WORKING FOR THE LORD

I had the unfortunate opportunity to meet with a plumber the other day…not that he wasn’t a great guy, because he was. Unfortunate, because when it comes to plumbing problems, my luck is absolutely terrible. No matter how small the problem seems, it is always takes on a grander scale and is much more involved than first impression.

The other day was no different. We started out trying to take care of a small leak in the downstairs bath, but no leak could be found, even after a quick trip under the house to check for any leaks there. Since all seemed well, we decided to change out the inner workings of the toilet. That seemed to go flawlessly, so we headed upstairs to do the same. One quick check back under the house though revealed a problem. A pipe that came from the upstairs bathroom was leaking ever so slightly until we pushed against it; then, the flood came pouring down. That’s when the real work began…..as my new found friend, the plumber, did his best to locate the pipe in the wall, I tried to keep a cheery thought that all would be well. Two days later, with a hole in the garage wall, it is …but not before God taught me a valuable lesson.

You see, what we discovered was a crack in the main discharge line from the upstairs facility…a crack that had been there since the house was built, some ten years ago. The construction crew, it would seem, pushed against the pipe during their build out, cracked it and then decided to try to repair the damage rather than replace it. The repair did not work and the leak had been hidden inside the garage wall for the last ten years…out of sight, but not without the consequences a leak will produce.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul admonishes his young protégé with these words, “Study and be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”

In other words, be a worker for God who is prepared and who takes pride in what you do… whether it’s butcher or baker or candlestick maker. Just because the work you do may not be seen or may not be viewed as valuable….DON’T DO LESS THAN YOUR BEST!!!

God is watching and He expects each of us to give Him our best in everything we do. So, do it right the first time as a sweet gift to the Lord…but, if you mess up, don’t leave your mess for someone else to discover and then have to clean up. Remember, you can only hide faulty workmanship for so long. In the end, it will be revealed.

Make Colossians 3: 23-24 your motto when it comes to the work area of your life, “Whatever you do, work heartily, AS FOR THE LORD and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.”

WORK HARD … STUDY HARD…. GOD’S REWARD IS WORTH IT ALL!!!

GOD’S WORK IN PROGRESS,
WPQ