured them that a day is coming when the Lord will return and even death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:52–55).

新约圣经中的哥林多是个道德败坏的城市，使徒保罗曾住在那里一年的时间，教导那里的信徒。保罗离开以后，仍然写信给哥林多的信徒，敦促他们不要气馁，也不要认为他们为基督做的见证毫无果效。保罗要他们确信，当主再来的日子，死亡要被得胜所吞灭（哥林多前书15章52-55节）。

Remaining true to Jesus may be difficult, discouraging, and even dangerous, but it is never pointless or wasted. As we walk with the Lord and witness to His presence and power, our lives are not in vain! We can be sure of that.

忠心跟随耶稣也许会面临困难、沮丧，甚至是危险，但这一切都绝不是毫无意义或是白费功夫。当我们与主同行，见证祂的同在与大能，我们的生命就绝对不会徒然，这是毋庸置疑的！

Lord, in these days of uncertainty, we hold fast to Your promise that our labor for You will accomplish Your purpose and be of great value in Your eyes.

主啊，世事变幻莫测，我们要紧紧抓住祢的应许，深知我们在主里的劳苦能满足祢的心意，并在祢眼中看为宝贵。

1 Corinthians 15:50-58New International Version (NIV)

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[a]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”[b]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 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.

整理：于姊妹