For
the Lord, Not Men
And
whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.—Colossians
3:23
There is an important difference between doing something for people and doing
something for God. God always deserves our best effort. People will disappoint
us, betray us, neglect us, and mistreat us. Some will constantly ask for what we
can give while offering nothing in return. From our human perspective, these
people deserve our minimal effort at best. What then should motivate us to serve
people, except our love for God? God deserves our love, and He demands that we
love others in the same way He does. We are to love our spouses, not as they
deserve, but as God commands (Eph. 5:22–33).
We are to treat our friends, not as they treat us, but as Christ loves us (John 13:14). We
are to labor at our jobs, not in proportion to the way our employer treats us,
but according to the way God treats us. God is the One we serve (Eph. 6:5).
Mediocrity and laziness have no place in the Christian's life. Christians
must maintain integrity at home and in the workplace. Working for God, as
opposed to working for other people, changes our perspective as we view our
endeavors in light of what He has done for us. Our toil then becomes an offering
to God. We not only worship God at church on Sunday, but our labor throughout
the week is an offering of worship and thanksgiving to the One who has given us
everything we have. When people do not measure up to our expectations and we
feel our efforts are being wasted, we must keep in mind that we are toiling for
holy God. He is worthy of our best effort. —Experiencing God Day by Day
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