Wholehearted Service

"We live by faith,

not by sight.

We are confident, I say,

and would prefer to be away from the body

 and at home with the Lord.

So we make it our goal to please him,

whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ,

that each one may receive what is due to him

for the things done while in the body,

whether good or bad."

2 Corinthians 5:7-10

We will stand before the Perfect Judge without fear or trepidation, knowing that our sins have been covered by the blood of the Lamb.  (Romans 8:1)  Instead of deciding whether we will live or die, He will dole out rewards for the way our lives were conducted on earth.  (2 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

My heart is ultimately important to God and it will be what He uses to determine my prize.  Consequently, it must be my goal while in this temporary world to please God above all things.

Do as Unto the Lord

He worked diligently for over 100 years, carefully following God's directions:  He gathered enough cypress wood to build a vessel that stretched to a length of 1 1/2 football fields, coating the entire thing with pitch, inside and out.  On the interior, he created three levels of decks and cut a door in the side. (Genesis 6:9-21)

Noah was out to please God and God alone.  There is no other explanation for his dedication to the task the Lord had given him to complete, as absurd as it was to build a ship in the middle of dry land.  Noah and his family must have been the butt of all the jokes, withstanding much ridicule and scorn.  This man, however, was only concerned with doing his best for God, not winning a popularity contest. (Colossians 3:23)

In the same way, a heart dedicated to pleasing God is a heart that is approved by Him.  If I want to receive a favorable reward, I must forget about trying to be popular and focus on doing my best for God, even if it means no human ever notices my effort.

Thinking of every deed I perform as if it were done for the Lord will result in wholehearted service that will bring about a reward in heaven. (Ephesians 6:7-8)

Fully Committed

He danced with all his heart, wanting nothing more than to show his love and adoration to God.  This was how he approached everything; with complete abandon and devotion to the One who created him.  David could never be thought of as unenthusiastic. (2 Samuel 6:14)

There are times when I, unlike David, only give a half-hearted attempt.  I go through the motions of reading the Word or serving His people, but my heart is not fully engaged.  Maybe I'm distracted by worries or caught up in the work of the day.  Whatever the reason, I am not fully giving myself up to the Lord.

A heart fully committed to Him is what God is looking for when deciding what is due to me according to the way I lived my life here on earth.

Held Accountable

The master went away for a long period, leaving each of his servants varying amounts of treasure.  To one he gave five bags of silver, with which the servant immediately went out and invested, earning five more.  To another he gave 2 bags and this faithful servant quickly earned another two bags.  Not wanting to take a risk with his master's money, the final servant took the whole bag entrusted to him and buried it.

When the master came back, he was greatly pleased with the first two servants, but angry at the third who let fear hold him back.  His gift was taken from him and split between the other two faithful men.  (Matthew 25:14-30)

I will be held accountable in a similar way for the gifts, talents and abilities God has bestowed upon me.  When I let fear or doubt hold me back from using them for His glory, I risk displeasing the Lord.  He gave me everything I have for a reason, and it's not just for my own comfort, enjoyment or pleasure.  Instead, I would be wise to look to Him for ways to utilize His blessings for His glory.

The way I spend my time, talent and treasure will come under scrutiny by a God who looks for wholehearted faith.

I can't always see how important my heart is to God, but it is what He will look at when judging my focus, commitment and accountability.  Therefore, I would be wise to cultivate a heavenly mind that desires to please God above all things, does things for Him with complete devotion and uses my gifts wisely.  In this way I will be judged as one who gives wholehearted service to the Lord.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will do my best in all things for God.

When do I go through the motions instead of going all out in my attitude and effort?

How do I waste time out of fear of failure or doubt?    

A Just Judge

"When they hurled their insults at him,

he did not retaliate;

when he suffered,

he made no threats.

Instead,

he entrusted himself to 

him who judges justly."

1 Peter 2:23

We live in a litigious society where people are quick to file a lawsuit at the slightest sign of insult, injury or perceived injustice.  Even children carry this attitude where common phrases used in the school yard include, "Oh no you didn't!" or "I'm gonna deck you in the throat." Everyone is ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

In contrast, Jesus had every right to defend himself before his accusers.  They mocked Him, beat Him, humiliated Him and brutally killed Him.  As the divine Son of God, He had all authority to save Himself.  If anyone deserved respect, it was Him. If anyone was completely innocent of all charges, it was Him.  If anyone had the right to be angry at the treatment He received, it was Him.  But He, "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."  (Mark 10:45)

Jesus came on a mission. . . a mission to save the people from the penalty of our sins.  As One who was sent by His Father for this purpose, He was willing to put Himself at the mercy of cruel people for our sake, knowing that the Father's justice would prevail.  It seemed like He was losing the battle, but He would ultimately win the war. 

