Proverbs 16:3

Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

“Hard Work Pays Off!” That’s a saying I hear often in schools, bands, and sports teams. Those of us with a little bit of life experience know there is truth to that saying, but this Proverb takes a slightly different take on work. It’s not hard work that truly pays off: it is committing your work to the Lord. Colossians similarly echoes the need to do everything in God’s name.

As a musician, I’ve learned the value of hard work and reaching goals - especially as a young musician trying to win competitions. As I grew older and there were less competitions to win, I had to learn to make music at a high level without the driving force and euphoric feelings that winning brought. At some point, I had to learn to make music for music sake.

As a pastor, the lack of a driving force pushing me to work hard for some worldly pay-off has made me re-think my motivations. Since there are no pastor competitions to win, it seems like I must learn to pastor for pastoring sake. Yes, “hard work pays off”, and we can find many ways to motivate ourselves to succeed at different parts of life; but none of it really matters in the end unless we are doing it for God’s kingdom. So perhaps we should all be learning to live Kingdom lives for God’s Kingdom sake!

What are you working hard for? What are your goals? Have you committed them to the Lord? Are you doing it in Jesus’ name, or in yours? Are you living a Kingdom Life? In the end, it’s God’s work that pays off!

Lord, please help us to live our whole lives in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him!

In Christ,

Ray