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Wednesday,
February 6, 2008
It
Heartily Matters
Colossians 3:23-25 And
whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (24) Knowing
that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye
serve the Lord Christ. (25) But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the
wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. (KJV)
Here is a good frame of mind
to be in for someone serving our Lord no matter how small or trivial it may
seem to us; putting our whole heart into it, doing it heartily unto our
Lord is all that matters for His approval. Even when making a bed, cleaning
a room, or doing dishes. Think of the frame of mind you would be in if the
president of the United States was coming over or some famous celebrity or
athlete. You would go out of your way checking and double checking making
sure everything was in order and done right. Now, keep that same mindset
concerning our Lord; if He was coming over personally would it be to His
satisfaction or would you cut corners and do a quick job just to get it
done and out of the way, like we do with other people even the Lord’s
people? So how much more diligent would you be; how much more would you pay
attention to details knowing the Lord Himself was going to do a personal
inspection? Someday that scenario will take place before His judgment seat.
If you have become accustomed to serving our Lord whole heartedly and are
not ashamed now, then you can be confident you won’t have anything to be
ashamed of when you stand before Him either some day. I have seen many in
the workplace claiming to be one of God’s people who spend time talking
about the Lord in one breath, then basically throw their testimony out the
window by their half hearted efforts on the job. Instead of being an
example of the believer, giving credence to their belief and the God they
claim to serve, they overlook these simple areas of their walk; and by not
being faithful in things they consider the least important they never move
on in their walk with the Lord and are unable to be trusted by Him for
other things. Just like those that desire the office of a bishop or any
other elder or overseer of the Church, if they overlook their home life, it
being a wreck, then they will be unable to oversee the affairs of the Church.
Titus 1:15-16 Unto the pure
all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is
nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (16) They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable,
and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. (KJV)
The Bible says blessed are
the pure in heart for they shall see God. When one is not doing the will of
God from the heart the motives are no longer pure, but there has been a
breach in the heart, something unhealthy has gotten into it. It starts with
little things, a lazy half hearted effort that eventually progresses more
and more to the point of one becoming a reprobate, which means to be
unapproved; unfit and rejected were also included in the definition of
reprobate. So how pure are your motives; what is your reason for serving
the Lord? Is your relationship with our Lord based on a love and
understanding of His word and what He is asking of you, or are you lot more
talk than walk?
1 Peter 3:1-4 Likewise, ye
wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the
word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the
wives; (2) While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. (3)
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair,
and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; (4) But let it be the
hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great
price. (KJV)
I use the above example
because it not only applies to the wives, but can be applicable for all
Christians as well. The word conversation means behavior or conduct, which
means that actions truly do speak louder than just words or vain lip
service. Do you have enough confidence in your walk that you can be an
example of the believers by your walk and not just the talk? The Bible
talks about finding a just balance in our lives; and though many can quote
scriptures and talk about the Lord they overlook the walk part, and at
times when to just keep silent. Remember it’s not how man sees you
according to the outward adorning or any other physical apparel, but rather
that hidden new man within the heart is what the Lord is looking at; and in
His sight a meek and quiet spirit is highly sought after and of great
price, or precious is another way of putting it. Just like the old saying in
reference to a pig, no matter how much makeup and lipstick you put on it,
it is still a pig and will end up running back to the pigpen when given the
opportunity. Many who claim to be Christians follow the same pattern; and
it seems like the more one has to dress up and adorn the outward the more
they are trying to hide the true inward motives and intents of the heart.
Psalms 62:7-8 In God is my
salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
(8) Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him:
God is a refuge for us. Selah. (KJV)
You wonder why at times the
heart seems heavy and you are unable to keep yourself focused on the things
of God? All that effort you have been putting into hiding from God and
justifying yourself before man is a waste of time and useless. Trusting in
the Lord means that you open up to Him just like you would with someone
close to you or someone you have trusted, you now open up to Him and ask
for help. Being that He already knows our heart and what our true motives
are only the truth will set us free; and that truth begins on our end also
by acknowledging the issue and asking for His help. It’s okay to pour out
your heart to God; remember this relationship is a two way street and so in
order to maintain a healthy partnership one needs to be open and honest.
Our Father is a God of love and would like nothing better than to be able
to give you His truth in the matter and set you free so that you can serve
Him whole heartedly and not bogged down with cares and concerns of this
life. The Lord is standing at the door of your heart today and knocking,
will you open up and let Him in or are you keeping Him on the outside, looking
through the peephole only to catch a glimpse? With what measure you give
out is what will be measured back to you; simply put the more you open up
to Him the more He will open up to you. The more you allow Him into your
life, into all of your decisions concerning your walk, the more rock solid
the relationship becomes.
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