What would it look like if I entrusted my case to God; A Just Judge?

Submit to Authority  

My palms started to sweat as a saw the familiar blue flashing light pull in behind me, keeping pace with me as I drove through the intersection. I'm sure he's going after someone else, I comforted myself and confidently eased to the right, giving him room to pass.  To my horror, he shadowed my movement, coming to a stop directly behind my van. 

Oh No!  

A boy who looked to be fresh out of high school walked up to my window and asked, "Ma'am, did you see the signal turn red?"

"Yes, you need to check this light because the timing is off.  The yellow always seems to be much shorter than all the other lights.  It throws me off every time."  I instruct as I justify my transgression to the officer.  

"I'll make sure they check this signal,"  the young man reassured me as he tore off the ticket and handed it to me.

As you can see, I am not always good at submitting to authority.  I usually am more concerned with defending myself or making sure that no one takes advantage of me.  In the above example, I was clearly in the wrong and should have taken my punishment quietly and compliantly.  

There are times, however, when corruption exists in positions of power and leadership and people are treated unjustly. Men have served years in jail for crimes they did not commit.  Some have lost jobs for reasons that are less than honest.  Others become a scapegoat for someone else's indiscretion, their life left as a heap of ruins in the wake of the scandal.  That's not fair!

If I hand over authority to God to defend me, trusting that He will judge fairly and impartially, I can rest easy knowing that justice will be served.  But there is another reason as revealed in 1 Peter 2:15.  When I submit myself to authority for the Lord's sake, ". . .it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men."

God has a way of using my obedience to put people in their place.  There is no need for me to try and do it myself.  Instead, I can trust God with that task.

If I trust God to serve as the just judge in my life, I can rest easy, knowing that, "those who walk in pride he is able to humble."  (Daniel 4:37b) 

Live as Free Men

I am not free when I feel the need to defend myself against perceived injustice carried out against me.   False accusation. . . unkind words. . . unfair treatment. . . lack of understanding.  All of these seemingly benign acts can trigger my inner soldier, sending me to take up my battle position.

When I instead let God act as my defender, I am free to live as He has called me to live.  I can show proper respect to everyone.  As one who no longer needs to defend, I can freely love my siblings in Christ.  I naturally fear God, showing Him reverence above all.  I am able to honor the president or any other leader, even when I don't agree with him.  (1 Peter 2:17)

Giving God the authority in my life to protect me and look after me instead of taking on that role myself, means I am free.

If I trust God to act as my guardian, I am free to love as He has loved me.  

Serve Wholeheartedly

"Good enough for government work."  I've used this phrase more than once in my life to describe a mediocre job completed that met the standards but did not exceed them.  I did just enough to get by.

Once I turn judgement and guardianship over to God, however, I can go well beyond putting forth this second-rate effort.   I can do whatever job I find myself doing with all my heart, as if I were serving God Himself.  Even though I may feel unappreciated here and now, my godly attitude is not ignored by the One who will reward according to what I have done.

When I'm changing diapers for the umpteenth time today, God notices the tender loving care I give to my baby.  When I utter a silent prayer for my grumpy boss who always seems to be out to get me,  the LORD appreciates my tender heart.  When I clean up after others without saying a word, using it as a ministry of God's love, He sees my efforts.  

Commendation is nice and gratifying, but what I truly want is for God to say at the end of my life, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

If I trust God as the giver of rewards, I can serve Him wholeheartedly in whatever I do, doing my very best for Him.

I am quick to take up my case before men, defending myself and looking for the respect I think I earned, but God has another way.  If I entrust justice, my protection and desire for reward to Him, I will be able to submit to authority, live freely and serve wholeheartedly.

In this way I am able to do with my life as Robert Browning said and, ". . . make the absolute best of what God made."  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God to defend me when I feel threatened.

How do I look for ways to defend myself instead of being free to love others?

When do I only do what is necessary instead of doing my very best for God?