Does What We Do Matter?
"Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
I
dropped my forehead to my hand with a sigh, “I don’t know how I’m going
to get it all done.” My friend’s voice crackled through the phone: “You
have to give yourself some credit. You’re doing a lot.” He then listed
the things I was trying to do—maintain a healthy lifestyle, work, do
well in graduate school, write, and attend a Bible study. I wanted to do
all these things for God, but instead I was more focused on what I was
doing than how I was doing it—or that perhaps I was trying to do too
much.
Paul reminded the church in Colossae that they were to live in a way that glorified God. Ultimately, what they specifically did on a day-to-day basis was not as important as how they did it. They were to do their work with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12), to be forgiving, and above all to love (vv. 13–14) and to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 17). Their work wasn’t to be separated from Christlike living.
What we do matters, but how we do it, why, and who we do it for matters more. Each day we can choose to work in a stressed-out way or in a way that honors God and seeks out the meaning Jesus adds to our work. When we pursue the latter, we find satisfaction.
Paul reminded the church in Colossae that they were to live in a way that glorified God. Ultimately, what they specifically did on a day-to-day basis was not as important as how they did it. They were to do their work with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12), to be forgiving, and above all to love (vv. 13–14) and to “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 17). Their work wasn’t to be separated from Christlike living.
What we do matters, but how we do it, why, and who we do it for matters more. Each day we can choose to work in a stressed-out way or in a way that honors God and seeks out the meaning Jesus adds to our work. When we pursue the latter, we find satisfaction.
Reflect & Pray
In
what ways do you do things out of need or obligation rather than for
God’s glory?
How do you think meaning is found in Christ rather than accomplishments?
How do you think meaning is found in Christ rather than accomplishments?
Jesus,
forgive me for the times I stress over what I’m trying to accomplish.
Help me to instead seek to accomplish things for Your glory.
Help me to instead seek to accomplish things for Your glory.
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, and all in the name of love. I always feel like I have to much to do. Every night when I go to bed, I think of the things I did not accomplish. I am focusing way too much on what I am doing and not how I am doing it.
ReplyDeleteI feel I do things a lot out of obligation, because it's apart of what I am supposed to do. Instead we need to be open to doing things for God because He has perfectly ordained it for us. We do a lot on t his material world for ourselves or to gain approval from others. What if we paused took a large step back and realized we are supposed to be doing EVERYTHING for HIM. Not for our friends, for ourselves, or our co-workers (ect). How do we get to a point where we are happy with what God has given us and we are content with lifting everything up to him.
ReplyDeleteThe "how" and the "why" really do matter. Our motivation is so important to what we do. Is this the difference between doing things out of duty instead of doing them in love?
ReplyDelete