Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23 NLT
Wherever she made the bed, she worked hard at raising what she put in it.
Bait worms were important to my maternal grandmother. She fished for a hobby—but also to make money. She didn’t use a rod-n-reel. She cut cane from the woods and fashioned it into poles. A large one for catfish and a small one for bream. Nor did she use fancy lures. She loved fat, juicy night crawlers. And why spend money buying them when she could raise them.
Her favorite spot to raise worms was in the middle of the back yard. The house was old, and the sink drain line didn’t empty into the septic tank but directly into the yard. She covered the spot where the water held with a piece of tin. The muddy mixture this created made a perfect bed for bait worms to multiply. When she readied herself to go fishing, she simply took a jar or can, went to her created spot, lifted the tin, and scooped up the worms.
My grandmother’s hard work paid off. She didn’t have to purchase worms, and she caught myriads of fish with the worms that she could sell to neighbors. Paul instructed early Christians to work hard at whatever they did, just as my grandmother did.
Work isn’t a curse, as some imagine. God didn’t tell Adam and Eve to work because they sinned. He told them to care for the garden long before their disobedience. The nature and intensity of work changed after their sin. They’d have to fight thorns and weeds. Their work would be toilsome. But work was God’s plan from the beginning.
Some may imagine we’ll sit around on clouds doing nothing in heaven. I picture another garden, larger this time, where we’ll work for God throughout eternity. The work will be pleasant . . . enjoyable.
Our work will have purpose. Perhaps we’ll manage large gardens in heaven . . . or on the new earth.
God wants our best from the work He assigns us. Sloppy efforts don’t glorify Him. And they also speak poorly of our association with Him. Our work is “as unto the Lord.” Regardless of who we work for, God’s our boss.
Whatever God gives you to do, do your best. Remember, you’re really working for Him.
Tweetable: Are you working hard at God's work?
Prayer: Father, help us see our work in life as coming from You. Change our attitude so we’ll do our best and represent You well by the work we perform.
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Shows what work can gain a person. Found you on Grand Social Blogging Grandmothers link party.
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