Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 HCSB)
Today as you are busy about your usual routine, stop and think about your attitude and motives. God is telling us to be enthusiastic, whatever you do. Whatever, basically means everything. Many Christians know this verse and wish that their children or spouses or coworkers would put this into practice, but how many of us convince ourselves that God couldn’t possibly expect us to be enthusiastic in the situation we are in right now.
“Yeah, but I have a boss that is so unfair.” “Yeah, but my mom is so annoying,” “Yeah, but this job is so oppressive.” Every “yeah, but…” is just one more way for the devil to steal away the reward God wants to give you.
The key is in knowing that whatever we do is to be done for the Lord and not for men. If you have an unkind boss who is difficult to work with, put your best into the job anyway with a smile and a determination in faith to resolve all problems and issues that crop up, and do it not because your boss deserves it, but as an offering to God. If you, as a student who still lives at home, has to deal with parents who don’t understand you, be the most thoughtful and obedient son or daughter you can be – not to win brownie points with them, but with a pure heart of offering your life to God.
God wants us to raise our eyes above all the pettiness of this crooked world and see that there is a world of perfect peace and justice that we can be a part of. When we work for Him, we allow Him to rescue us from injustice or misunderstandings or any kind of oppression. But when we operate in our flesh, we have a huge battle against the negative thoughts that flood our minds when we see the sinful behavior of others around us. And who knows, maybe even you are a frustrating and difficult person to be around too!
This may sound hard to do, but it actually lessens your load. As you practice doing all you do as an offering to God, you no longer have to agonize over the bad attitudes of everyone around you, because your attitudes have become pure. God takes care of the rest. The promise is that you will receive a reward of an inheritance from the Lord. An inheritance is only given to rightful heirs of a kingdom or estate. God will look at you as a true heir who He can reward with His own riches and blessings. You become royalty in His eyes, and have access to power and opportunities that faithless people can’t touch.
God loves to reward His children, and asks us to seek His rewards by obeying Him. Let’s all do an experiment throughout this week by choosing (not an emotional exercise, but a mental one) to be enthusiastic about all we do as an offering to our Lord Jesus Christ who we love, and just watch how very different our lives become.
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