Working for the Lord

Working for the Lord

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, as you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Every once in a while I randomly open my Bible to see if there is a message that’s waiting just for me on that particular day. Quite obviously, this verse from Colossians is the nugget that I found today. Before I get into this, I want to share something that I’ve noticed about myself, and I’m wondering if it’s happened to you as well.

I can read a passage from Scripture today and interpret its meaning as best that I can. (I’ll confess that the meaning of some passages is easily discernable while I have to read others several times to gain some understanding.) I can go back to that same verse the next day, and see it from a totally different perspective, seemingly with a “new set of eyes.” It’s as if I’d never read it at all before! Does that ever happen to you?

That’s exactly what happened to me today!

But first…

I feel lead to tell you that the writings of Paul are among my favorite in the Bible. I don’t know if this is due to the fact that my dad’s name was Paul, or that my grandson’s middle name is Paul, or that as a child I was Baptized in and attended St. Paul’s Church and School here in Birmingham.

Actually, I guess that I connect with Paul largely because of the similarities in our lives. We both had life-altering experiences; Paul was thrown off of a horse, blinded by a white light, and heard the voice of God, whereas I was simply slapped on the head by the Holy Spirit! We both turned our lives over to God, and were filled with a passion to seek Him and to spread the good news of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with no regard as to what others thought of us. And lastly, we both chose the written word to share this news when our voices were silent.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…

Work

The first few times that I read the verse I associated it with work, as in a job. And I’ll be honest with you in saying that it never made sense to me. I worked to make money, which was used to pay bills, to keep a roof over my head, and of course, to eat! Work was something that I had to do, and I just couldn’t bring myself to approach it as if doing it for the Lord. Besides, I never was proud of what I did, so I figured that if I was gonna put my heart in it for Him, then He was gonna have to give me something that I enjoyed doing. By the time that I celebrated my fiftieth birthday I figured that any chance of a career change was out of the question. I had also resigned myself to the fact that I was never gonna do anything career-related that I’d be happy with and/or proud of.

God had other plans.

Only God could have made it possible for the changes that occurred in my life! (If you want to know all the details you can go to the top of the home page and check out the link that reads A Seed Was Planted.) And that’s exactly what He did…

He gave me a shot of courage, and then put us in a new place with the chance to make a fresh start. Then He put just the right people in front of me at just the right time, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It’s kinda funny the way that things unfolded. I had the same job, in the same industry, with many of the same people; yet everything was different. How so?

Well, I made a 100% commitment to change my perspective on everything that I did, not only in our business, but in every walk of my life. And I asked God to help me. Actually, I did more than that; I invited God to take control of my life.

Looking back on that day (and I do remember the precise moment), I realize now that the commitment that I made was, not to myself, but to Him. Of course I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time, but He did, and that’s all it took. It would prove to be not only a life-altering moment, but the life-altering moment.

Since then…

Wow, so much has changed since that moment in time…

Each day I try to give everything that’s in me to everything that I do in every walk of life; my marriage to Jackie, relationships, work, and church. I try to be the best person that I can be each day, not only for me, but for those around me. Many have defined The Seed of Hope and my role in our salon as being a ministry, and both get the best that I have to give.

I quite simply will not allow myself to give less than my very best in everything that I do. Why not?

It took me a long time to realize that you can never get more out of something than you put into it. If we only invest 50% of what’s in us, how can we honestly expect to receive 100% in return? This applies to everything that we do in life. Give a little, receive a little. Give a lot, receive a lot. It’s that simple.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…

So, how does God figure into my plans each day as it pertains to the quote from scripture?

Easy answer. You see, every morning I dedicate my entire day to Him.

Father, I dedicate this day, and all that I do in it, to You. Help me to be the very best that I can be in everything that I do. Give me what I need to walk in Your way. Allow me to be, not just a light that shines for You, but a beacon of light that all may see.

Look, I’m not telling you that you have to commit each day of your life to God. I am suggesting that you invite Him to be a part of everything that you do. If you’re willing to do this, you’ll find that you have an increased awareness of who you are and what you do. You’ll find that you have more accountability for your actions. You’ll find that your life will become richer, fuller, and will have more meaning than ever before. And best of all, you’ll find that your relationship with God will grow deeper and stronger that you can imagine.

If you’re only willing to give 50% of what you have and what you do to God, how can you ever receive 100% of what He has planned for you?

See you next week.