I was reading in Ephesians this morning about how we should serve.
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Eph 6:6
This message is repeated again in Colossians 3:22-23. and whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Col 3:23
There are a couple of messages that stand out to me in these few verses. First, we have to keep our eyes on Christ. It is so easy, especially nowadays, to lose sight of your original intention. There are so many distractions to avoid. Navigating a servants life is akin to navigating an obstacle course – just when you think you have it licked, there comes another trap. This is where cultivating a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit can really come in handy. He can guide you thru all the pitfalls – doing things for the wrong reason, seeking accolades for your services, caring more about the recognition of your efforts than the person you are trying to assist. That’s not to say we shouldn’t get encouragement. We in fact need encouragement to keep us motivated. But if what you are doing is geared more towards what Sue Smith will think rather than what God will think, we may have a problem. If you go into service expecting to be praised for your efforts, again we may have a problem.
Our true motivation for any service we do is to glorify God. We are the mirrors of His love. Every time our eyes leave Him, we add a dark spot or crack to our mirror. Easily fixed by refocusing, but a blemish for others to see all the same.
The second thing that struck me from these verses was the concept of giving 100%. Whatsoever you do, do it heartily . Wow… that one hurts. How many times have you shown up for work and just not felt like working, so put in minimal effort to get thru the day? Shown up to volunteer for something mentally lambasting yourself for ever signing up and trying to figure out the quickest way to exit stage left? Shown up to church, mind more on how bad your feet hurt and boy do you wish you had worn some other shoes, than on praising and worshiping God. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Consider me convicted. I’m guilty. Happens more often than I’d care to admit. God doesn’t want us to put forth the minimal of anything He’s gifted us with.
I know for me, this truly makes me reevaluate my attitude prior to starting things. As they say, “Better check yourself, before you wreck yourself”.
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