Monday, September 5, 2011

What Does Your Effort Reflect?

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.”

-- Ecclesiastes 2:24

A song currently playing on contemporary Christian radio stations talks about doing everything we do to the glory of the LORD. It doesn’t matter how mundane or small what we’re doing seems. What matters is that we’re doing it to the best of our ability and giving God the credit. How true that is.

We tend to see the work of foreign missionaries or preachers as being more important than the day to day tasks we do. Yet, it isn’t. We have the same opportunities to reach others as they do. The question is: Do we use those opportunities or do we let it go or hand it off to someone else?

Everything we do, because we are Christians, reflects back to God. Think about that for a moment. As a parent, your children’s actions reflect back on you. That can be good or bad. Sometimes it isn’t even fair. But that’s just the way it is.

So what are you reflecting back to God? Do you show up for work determined to do your job to the best of your ability and with a positive attitude? Or do you crumble and complain through your shift, refusing to do your best because you don’t like your boss or you don’t get paid enough or it’s not your responsibility to take on someone else’s duties? As Christians, we’re supposed to draw people toward Jesus but no one wants to be someone who complains and finds excuses to avoid a job well done.

What are you teaching your children by your actions each day? Do you curse and talk down about the coach of your son’s team? Do you complain about your daughter’s teacher? Do you badmouth your co-workers or your boss? Do you fail to speak up when the cashier forgets to charge you for an item? Kids are like sponges. You’re teaching them that bad language is okay. You’re telling them it’s okay to talk badly about people who don’t agree with you. You’re showing them that stealing is okay if it wasn’t intentional and you don’t get caught.

God expects us to work hard at everything we do, whether it’s a top management job, the laundry or being a role-model to the kids around us. He wants our best. In all things. At all times. So what are you doing to the glory of the LORD today? Would He be proud to call you His child? Are you doing a good job of reflecting Him out to the world?