When you live your life for God, your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58, KJV). You may get directions from Him about what to do or where to go and try to follow it. But when you do not see the desired result, you may wonder, “Did I miss the Lord’s leading? Didn’t I accomplish what I was supposed to do in the Lord?” Your labor is not in vain! The Lord is going to use it. Maybe you do not see the result of what God told you to do, but at some point, you will. God will take what is in your hand to perform a miracle down the road.
In John the sixth chapter, Yeshua (Jesus) saw that a large crowd was coming to Him. So He said to Philip, “‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?’ This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.’ One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ … Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world’” (John 6:5–14).1
This young Jewish boy brought what he had in his hand and offered it to the Lord. It was just a simple act; he did what he could do. Although the little things we do every day seem to be insignificant, the Lord can take them and create a miracle. The devil comes through to say, “What you’re doing is in vain. It’s not going to accomplish anything for you or the Lord or the Kingdom.” And that is a lie! Whatever you have, however small it may seem, if it is brought before the Lord and given to Him, He will create the miracle. Your labor is not in vain. Your life is not in vain. Your gift is not in vain. Exercise it and bring it to Yeshua. Let Him create the miracle. Do not despise what you have to offer. What is in your hand is enough for God to perform miracles.
Always remember that no matter how difficult it seems, your labor is not in vain. Go ahead, give the Lord your barley loaves and two fish. Let Him create the miracle. Have the faith that He can do it. Do your part. It is more important to the Kingdom than you can imagine. What you have, what you are, what you are doing is more important to the creation and building of God’s Kingdom than you can imagine. It is not what we are in our own strength; it is our faith in bringing what we have and letting Him be the One who performs the miracle. The little that we have can be the source of a miracle in God’s hands.
1 All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).