Soup Bowls or Toilet Bowls? 2 Timothy 2:20-21

Every house has so many bowls, “some for honor, some for dishonor.” In the House of God, what sort of bowl do you want to be? According to Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, it is up to you.

“Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” 2 Timothy 2:20-21 (Holman translation).

I once bought an iron pot at Dollar General. I cooked with it for a year or so, and then the handle became cracked, and the pot was immediately demoted to a dog food bowl. It soon developed a tiny hole in it where it rusted through. That pot’s brief cooking days are over.

Before indoor plumbing, damaged pots became chamber pots—indoor toilets when it was too dark or cold to use the outhouse. This is what Paul is talking about: there are vessels for honor and vessels for dishonor. Which do you want to be? I want to be a vessel for honor. How? Easy—cleanse yourself from things of dishonor.

“If anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work,” 2 Timothy 2:21 (NAS translation).

What dishonorable things do we need to be cleansed from if we want to be used and useful to the Master? (I know you can think of a few!) Paul immediately offers a list:

“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace… And refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels,” v. 22. Paul immediately names the first dishonorable thing most of us would think of—lust.

Flee lust because it is dishonorable, and afterwards God can use you as a special vessel for honor. That’s what we all want, isn’t it? Don’t you want to go to Heaven and be told “well done, my good and faithful servant”? Don’t you want to do things on earth that matter, that come with eternal rewards? It’s better to be a soup pot than a chamber pot—and God’s House has things greater than soup. Consider the temple—be a holy vessel, like the table of shew bread or the ark of the covenant. A cedar tree can become a casket, buried in the ground only to decay, or it can become cedar paneling to line the walls of God’s holy temple. And in this case, the trees (people) get to make the choice.

Let’s choose to purify ourselves from dishonorable things. What are you putting in your mind? Do you believe it when the Bible says there are things you should NOT think about, talk about, or listen to stories about? Do you realize that there are deeds done in the darkness that are so dark, the Bible cautions you not to even mention them? Ephesians 5 says:

“Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to SPEAK of the things which are done in secret” Ephesians 5:11-12.

Did you know there are things so evil, so dark, we are warned not to even talk about them? All of us have been exposed to such things. That’s the nature of the so-called “Information Superhighway”—it is a freeway to all manner of worldliness, piping a polluted stream into your life every day. Some of the things in there are extremely toxic. And I don’t mean simple nakedness, though there is far too much of that. But there is so much more—ideas, conversations, things for sale, destructive things the simple thought of which can be harmful.

Can you think of secret things so bad “it is disgraceful even to speak” of them? I can. I think you probably can. For example, things you would be uncomfortable talking to your parents or grandparents about—the discomfort you feel is probably because those are things “disgraceful even to speak of” with anyone.

What I am trying to say is, if you want to be used by God, purify yourself. Reject those things. “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness,” and do not think about them, do not watch movies and television shows about them, do not even let those things into your mind. If you cannot talk about it, then why do you give it a home in your thoughts?

Purify yourself “from anything dishonorable,” and you “will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”

Dear God, teach us to keep our minds pure. Prick our consciences and let us know when we are letting things in that should not be in there. Teach us to purify ourselves so we can become special instruments, vessels of honor, prepared for every good work. We love you, Jesus, and we want to please you. Teach us to choose holiness. Help us to love your word, to read your word, study your word, memorize your word, and obey your word. Help us to SUBMIT ourselves to the authority of your holy word. Help us to lay before you all our bad habits, our entertainment, our favorite jokes, favorite entertainers, everything. Show us what we need to cleanse ourselves of so that we can be pure. We want to serve you with our lives every day. Make us pure so we can be pure vessels, ready for your highest purposes. We love you.

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Does what you say matter? Does Jesus care about language? Ephesians 5:4

God forgives people for huge sins, right? If God can forgive the worst of humanity, surely He is not worried about the small things? There’s grace—and He can handle words. Of course He can. Language is one of the ‘small’ issues, right? It’s not like adultery or being an alcoholic or deserting your family or gambling away your paycheck when your children are at home without food.

