Whatever you do

Colossians 3:23-24 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.  (NKJV).

James MacPherson, who wrote the book Accidental Youth Leader, said this;

“The greatest famine in the world today is one of purpose”.

I tend to agree.  In secular fields, there is a lot written and blogs published devoted to ‘finding your life purpose’.  People are looking for the wonder of knowing they’re in their sweet spot, doing what they were ‘purposed’ to do.

(Which is an amazing opportunity to invite them into a relationship with Christ, Who gives life eternal, and purpose on earth.)

Many Christians too are also looking for their God-given call, their God-ordained life’s work, His purpose for their life.  I have met a lot of these.  But also, I am glad to say, many have discovered His plan for their life, their gifts and talents, and are working from those strengths and that place of anointing and are fulfilled to be in that place.

This is not a discussion about discovering our gifts.  There’s a lot out there in the local church to help with that.  Briefly; is there something we’re good at, something we are passionate about, something that concerns us, something we’d love to get involved in to ‘make a difference’.  Everything supported by the Rhema Word of God to confirm our gifts and talents.

However, there are times in life when the seasons we go through might challenge what we believe God has called us to or the gifts He has placed in us.  It’s in these seasons when we must just trust, and “whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”.

Perhaps in these wilderness times God is working something in us to work something greater through us at a later point.

So, “whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”.  That’s a great attitude to have, when we know we are serving and doing things in the centre of God’s purpose for us, and when we don’t.  Let’s not forget Who we are serving, in everything we do.

Tasks we can do which may not seem as important as “God’s purpose for me”, when done with the right heart and “as to the Lord” are just as valuable and honourable in the Kingdom and God glorifying as things we know are part of His purpose for us.

Menial, non-spiritual things may well be as pleasing to the Lord as much as when we’re doing things stemming from our purpose.

The important thing is, that we understand we serve the Lord in everything we do.  We may be working in an ordinary job, taking care of family, managing a seemingly earthly project.  But, when we see it is in fact the Lord of lords we are serving, our efforts and actions take on new meaning.  This is ‘serving’ the Lord!

God then, ensures that the believer will receive a just and eternal compensation for their efforts, even if an earthly boss does not compensate or reward fairly.  We need to remember this when we’re doing things we may not think are in the centre of the purpose of God for us.

However let’s passionately pursue the Lord to know His will, His calling, and His purpose for us.  By all means let’s do that.  A close and vital relationship with the Lord, and involvement in a local church, are great places to find hope and meaning and discover that purpose to live for.

Pablo Picasso once said;

“The meaning of life is to find your gift.  The purpose of life is to give it away”.

There’s nothing quite like knowing the Lord, and knowing what He put us on earth for.  Then we can invest our time, energy and skills in the service of others, knowing we are serving the Lord.

If that is not clear just yet or we’re in a season when it is not being fulfilled, let’s do everything we do heartily, “as to the Lord and not to men”.