There it is in the above picture! Colossians 3:17! "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." I have read that verse several times and it always hits home. I know in my blogs I have always mentioned my previous jobs. Those jobs were a blessing to me but in all truthfulness, I have never put my previous jobs and Colossians 3:17 together... EVER! I mean seriously, when I was 20 years old, did I really think that collecting garbage at a state park was all for the Lord? Or how about sanding and refinishing hardwood floors? Sure, it made many people happy when we were done sanding, staining and applying polyurethane on their floors. Was that job all to please God? I made decent money doing it and I was in good shape and yes, I was covered in saw dust but was that to please God?
If you break down that verse it all seems to make sense. "Whatever you do..." The meaning of that is self-explanatory. "Whatever you do" means everything! It could be whatever we say or whatever we do each and every day. It could be our job, our ministry or when we are doing a task for a family member or a friend. I will never forget when I first started at Chick Fil-A. I had a nice conversation with one of my trainers. He was young enough to be my son. I told him about my time serving as a children's pastor and how that was my passion. I will never forget when he looked at me and said, "God has called me to sell chicken to people." My first thought was, "Seriously? Is that really something we do for God?" When I was that trainers age, I could not understand why God did not put me in ministry right away. I thought I had it all together. I would tell God, "God, I can be an amazing children's pastor! Why are you not opening doors for me?" I'm sure God looked down on young Dave and said, "Sure! But first let me teach you all about servanthood!" Servanthood? But I want to be in full time ministry! The last part of that verse says it all. "Do it all in the name of the Lord. Giving thanks to God the father through him." It doesn't matter what we do. We need to realize it is all for the Lord. Whether it is selling chicken to total strangers, standing before a group of kids while Grandpa Lou is attached to me hand, mowing my lawn, writing a blog or giving someone a ride home who has no transportation, it is all for the Lord.
So, in conclusion let me just make one simple statement. Wherever you are in your life, in whatever line of work you are in and in whatever ministry God has called you to do you need to remember it is all for the Lord and to glorify Him. Let's all become Colossians 3:17 men and women. When I personally focus on who I am doing it for, it gives me great joy. I know you will all feel the same way!
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