But language comes up in the Bible anyway, “small” as it is. Not just language, but dirty jokes, inappropriate comedy, and all the rest.

“And there must be no filthy talk, or obscenity or crude joking, which are not fitting [for a believer], but rather giving of thanks” Ephesians 5:4.

Paul says clean up your mouth, and when you want to be angry and mock someone, find things to be thankful for.

Put down your bad language and dirty jokes and take up gratitude. A thankful heart will change your life.

But surely words are not that big a deal, right? People will say anything now, and in public settings, in front of women and children Believe it or not, there was a time when a man wouldn’t dare to cuss in front of a lady–“disturbing the peace by swearing” has long been a criminal offense across the country and remains a crime in Louisiana (see footnote).

Actually, words may be a bigger deal than we think. Ephesians 5:4 directly follows a discussion of sexual immorality. In fact, it is all one sentence. Paul seems to equate obscene acts and obscene language. The context reads like this:

“But among you [believers] there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are not proper for God’s people; and there must be no filthy talk, or obscenity or crude joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” Ephesians 5:3-4.

God takes our words seriously. We are his witnesses, shining his light in the darkness. How will the lost find Christ if they can’t find a Christ-follower? Your words will help them recognize that you are different. They notice. They will tease you now and then, but when their world falls apart, you will be the person they come to for help.

And why not? When life is hard, we all look for someone who can offer words of hope and thankfulness—someone who can look on the bright side and be an encourager, not someone who is foul-mouthed and as miserable as we are.

God, teach us to watch our language, to avoid obscenity and dirty jokes, and to practice THANKULNESS. Help us use our speech, our words, to bring you glory. Help us fill our minds and hearts with good things. Make us thankful. Fill us with gratitude–the “healthiest of all emotions,” as one writer put it.

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4416982/Louisiana-man-arrested-cursing-woman.html

What Can You Say About Slavery? What Can You Say About Politics? Ephesians 6:5-9.

The Apostle Paul took on one of the most controversial topics in history: slavery. Did he argue for the abolition of slavery? Or did he argue—as some American preachers once did—that certain people are better off slaves? Let’s look:

“Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ. Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him” Ephesians 6:5-9.

Is Paul an abolitionist? Will he fight to end slavery around the world? What about to end slavery in Ephesus? No. There is nothing in this passage to indicate he would try to outlaw slavery.  But he does not defend it either. Instead, he simply faces slavery as one of the realities of the world in which he and his readers live.

But do you remember where Paul was when he wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus? He was chained up in a Roman dungeon. Paul knows how it feels to have no liberty. But the purpose of Paul’s letter is not to legislate change in the government of Ephesus. (And even if Paul did try to change the laws, why would a pagan, Greek government pay any attention to the words of a Jewish convict from Israel?)

Paul understands his role. He is an apostle, a missionary, a leading pastor teaching Gentile converts how to walk with Christ. That is the purpose of his words on slavery.

Here is the advice he gives slaves: (1) obey your master as though he were Christ; (2) work hard, don’t simply give the appearance of working hard; (3) serve with a good attitude as though God gave you the assignment, because God will reward you.

And here is the advice Paul gives masters: (1) treat your slaves well, as though God provided them; (2) do not threaten your slaves; (3) remember that you serve the same God they do, and God does not consider masters to be any better than the slaves.

Paul’s goal is that Christians would live so that the light of Christ shines forth from our good works.

Paul wants slaves to honor God so effectively in their work that a lost master would be led to Christ by his slave.

And Paul wants masters to honor God so effectively and to treat slaves so well that the slave would be led to Christ by the master.

Paul’s goal when writing to the people of Ephesus was that they would live like Christ. That they would follow the words of Jesus and “let your light so shine before men, that they would see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:16.

I’m certain Paul would support the abolition of slavery. After all, he noted that slaves and masters are equal in God’s eyes, Ephesians 6:9.

But Paul never involved himself in political causes. Instead, he dedicated all his time to teaching believers to live like Christ and to share the gospel more effectively. Paul was an apostle, one of a handful who had seen the risen Christ and were chosen to preach the word.

