Hard Work

Ephesians 4:31-5:2
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

   ^{People get tired. Work becomes mundane. Frustration sets in after the newness passes and the end is not near in sight. This is normal right?
   When we are called to serve a higher authority than our boss down the hall, we can not get away with halfhearted service. The Pintrist window may have been quickly replaced by the dutiful excel spreadsheet, successfully fooling your boss, but where he walks away, He dwells persistently. 
   Paul understood this. He got it; work is not about the show, the amount of money you make, the status of your job, the status in your job, the quality of your work atmosphere, the levelheadedness of your boss. He reminds us in Ephesians to "serve wholeheartedly, as if we were serving the Lord, not people." 
   The truth of the matter is, we are serving the Lord in whatever job we are doing. Dr. Zimmerman preached about this on Wednesday night. He asked us if we had ever prayed that our needs would be met, that we would be provided for. Of course, most everyone raised their hands out of a common prayer "give us this day our daily bread." Think about how your food gets to your dinner table. The farmers grow the food, the truck drivers transport the food, the factory workers package, the grocery clerk stores and sells and you make the final purchase; an easy step with hard earned money. Each worker was used by God as an answer to your prayer. "Whether blue collar or white collar, salary or wage" we have all probably been an answer to someone's prayer by the work that we have done. The quality does not discount the nobility of your work. 
  Zimmerman ended his sermon asking these three questions: 
What have I been given?
What am I doing with what I have been given?
What do I want to hear when my time on earth is finished?}



"Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people" Ephesians 6:6