Audits & Resolutions - Day 23

Write From My Heart / December 23, 2020 / Audits & Resolutions – Day 23

Question: Am I finding it difficult to stay motivated?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT) Whatever you do, do well.      (NIV) Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…    

Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

            The Ecclesiastes verse is found in the midst of King Solomon’s charge to the people to use the limited time allotted to mankind for the purpose of productivity. Today, many people look at this passage and get the false impression of “What’s the use? What does it matter because we’re all going to die anyway?” That is not at all what I see in the Ecclesiastes passage. Time is indeed short, relatively speaking, for humans on this earth. We never know and cannot say how much time any of us has left before death takes us. Rather than giving up, or “sliding for the bench” as some might be tempted to do, my heart tells me this is actually a call to motivation.

            The Colossians text clarifies the source of our motivation. ANYthing we do, in fact EVERYthing we do, should be done with an attitude of bringing glory and honor to God our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We are working as servants of the Most High. Clearly that is our motivation, and what a powerful motivation it is. Never give up! Earthly time will come and go—probably more quickly than any of us anticipates—but what we do with that limited time to glorify God will last forever.

Resolution: Give my best effort.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

            Thank you for the unlimited variety of gifts and abilities you have given your people to serve during this brief life. Forgive our tendency to falter and sometimes feel like quitting or giving up. You have placed each of us where you need us, and you provide the strength we need to serve in whatever task you present to us. Help us remember that our actions ultimately become a service that brings honor and glory to you, and therefore, we give our best effort to you.

            In the name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, Amen.