A Hammer

Colossians 3:23-24
I spent most of the afternoon today working on a repair project at my place. As I thought carefully about how I was going to approach the job and hammered away, I tried my best to do quality work. No matter what I work on, whether for myself or others, I take pride in a job well done. It's also a challenge because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and get irritated when things don't look as good as I would've liked. I got to thinking of some things I heard when my parents were having a new house built for them a few years back. There were some on the crew that were like me and really did their best and there were others who seemed to either not care or just be poor carpenters. There were doors with trim around them easily off by 1/3 of an inch or more and it made me wonder if someone left their tape measure at home that day. For us Christians, God expects us to do our best at whatever we do. Paul wrote, "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 NIV)" It doesn't matter if you collect garbage, construct buildings, or do open heart surgery, God expects nothing less than your best effort. Even more important than your paycheck is the reward God will hand you for giving it your all. Working hard with a smile also opens the door for us to witness to others when they ask why we have the work ethic we do. Today, as you head off to your "slaving job to get your pay" take a new attitude with you thinking of God as your employer; so even if you work for the sewage company, you'll make a positive impact in your workplace, and when eternal rewards are handed out, you'll come up smelling like roses.