Give It All You've Got

Whatever you do . . . 

Work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. That's what Colossians 3:23 says. Whatever you do, give it all you've got. Do your best, because everything we do, we do for, and through, Christ.

That gives life a different perspective, doesn't it? That means everything we do, we should do to the best of our ability. With all our heart. With all our soul. All out, 100%, all the time.

No matter what it is.

That means the little stuff, too.

It's sometimes easy to think this little thing doesn't matter. It's not spiritual work. It doesn't really mean anything. I mean, I'm just mowing the yard, or doing laundry, or playing ball. God doesn't care about that stuff, does He?

According to Paul, yes. Because Paul says whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. To me, whatever sounds a whole lot like. . . whatever. Everything. Anything. If you are doing something, do it as though working for the Lord.

If I'm working for Jesus, I'm going to do the best I can. I don't care what it is I'm doing, if it's for Him, I'm going to try harder than if it were for anyone else. I'll work harder, play harder, try again and again, and never, ever give up if it's for Him.

And according to Paul, everything is for Him.

Good enough isn't good enough.

Ever heard the phrase, "That's good enough for who it's for?" There are several variants of that, but basically it means whatever is done isn't perfect, or even the best it could be, but it's good enough. According to Paul, that's wrong. If it's not the best you can do, if it's not done with all your heart and as though you have done it for the Lord, good enough isn't good enough.

That doesn't mean we have to be perfect, or even good, at everything we do. What is means is that we have to try our best. All the time. Just getting it done isn't getting it done. Not if you can do better. Half an effort isn't going to cut it. That's not working as for the Lord.

You've got to give it all you've got. At work. At home. At church. In the community. With your kids. When you're by yourself and no one else can see what you're doing. It all matters.

It's not about earning God's favor with good work.

If you do the best you can, and the work turns out mediocre, you've done it with all your heart. God is pleased. God doesn't expect us to be good at everything; He expects us to be as good as we can be. It's about putting all your effort into whatever you do. It's about understanding that we live for Christ. Not ourselves. Not anyone else. Christ, and Christ alone.

When we realize we work for Him, that He's our boss, it changes our attitude. When we accept that He is Master and Lord over every single aspect of our existence, then we understand that anything and everything we do should be done for Him. That'll keep us out of a lot of trouble, and it'll make us be the best we can be.

So give it all you've got.

I don't care what it is, do it the best you can. Push yourself. Care. Know that it matters, whatever it is.

Because you're not doing it for yourself, or anyone else.

You're doing it for God.