Wednesday Devotion

The Three W’s of Service Ephesians 6:7-8----Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, Because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. There are three words in this passage that I want us to look at this morning. They conveniently all start with “W” so it makes them easy to remember. These verses are very essential to the way you view your day. Let’s take a look at the first one. Wholeheartedly-- “Serve wholeheartedly…” I am a big fan of college basketball. You see things in college basketball that you don’t see in the pros. When was the last time you saw a professional ball player so overcome with fatigue, that at the final buzzer, he collapsed on the floor? When was the last time you saw a pro player exhausted to tears when losing an overtime tournament game? The sad reality is, that few players play the game wholeheartedly. Even worse, we often serve the Lord as pro basketball players play ball. A professional player plays as one who knows that regardless of the outcome, his paycheck is still going to be there. He’s not worried about the small things or anything else for that matter. He is comfortable and at ease. Sound familiar? Whatever—“whatever good he does” A tornado had ripped through a small rural community leaving trees and debris everywhere. Everyone in the community pitched in to clean up and get things back to normal. While cleaning up one day two brothers, one 15 years old and the other 7, had a conversation. The older brother was picking up large pieces of wood while the younger could only carry simple twigs. The older brother said, “Why do you even try if you can only pick up such a small amount?” The younger brother smiled and said, “Every little bit helps!” Does God take pleasure in seeing you glorify Him in small things as well as big things? Of course He does!! God rewards us for “whatever” good we do. There is nothing that we do that is not seen by the eyes of God. Likewise there is nothing we do in His name for His glory that he will ever forget. Little is much when God is in it. Praise God for the small things! Whether—“Whether he is slave or free” When I was in high school, I had a part-time job as a stock boy at a major supermarket. I can remember when the big bosses would come in and do an inspection of the store to see if things were up to snuff. They would walk past us as if we were invisible. They had no time or interest for us even though four days a week, we were there working as hard as anybody. We were simply seen as a lesser being in the grocery world. The whole time I worked there they never talked to us or acknowledged our existence but I would still receive my check just the same. “Whether” you are a big boss or a stock boy, our lord sees us on the same level. He rewards good work “whether free or slave”. You may feel like you are insignificant because of your position in life, but let me remind you, the lord does not show partiality and He will hold true to every one of His promises. Billy Graham once said during a staff devotion time that he believed that some of his office workers would be ahead of him in line for the Lord’s rewards. They chuckled at that thought but he became very serious and reminded them that God rewards faithfulness over fruitfulness. Pray today that in everything you do, that you do it wholeheartedly, whatever it is, whether big or small, young or old.

Josh Martin