Whatever You Do

Submitted by David Miller
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

Our Pastor has challenged us this year with “every member is a minister”.  But in order to joyfully fulfill that challenge, we must look at the motivation behind why we want to become that “minister”.  While God wants us to care about others, He also wants us to care about ourselves by giving out of the right motives. When we give with the wrong motives, we often end up resentful and angry and, as a result, hurt ourselves, the relationship, and the ministry. There are several types of motives.  Here are some of the more common:

• Obligation – You believe you have to.
• Guilt – You will feel bad if you don’t.
• Fear – You are afraid of the repercussions.
• Pride – You want people to think well of you.
• People-pleasing – You fear disapproval.
• Obedience – You believe God wants you to.
• Choice – You want to.

Obligation, guilt, fear, pride, and people-pleasing have something in common: They are all unhealthy reasons. It isn’t what you really want to do and the outcome is typically resentment, burn-out, and self-neglect.

Choice is a scriptural motive. When you make a decision on your own, it is yours. You do it with your free will and desire to help. When you want to do something, you do it with a different attitude than when you feel you are under compulsion.

Obedience to God is the other good reason. We can and should at times give sacrificially when we believe God is directing us and when it involves our witness and the reputation of our faith. Sometimes ministry requires sacrifice.  Sometimes it requires us to dig a little deeper, hold on a little longer, and to push away feelings of resentment caused by a lack of attention to us or a lack of commitment from others. 

God cares about your motives. If you do put someone before yourself, He wants it to be for the right reasons. So, what is your ministry that you want to become involved?  Better yet, what is your motive for becoming involved?

Scripture to Claim:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 (NIV)