September 22
Isaiah 37-38
Psalm 106:6-12
Proverbs 23:15-16
Colossians 3:18-4:1
Motivation
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
My parents and grandparents taught me by words and example to work hard and always do my very best. They taught me that no matter what I am doing I have a responsibility to give it my all. I may not like my boss and I may find myself doing something I don’t enjoy, but if I have made a commitment to do it, I need to do it well. Brian and I tried to instill this in our children as well. You finish what you start, and you do your best to do it well. I am afraid that this is something that is not being taught in our world today. It is evident all around us. Most people get by with doing as little as they possibly can, when they don’t like what they are doing they just quit, and they are not being held accountable for sloppy work. As Christians this should not be said of us. We must be different. In a world of complacency, laziness, and half-hearted effort, we need to stand out. We should be the ones who are always on time, work hard, stay late to finish the job, always keep our word, and don’t grumble and complain. We should be reliable, loyal, dependable, and trustworthy. If we promise to do something, we better do it. If we bear the name of Christ, everything we do reflects on Him.
Sometimes it is difficult to find the motivation to work with excellence. It is much easier to just do what we must do to get by. It is easier to be like everyone else. Why should we put in the extra effort when no one else does and when it often isn’t appreciated? This verse provides us with the motivation we need. Even when no one else notices what we are doing, God does. He sees everything we do. He sees when we honor our commitments. He sees when we work hard and always do our best. He appreciates when we are reliable and dependable and trustworthy. We may not like our earthly masters: our bosses, parents, teachers, government officials, etc. We may not agree with them. They may not be worthy of our respect and loyalty. But if God has placed them over us in any capacity, we have a responsibility to honor them. Realizing that ultimately, we aren’t serving them, but we are serving God makes it a lot easier to submit to their authority and do our work with excellence and integrity. God will reward our efforts. He is the source of our provision, and we can depend on His faithfulness.
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