#94 Duty or Delight?

I would be willing to go out on a limb and say that all of us have things in our lives we do not enjoy doing but we have to do them regardless. Those items may even fall into the category of "must do". Sometimes our jobs fall into that category. We have to work to provide for our families but we may not really enjoy what we do.

Disciplining our children can fall into the same area. We may not want to discipline our children, but if we do not correct them and show them what's right then they take control and run the home instead of the parents having control. No doubt there are many, many things or tasks that we could identify that we do more because of a sense of duty instead of delight. But what if we had the mindset that everything we did is for God in some way or another? What would happen to the daily drudgery of life if our purpose for each task we face was not simply to complete it but to perform and complete each job for God's glory?

Paul was intimately aware of the fact that we can get into ruts in life. We can do things just because they have to be done or worse, we do them based solely on our selfish desires. Paul planted a church in Corinth. Corinth was a city filled with corruption and selfish desire much like many of the cities and communities around our world. So under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit Paul wrote a letter the church in Corinth. In chapter ten he admonished them to stay free of idolatry and to take care of their neighbors. Towards the end of chapter ten he also encourages them to let one, over-arching theme cover their lives.

He wrote, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (vs. 31). My encouragement to you today is to let this same teaching come to you today. Take each area of your life and dedicate it to the Lord so that you do it to His glory. Having this attitude will change the way you approach each task in life. When you are tempted to do a job poorly because you are only driven by a weak sense of duty, allow God to help you have the courage to do it for Him. Surely our God is worthy of our very best. Surely we can choose to live for Him who died for us.

The best part of this, friends, is that Jesus will even give us the strength, dedication, and disposition to live this way. If we try to do this in our own strength then that which should be delightful becomes drudgery in the name of God and will eventually turn us away for the Lord. We come back over and over to the idea of full surrender. The surrendered heart led by the Spirit of God will give us joy in all things because our joy will not be tied to temporal things but rather the All Mighty.

Dear Lord God,

Thank You for calling us to live out each moment of each day for You and thank You for empowering us to do each task of each day for You. Please take away our drudgery and replace it with delight in serving You through Your strength. In Jesus's name we pray, Amen.