Whatever You Do

I have created some things of which I am not very proud. I don’t even want my name associated with the finished product. And yet, there are some things that I have created that I am very proud of and want my name to be clearly associated with these things. How would our approach to doing certain things change if our name was publicly displayed on the things we have done, like a neon sign or a banner in the sky? I think that we would be far more careful to make a praise worthy product or conduct a praise worthy service.

I Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” When we are motivated to bring glory to God in everything that we do, selfish motives are removed, and conflict is reduced. When we seek to glorify God in what we do, we will do our best work and offer our best service. God is worthy of our best efforts due to His majestic nature and His awesome grace toward us.

Good Soil

I live in Indiana, a state with a booming agricultural industry. But I have lived all my life in urban environments until moving here. I know very little about agriculture. But I do know that farmers spend a lot of energy making sure that the soil that they plant in is good soil that will give them a good yield. It takes a lot of work, but it is necessary to be bear the good fruit of their labors.

Luke 8:15 says, “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” The Word of God is the seed within us that leads us to righteous living and bearing fruit in good works. Our responsibility is to faithfully hear and understand God’s Word and then, with a good heart, ask God to apply it in our lives. This process takes patience for us to fully bear much fruit.

Who Did This?

Some people have a skill or an art that is so unique or powerful that their work is easily recognizable. We can look at a great work of art and immediately know the artist behind the artwork. We can see the handiwork of an architect behind the awesome structures built by their designs.

John 3:21 says, “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” Whatever we do by the power of God will clearly glorify Him. People will know God’s work when He reveals Himself in the light of His wondrous deeds.

Costumes Are Not Enough

At Halloween, people put on costumes and masks in order to look like someone or something else. Of course, the costumes only make us look like something else, we don’t actually become a real representation of the person or thing. We can also try to act like them, but we won’t have their background, experiences, character, or temperament to really become like them.

I John 3:2-3 says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” When we are raised to be with Jesus in heaven, we will become like Him. We will be morally without sin, intellectually without falsehood or error, physically without weakness or imperfections, and filled continually with the Holy Spirit. These truths should motivate us to walk closely with Him and become more like Him every day. Putting on “church” clothes, going to church, and doing good things is not enough. We must walk with Him closely and seek to become like Him by the power of His Spirit.

When We Have Done Wrong

We have a natural inclination to try to hide ourselves when we do something wrong. When children do something that they know is wrong, they tend to hide from their parents, teachers, and other authority figures. I don’t think that we outgrow this tendency as we get older. Criminals hide from the law, but we all don’t want to face the people that we have wronged.

Genesis 3:8-9 says, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?'” God did not call out for Adam in order to find him. God knew what Adam had done and where he was. God called so that Adam could confess that he had turned away from God and had tried to hide himself from God. God was giving Adam the opportunity to come back to Him, as He always does for us when we turn away from Him. We can’t hide from God. He knows everything that we have done and even what we think. But He eagerly anticipates our return to Him through the confession of our wrongs and a heart of repentance.