Monday, May 9, 2011
Using God
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. —Colossians 3:23–24
Sometimes people will attempt to use God for personal gain. They will invoke the name of Jesus Christ when they need something from people who believe in Him. Politicians are very fond of this. When that election cycle comes along, all of the sudden they are talking about their faith in God and how important their faith is to them. There will be that photo op where they are attending church. But I look at their voting record to see where they stand on issues that are important to me as a follower of Jesus Christ. Religious rhetoric isn’t going to cut it.
I like what Abraham Lincoln said: “My concern is not whether God is on our side. My greatest concern is to be on God’s side.”
Politicians aren’t the only ones who use God, however. Salespeople will do it to get a sale. Maybe they even have their business cards printed up with a Christian symbol or Scripture verse on them. I am not critical of that—if they have that on their cards because they want to glorify God through their business. But here is what I would say to people who do this: please perform your work well.
Quite frankly, people will use their faith to get the job, but then they will do halfhearted work at best. The point is to do what you do for the glory of God and then that will earn you the right to share your faith. The witness will be in the work that is done well. So if you frame houses, then do that for God’s glory. If you flip burgers, then do that for God’s glory. If you are a plumber, then do that for God’s glory.
But don’t use God to get something from someone else. Let God use you.
Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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