Whatever You Do. . .

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 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

I don't like to shop at Aldi. where I live. I just don't like the atmosphere. It smells funny, --like wet cardboard -- you have to bring your own grocery bags, and the ceiling is too low.

I don't like Doritos. Call me a health-nut -- call me odd. I just don't like 'em. Never have. And there are restaurants I won't eat at. . . . I do not like Taco Bell. Everything on the menu tastes the same to me.

We all have businesses and restaurants and companies that we avoid. Americans even boycott products from other countries. (Can you say "French" Fries?)

We all arbitrarily and unfairly judge businesses and products. It's an exercise of the free enterprise system and I am more than guilty. Whether it's because we don't share the same political view, or the company's profits are not spent in a way we see as ethical, or the service is bad, or the building is unclean, or the merchandise is not pretty to look at . . . whatever. . . we are all all choosy. We all want the best for ourselves and our families. . . . And without even realizing it, we are being a Proverbs 31 Woman:

"She perceiveth that her merchandise is good."

- Proverbs 31:18

With that in mind, 1 Corinthians 10:31 should be a guiding principle in our lives too:

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

So, Colossians 3:23-34 should guide our every action too,

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

As a Christian, everything I do reflects my attitude toward God. I know in my heart that every move I make is either a testimony of my love for God or disobedience to His Word. There is no relativism in God's Word despite what the world tells me.

Other people see my actions. And they know that they can either depend upon me because I depend on Him and I am working with all my heart, as working for the Lord, not others, since I know that I will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Or they can conclude that I'm just another woman who calls herself a "Christian."

I don't want to be a Taco Bell or a bag of Doritos or an Aldi Food Store. Not that there's anything wrong with these things. I admit: I have arbitrarily and unfairly judged these entities. (Please don't e-mail me.)

. . . But the world does arbitrarily and unfairly judge people all the time. Especially people who wear the "Christian" nametag. . . .

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 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

- Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

© Copyright 2008 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife