Doing it for God’s Glory - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 2
Doing it for God’s Glory
By: Michelle Lazurek
Bible Reading:
“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
At the end of a long work week, the last thing I want to do is clean my house. However, after leaving it untouched for several weeks, it was clear it needed a good cleaning. The floors were dirty and full of crumbs and dog hair. The bathrooms needed a good wipe. All the dishes needed to be done, the appliances needed to be cleaned, and the counters needed to be cleared of crumbs or debris. I knew this needed to be done.
Frankly, I have been putting it off. While I understand that every person is responsible for stewarding the things God has given them. It made me feel like a slave whenever I cleaned up after my husband and children, especially when they came home, made a mess, and did not attempt to help clean or assist in these duties.
One day, the Lord whispered the above verse to my heart. At first, the conviction that this first verse brought stung my soul. However, as I read and meditated on this verse, it became apparent that I didn't have to clean; I got to clean. God has blessed us with many wonderful possessions. This included two cars that, although used, were completely paid off, a medium-sized home in a lovely area of an up-and-coming town in Pennsylvania. I must be a good steward of what God has given me. But I hated the fact that I had to do it alone. No matter how much I proclaimed my dissatisfaction, no one stood up to help.
But God was trying to tell me in this verse that he had freely given all these things to me. It was my job to take good care of them. It was not my job to judge whether other people were doing their work. I needed to do what God was calling me to do. I put in my earbuds, played great 80s music, and got to work. I set the timer for 60 minutes. If I did a small chunk of time each day rather than waiting for it to pile up, I'd get through it more quickly and thoroughly.
Before I knew it, the timer had gone off, and I had only gotten to two rooms. It wasn't because I was lazy or procrastinating. Instead, it was because I was enjoying what I was doing. Soon, this chore that I dreaded became something that I stewarded. Because of this switch in my perspective, I could see that even cleaning toilets or wiping down counters full of toothpaste stains meant I was worshipping the Lord.
Because I enjoyed the music in my ears, the chores were fun. When I realized that this was all for God's glory and not mine, the time went by much more quickly, and I enjoyed the chore much more thoroughly.
Think about the things you must do in life. Are there tasks you must do that you put off simply because you hate doing them? How would this switch in perspective change your worldview on that task? When we choose to see that we do everything for God's glory, even the most menial task, we understand that it's not about us but about God. In these things, God is glorified, and we are blessed because we get to have them. A switch in perspective from what we have to do to what we get to do changes how we see things in life. Many people would be more than happy to have my home. I needed to start being grateful and stop taking things for granted.
God owes us nothing. However, he gives us everything freely through the riches afforded us by Christ Jesus. When we understand and stop taking for granted the things that God has given us and steward them well by working hard on even the most menial tasks, we are blessed and get to bless God in the process.
Father, let us be people who steward our possessions well. Let us see even the most mundane tasks from the perspective that they are all for your glory. Help us not to become discouraged and frustrated, but happy and full of joy, because we know that ultimately, through this task, you get the glory, and we do not. Amen.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is there a task you hate to do? How would this change in perspective help you do this chore with joy?
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:5-6
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/arkira
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