by Shannon Caughey

Have you ever thought about how Easter impacts the way you coach? Not in a “if our team doesn’t rise from the dead, we’re not going to win” way. Rather, because of what Easter represents, it changes how we go about life, including our approach to thinking about and carrying out coaching. Let’s consider why this is true.

Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Three days after his death by crucifixion, Jesus rose bodily from the grave. This is amazing and has implications for our eternity and for our lives here and now. Christ’s resurrection verifies his identity as God’s Son and his ability to rescue us from being eternally separated from God because of our sin. It shows his authority to reconcile us to God. The resurrection of Jesus also solidifies the significance of what we do day by day. That’s one of the main points the Apostle Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 15, his great chapter on the resurrection.

Paul opens 1 Corinthians 15 by reminding us of the good news of what Jesus has done for us: “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” (vv. 3-4). More than 500 people saw Jesus after his resurrection and would have been willing to give sworn testimony that it’s true (vv. 5-8). Paul then goes on to explain why Jesus’ resurrection guarantees the future resurrection of all who trust and follow Christ.

Admittedly, 1 Cor. 15 is a complex chapter that we may find confusing at places without some help in unpacking Paul’s argument. But think of it like a well-designed football play. The play has lots of different components that make it seem complex—blocking schemes, players in motion, routes by the receivers, fakes by the quarterback—but it’s all driving toward one desired end: score a touchdown! Similarly, with all the different components of 1 Cor. 15, Paul is driving toward one desired end: he wants us to understand that because Jesus’ resurrection is real and therefore our future resurrection is real, it makes all the difference for our everyday lives.

This is Paul’s point in the last verse of 1 Cor. 15: “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (v. 58). Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we know that the gospel is true and our future is secure. And because of the resurrection, we know that how we live now matters for all eternity. We apply the gospel day by day to every area, trusting Jesus and his victory over sin, death, and the enemy of our souls. The way we speak, act, and relate to others is guided by the promises Jesus gives to us who trust and follow him—because Christ’s resurrection assures us that he will fulfill every promise he’s made.

We do everything “enthusiastically for the Lord”—including coaching—because we “know that nothing [we] do for the Lord is ever useless.” It is not in vain. In discussing the meaning of 1 Cor. 15:58 in his book Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright says this of everything we do day by day that flows out of our love for the Lord and our desire to honor him: “All of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation that God will one day make… [W]hat we do in Christ and by the Spirit in the present is not wasted. It will last all the way into God’s new world. In fact, it will be enhanced there.”

Because this is true, in everything you do, be strong and immovable in doing it for Christ! Always coach for Christ, work for Christ, and serve others for Christ. Always live for Christ. Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless, whether as a coach or in any other area of your life. It matters for all eternity. Day by day, coach and live in light of Easter.

For reflection: How does 1 Cor. 15:58 encourage you? How does this verse challenge you to reconsider the way you approach coaching and day-to-day life? Talk with God about these things.