The Bible – The Message
31–33 So eat your meals heartily, not
worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after
all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the
same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping
on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be
considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be,
too.
Thoughts:
These verses sounds very similar to what we studied yesterday,
but we looked at the aspect of being considerate of others as we celebrate the
liberties of being a Christian. Today I want us to think about the phrase that
I bolded in the above verses: “whatever we do, do it heartily and freely to the
glory of God”. The first thing that I believe God prompted me to consider and
that is my behavior at work. Friends, it is very easy to act godly inside the
church walls, but as one church displayed over their exit doors, “You are now entering
your mission field”. It would probably be frowned on by most employers to walk
in to work with our Bibles under our arms, or for us to have our first sermon
in the lounge while others stop in for their morning coffee. In fact, we would
display our dishonesty in doing certain things at work, because we would
encroach on the time that we are being paid to work, and that equals cheating
our employers. In my opinion, being a representative of God at work means that
we stand up for honesty – both in being a role model setting an example for
those we work for, and in keeping our employees honest in giving of their best
to our employer. Christians should be the best employees, in that they are to
be honest, hardworking and setting an example for others to follow. Some might
question why they should act this way when so many are taking long breaks,
doing personal business at work, and not giving a solid day’s work? May I
remind you from the word of God (above) that whatever we do, we must do it for the glory of God! Let’s
not disappoint Him in seeing us acting or being anything other than following His footsteps, His commands and
His will for our lives. Remember, non-Christians looking on at our behavior –
in deed or word, will show them what God looks like, so that they may be
encouraged to also want to know Him personally! Are you proud of the example
you are displaying at work, or at any place where non-Christians are looking
on? It’s not too late to change that attitude friend, or shall I say, not too
late to seek God’s help and direction for ways you can change that. I would
encourage you to call on Him while He may be found.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I wish that You would look on me today and be proud
of my actions and/or words, because I have followed Your plan and Your design
for this humble servant. Please work on me for a constant and consistent walk
with You, especially in the midst of non-Christians. Of course, I also desire
to be more like You in all aspects of my life, because I could be of
encouragement to my fellow Christians in areas that they are struggling.
Therefore I ask that You give me the qualities that I need to demonstrate Your
love and Your example to all that I come into contact with. May You be
glorified from all that I may do or say today, is my humble prayer and request.
Please be especially strong in touching the lives of those that may meditate on
this devotional today so that Your people will learn to be like You in all
areas of life. I ask all this in Your precious and holy name, Jesus, my Savior,
AMEN!
NOTE: If you have been
challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak
with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or
encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words
underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote
the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to
read or pray.
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