Do it for the Glory of God

I’ve got two words ping-ponging around in my mind right now: perspective and motivation. As many of you know, our Committee on Committees made their formal recommendation last Sunday, and the new slate of committee members was approved for the 2019-2020 church year. I’ve spent the better part of this week—by choice—preparing a letter and information packet to send to each member of each committee. Let me tell you, it’s been tedious work, but it’s part of a bigger picture. As you think about your own work on a committee (or in some other area of church ministry), you might feel the same way. You might feel that your work is tedious or, perhaps, insignificant. It may be tedious, but it is most definitely not insignificant. Your work is part of a bigger picture. Two stonemasons were hard at work. When asked what they were doing, the first said, “I am cutting this stone in a perfectly square shape.” The other answered: “I am building a cathedral.” The first man could only see his individual slice; the second could see how his work fit into the larger picture. We may not be able to see it, but our individual contributions to the life of God’s church all fit together and are part of a larger picture.With that in mind, let me say, “Keep up the good work!” Of course, being able to keep up the good work depends largely on staying motivated. Keeping the larger picture in mind is part of what keeps me motivated. Another part of what keeps me motivated is remembering why I do what I do. I spent three days last week in Grand Rapids, MI, at the Second Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. Since coming back, I’ve been thinking a great deal about what keeps athletes motivated to do what they do. A friend of mine is finishing up his doctoral work, and his research has to do with reasons people stay in or exit vocational ministry, and a lot of it has to do with their motivation. Let me just encourage you to remember our motivation for doing what we do (in church and in life), and it’s found in two New Testament scriptures: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23) and “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Love y’all!