Every little thing...

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve (Colossians 3:23-24)
 
It’s ironic that as much as we want to grow as people, it’s not always easy to accept when we are challenged by people or situations.  

My husband challenged me this past week with a thought that has lingered with me, reminding me that I am still a work in progress. As we are continuing to grow in our marriage, he presented the truth of how much different our relationship with each other, with others, and our everyday tasks could look if we did everything “unto the Lord” as Scripture commands. It sounds good and it sounds easy-after all, everything we do is for His glory, right?

However, If I’m completely honest, I allow my feelings to get in the way more often than I would like to admit. There have been times where I didn’t feel appreciated because I did something for my husband and he didn’t say “thank you.” Or I put my whole heart in preparing for something that didn’t get the outcome I thought I would and I felt so discouraged. There were times where I wasn’t happy with my job so I complained and wasn’t as diligent as I should have been. The truth is we are all susceptible to letting our feelings dictate our actions. It’s easier to let the flesh rule.

As much as we want to genuinely love and serve people, our fallen nature subconsciously seeks approval, acknowledgement and reciprocation. When we don’t get it, we are discouraged or offended. But the hope is that He can give us the strength to look up and say “It’s unto You, Lord.”

This Scripture passage is also a reminder that there is nothing too small that doesn’t deserve God’s glory. Everything we do is an act of worship- from the way we clean our spaces, approach our job, clean after our children, and the list goes on; every act matters to the Lord. It’s a daily battle to lift our heads up a little higher so we may look to Him—the ONE whom we are called to serve. The ONE who is supposed to be pleased. Man being pleased by our actions is a bonus. God being pleased by our actions is a must. This doesn’t give us the liberty to be dismissive of how our actions affect people, but it challenges us to look beyond it when it’s not kind, gentle, reciprocated or appreciated.  

We must fight through the feelings of inadequacy, reciprocity, or being plain selfish. Our reward comes from God. It won’t always feel good when we don’t receive the reward here on earth, but it’s an anchoring and freeing Truth to know that God sees us and He rewards us when we seek to genuinely please Him.
 
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 
 
Passages to read/meditate/memorize:
Proverbs 16:7
1 Corinthians 10:31
Ephesians 5:10
Colossians 3:23-24
Galatians 1:10
1 Thessalonians 2:4

 
Questions to reflect on:
 

1. List all the things you do during the day. Evaluate how you can seek to please the Lord in each of them.
2. How have you allowed your feelings to dictate your actions?
3. How would your life look different if you did every little thing “unto the Lord?”
4. What is God showing you about yourself through this devotional?