My wife's parents have moved into an assisted living place near Milwaukee. She and her three sisters have been spending a lot of time cleaning their old house and getting it ready to sell. Along with the cleaning and emptying of the house there has also been a dispersing of various possessions. We were recipients of a chest freezer and a wardrobe (a tall piece of furniture). Our daughter and her husband got a nice dining room set and a dresser. The problem was, how do we gat all those items transported to their destinations, the closest being two hours away. Answer? Rent a U-Haul truck!!
As we were finishing up with the move, my wife began to sweep out the truck. It was dark outside and the truck was dimly lit so naturally I asked, "Did you get everything? They will charge us to sweep it out again if they see anything." My wife swept it out again just to make me happy while I put on a pair of gloves and brushed any microscopic dust particles off the bumper. There's NO WAY I was going to be charged extra for not cleaning our the truck! That's when I recalled this verse and began to examine myself more closely.
"23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24
I began thinking of all the things that I had done in recent days, or should I say NOT done, with less zeal than I probably should have. Was I doing them "as for the Lord"? Nope. Then on Sunday our pastor spoke on the same topic . . . and used the same verse . . . Was I getting the message yet? We humans can be exceptionally dense, especially THIS one.
There are times when I am at home or at work performing a particular task that I am not really excited about doing. I might stop part way through to "take a break" and then not return to work for an hour or so. Is that working heartily as for the Lord?" I do not preform every task as if I was performing it for Jesus.
I am supposed to be building a wooden model of an old buggy for my sister. She asked me to and I agreed. Yet it has been sitting on my closet floor for weeks. As for The Lord?
This country is filled with people like me. People who don't want to work performing a task they previously agreed to do. It's all about us and our comfort, not about serving others. Why? Self satisfaction. I am my own worst enemy.As my wife and I driving to Milwaukee the other day were discussing the welfare state that we have created in this country. We were talking about how people have been smart enough to figure out how to receive income from our country without working for it. All a woman has to do it have a few kids, the more the better, and she can make more money than she can at holding down a full-time job. I wonder what God thinks about a system like that?
"10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." - 2 Thessalonians 3:10
We need to be taking our work more seriously. We need to be performing our tasks "as for the Lord." Anything less than that, we are only thinking about ourselves. This weekend? That buggy is going down! The fireplace I've been dinking around with for weeks? Git 'er done!!! May we ALL perform our duties, the chores we have been given, the homework, the yard work, even cleaning the litter boxes, as if we were doing them at the command of Jesus. Get the work done and get it behind us. And then grab your Bible and read Matthew 25:21.
"21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’" - Matthew 25:21
Working For A Living - Huey Lewis and The News
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