Food for Friday

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men. Colossians 3:23

One of the women I worked with despised her supervisor, and with good reason. The supervisor made sure that this woman always received the most unpleasant assignments. His expectations of her were often unreasonably high, and his attitude toward her was always demeaning and ignorant. She would often become very frustrated and angry. On one of those occasions, when I noticed her tears, I asked her why she put up with such abuse. She replied that she was not working for the supervisor, but for the company president, to whom she was deeply devoted and faithful. She had the same attitude about her work as you and I should have about our service for the Lord.

We have all encountered bad working conditions at one time or another. All types of problems can occur and all types of conditions can emerge that will cause us to wonder why we are involved. Like the lady I worked with, maybe we need to set our sights a little higher. If God has placed us somewhere, we need to accept the responsibility as from Him and serve responsibly. Of course, we may encounter dangerous, illegal, or discriminatory situations that we need to abandon. That has happened to me, and happens to many others. But when we are certain that God has placed us in a situation, we can accept that situation because of Him.

Employment situations can sometimes get wearying, boring, and uncomfortable. But the weariness, boredom, and discomfort can fade away as we see ourselves putting our energies forth for the Lord. Just to know that He is watching and caring can be the incentive for us to perform that work heartily, as we should. Drudgery and lack of appreciation can cause those who work in the home to get discouraged. But if we sense the presence of the Lord with us, that drudgery and disappointment can melt away as we strive for His approval. School work often appears thankless and tiresome, but if the Lord wants you in that class, He wants you to excel for Him. In every situation, when there is something for us to do, we should put our best efforts forth, If we keep in mind what He has done for us, and what wonderful rewards He has for those who serve Him well, we can more easily respond with a hearty effort to the work that He has given us to do.

Laziness and half-heartedness in any endeavour are not a good testimony; how much the more when it comes do to doing things for the Lord Himself! – Jim MacIntosh

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