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)
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What does it mean to do something "with all your heart"?
Does it mean to give all your mental energy and focus? All your physical strength? All your passion and devotion? All of the above? I think so.
Can you imagine going to work every day, being amp'd up and staying amp'd up like that all day? Sounds exhausting...
I know that I often go to work with less than a "with all my heart" mentality. I don't often think about serving Jesus when I answer phones, fill out paperwork, check 43,001 emails, and try to figure out why the trash didn't get dumped again last night. I do go and try to do a good job, but "with all my heart"? According to my definition of that phrase, I have some work to do in the mindset department.
Our motivation for "giving it our all" is supposed to be the knowledge that Jesus is our master, our Lord, our boss. And that reward is in store. Hmm . . . who says incentive plans don't work? :-)
Maybe God's not opposed to the "treat" idea. Bark and you get a dog treat. Clean your room and you get a cookie. Do all that you do on this earth "with all your heart" and you get . . . what? Only God knows what that reward will be. The text does seem to indicate that our "treat" will be after this life is over.
Maybe it'll be gorgeous sunsets for a 100 years. Maybe it'll be 1,000 walks in a green meadow. Maybe it'll be His smile when He looks at you. Whatever it is, He treats those of His children who work hard -- with all their heart -- in this life, with Him as their motivation.
When your boss is watching your work, you work hard, don't you? When a cop is watching, you do the speed limit, don't you? When the crowd is watching and the clock is running, you race as fast as you can or play the game as hard as you can, don't you? So, knowing that Jesus is watching us, how do we work? How do we obey rules? How do we play the game?
Living "with all your heart" for the Lord may be exhausting at times, but His pleasure is worth it! Jesus is your boss, so give today all you have -- every ounce of strength and desire and courage and enthusiasm! Fall in bed exhausted, but happy, knowing you served your Master well. And then tomorrow, get up and do it again!
Hey, maybe living the Christian life "with all your heart" will be the next weight-loss exercise craze...! I don't know about you, but I think I may be burning a few calories as I burn in my heart for Jesus. :-)
Love,
Joelene
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