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Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, 

knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance.

It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

~ Col 3:23-24

 

Good morning beloved sister!

Every time I settle in here; my favorite writing spot, with Nutmeg at my feet, a tiny breeze coming from the fan over my head, I am moved to give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and blessings! I can see flowers that I have not planted growing, I can hear a turtle dove cooing from her nest in our tamarack tree (which looks like something out of Dr. Suess’ world).

I also hear a buzz saw, cars coming & going, neighbors talking, lawnmowers mowing…… the signs of other life! For plants, I suppose their work is growing and producing seeds for the next generation. For Nutmeg, she works very hard at sleeping. For people, we work for food, shelter, clothing, and the pleasures of life.

If you read the verse above quickly, you might think it’s talking about doing the “Lord’s work”, such as ministry, evangelizing, making disciples, praying, and preaching. These are works of the Lord, to be sure, but It’s interesting here that Paul says, whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord, not for people.

As followers of Jesus, we don’t have ‘religious work’ and ‘worldly work’. Whatever we do, if we do it for His sake, will be holy and sanctified, worthy of an inheritance from Him whom we serve. Our eternal inheritance isn’t measured by the rank or importance of our ‘job’. According to this scripture, our reward is measured by the response of our heart, in giving all that we do to the Lord. 

In other words, it’s not a matter of deeds, but a matter of attitude.(and we all at times have plenty of that!) From the simplest task to the most crushing responsibility, if we are not working with an attitude of devotion to the Lord, if we are not pleasing Him in our activities or attitudes of our hearts, then it counts for nothing in an eternal sense. 

A funny thing happens when I do my work heartily, that is, as unto the Lord! It almost seems like a bonus when I perform a simple task, to the best of my ability, with praise and thankfulness in my mind, knowing that the Lord is pleased when I am washing clothes to His glory! Or when I am preparing a thoughtful meal for my family. Or when I shop according to the budget that has been set in His wisdom!

I was reminded of this principle as I spent time in the church nursery last week. Playing with the children, I noticed that they were playing to not only please themselves, but to please me as I interacted with them. They would accomplish something, I would praise them and they would delight in doing it again and again, looking for my “reward” of laughter or praise. 

Perhaps as adults, we leave this childish desire to please behind as we tackle our grown up work, but we must remember; we, even as mature humans, are God’s children!

If we do our work heartily, like a child immersed at play (which is their ‘work’, by the way) as if we are working for the most powerful, benevolent boss of the universe (which we are), we will reap the most powerful, benevolent rewards in the world to come!

Working heartily also means working intentionally, with attention to detail and even a mind to make improvements in technique or method. As children of God, we should always be moving forward, perhaps thinking, ‘how can I do this better, more efficiently or have a better end result’?

If you work as unto the Lord, He will supply you with work that will be edifying to you! No matter your position, plight or phantoms; do the work God has given you to do and do it with all your heart! He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Learn from a child; if such a one will do their work heartily to please a mere human being, making them smile or delight in their efforts, HOW MUCH MORE will be our inheritance of pleasing the Living God, Who knows each of us by name? One smile from my God will sustain me for all eternity.

How about this week if you perform your least favorite task as unto the Lord? I’d love to hear about your experience!

The Lord will bless you as you draw closer to Him, even in the mundane tasks of life!

With love, your sister, Celeste