For Him, Not Them

This morning, I read Colossians 3:23, which says “and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” To me, it served as a wake up call, and I wondered if you needed one too. I get it. It’s March. The new year feeling is long gone. Midnight has lost its magical sparkle. Gyms are empty. Some old attitudes have returned. Relationships that we said we’d cut may or may not be back in action. In some ways, we’ve lost our….umph. Why?

….life. Life has a way of…happening. Life has a way of happening in a way that makes you forget why on earth you started this journey. Life has a way of making you wonder why on earth you thought this year would be ‘your year’. Life has a way of taking things from you so fast, and with so much force, that you get distracted. People come into your life, and get on your nerves. You get a new job…and it wears you out. You get into school…and feel like you’re drowning in homework. Life has a way of making you forget that this isn’t about you; it’s about Him. We get lazy because of…life. We get discouraged, because of…life. We lose our heart and our sensitivity because of…life. Well, to me, Colossians 3:23 is the Bible’s response to “…life.” It’s a call to shift your focus, reset your priorities, and get back in the game.

    Today’s scripture basically instructs us to give 100% effort into whatever we do…as if it were our offering to God, not for people. It places a responsibility on us to stop focusing on people, to lift up our eyes to the hills, and give it all we've got. Focusing on people is a terribly misguided concept anyway. People will often forget what we do for them. Sometimes, people don’t even recognize all that we do for them. You can invest all that you have to people, and never get a return. When you work for the approval of people, you place your identity and your reward into their limited hands. When you live for the applause, the silence of the crowd is deadly. However, I’ve learned that when you put all of who you are in God, God will put all of who He is in you. When you work to make God’s name great, He’ll make your name great. God never forgets what you do for or offer to Him, and He refuses to receive more than He’s given. Basically, when you give 100% to God, God will give 100% to you. 
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     I believe that it’s incredibly important to take a pause for the cause and recognize that God does not open doors for your sake. God does not open doors (or grant new opportunities) because you’ve been so good this week. God didn’t get you into that school just because you needed a degree. God didn’t give you that job just because He wanted you to be rich and get a new house. God didn’t send you that spouse because He didn’t want you to be lonely for Valentine’s Day anymore. Every time God opens a door, He opens it trusting you to make His, not your, name great. He opened that door, gave you that spouse, got you into that school, gave you that job, etc. knowing that through you, He’d get the glory.  He placed you on that job, in that school, etc. trusting that you’d give it, and more importantly, that you’d give Him 100%. Elevation isn’t about you; it’s about Him. 

     I’m here today to remind you of why you should do what you do. Everything, everything that you do should be done as if it’s your offering to God. Like literally…everything you do. I’m saying that whether you’re washing dishes, preaching, exercising, singing, working, or resting, you should treat is as an act of worship and reverence to God. Everything that you do, should be done as if God is watching. If what you did today was all that could be used to show God how much you cared, would He be able to see that you loved Him? Or just that you hate your job? Will I see God’s love in the title things in your life? Or will I simply see your pain? What’s magnified and/or glorified in what you do? God? Or your struggle? 

     Colossians 3:23 encourages us to magnify God in all that we do. We shouldn’t do it out of fear or because we are truly scared of God; we should do it because we recognize that we’re here to make His name great. Do everything that you do as if God deserves it. Treat the little things as if God could take it and completely show out (because He can). The following verse encourages us that pay day is coming, but this one reminds us to push. When you're tired, push. When you're lonely, push. When you don't want to do what you've been called to do in this season, push. When you don't understand what He's doing or why He's put you here, push.

     This isn't a guarantee that you won't get tired. This doesn't mean that you'll float on Jesus every day, and never get sick & tired. This doesn't mean that you won't be confused. This doesn't mean that you'll be a mini-god, without a care in the world. It does, however mean that you will have the King of Kings, the Undefeated One, the Great I Am on your side. It means that when you get tired, He'll give you rest. When you get weak, He'll be your strength. When you get confused, He'll give clarity. Most importantly, it means that as you give to Him, He'll give to you. So this week, I encourage you to get up, dust yourself off, and to do everything with all of your heart, as if it goes straight to God. Then watch God come straight to you.

Background music: Go Hard - Lecrae & I Give Myself Away - William McDowell 

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