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 be 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.  

God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.