Paul knew his mission: he was an apostle, missionary, pastor, and teacher. He was not a politician or a revolutionary.

Are political goals important? Absolutely. But you must know your calling. Paul’s calling was higher than politics.

What about you and me? We are in the middle of an election season as I write this. Like everyone else, Christians are drawn to controversies every day.

Social media is on fire, half the posts and memes and short videos are fake. The other half are real, but too brief to accurately explain either side of any issue. Yet, we let ourselves get mad and re-post half-baked, unproven things constantly.

Will you persuade anyone on social media? Probably not. Instead, social media drives us to extremes, polarizing us. The right moves further right, the left moves further left, everyone is shouting and no one is listening.

Follow the example of the Apostle Paul. You do not have to solve the political issues of the day. It is probably not up to you to fix global warming or electric cars or inflation or whatever today’s issue may be.

Find out what God is calling you to do. It is more important you live like Christ and display His light and love, whether slave or master, than it is that you fight over politics.

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HOPE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO “QUALITY OF LIFE.” Ephesians 3:10.

Joni asks hard questions—What about the quadriplegic on a ventilator? What about that person who can communicate only by blinking? How do you respond to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis? What hope is left when disease has spread and pain is increasing? Why hang on? What about those who live their entire lives trapped inside bodies and minds that don’t work as they should? The questions are real, and everyone asks them, whether they voice them aloud or not. Why go on? Why face it? More importantly, what is God up to?

Dr. Putt, my college philosophy professor, opened our first class by posing a classic question: Why don’t I just kill myself? Life is too hard—why should I endure it?

For a semester we discussed both the validity of that question and the strength of various answers. But no one present had the answers (or life experience) of Joni Eareckson Tada. (Frankly, Kierkegaard, Descartes, Augustine and the rest were not much help either.)

HEAVEN: YOUR REAL HOME by the author and speaker who became a quadriplegic in a diving accident in 1967, is an amazing book. I finished it 15 years ago and promptly misplaced it (I think I mis-loaned it!). But one passage stuck with me, and that was Joni’s response to life’s hardest questions. It was a revelation [quoting from a Google Book search]:

“I had a friend named Denise when I was in the hospital. She laid in bed for eight years, blind and paralyzed. She hung in there despite the odds.

“Denise died after eight years in that bed. My human logic said, ‘God, You should have taken her home to heaven sooner. What did her striving accomplish for the handful of nurses who happened to know her?’ But then I read a verse in Ephesians 3:10 that says God uses our lives like a blackboard upon which He teaches lessons about Himself. And He does it for the benefit of angels and demons—maybe not people, but quadrillions of unseen beings.”

Ephesians 3:10 says, “God’s purpose is… to use us to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Joni continues: “Something dynamic is happening in the heavens right now. Angels and demons are learning new things about God. It happens when believers allow their painful circumstances to be the platform from which their souls rise to heavenly heights. Every day that we go on living in these bodies means fruitful labor—for us, for others, for the glory of God, and for the heavenly hosts.”

Joni argues that believers continue to store up treasure in heaven throughout their lives, and the time when their lives become most unbearable, may in fact be the time when they are doing their greatest work for the Lord. Even when they seem unaware of their sufferings, whether due to advanced dementia or a comatose, minimally conscious, or persistent vegetative state, God is still using them to remind the enemy that God alone holds the power of life and death.

If you know the story of Job, you know that God can use the lives of his people to demonstrate the truth about His sovereignty and His goodness. Even in dementia, a faithful saint may do his life’s greatest work as he proves God’s great sovereignty over life and death and all things.

Imagine: accident or disease may leave your loved one blind, mute, in pain, or minimally conscious, yet his every breath preaches a sermon to the spiritual forces all around us, and every day he remains on earth is a day in which he serves his Lord and stores up treasure in heaven.

Your Great Redeemer redeems even suffering we cannot understand, and He gives to the suffering, even those who may have the least understanding of it, the opportunity to serve Him and earn eternal rewards. Lives that seem to “make no difference” may in fact be the most significant lives of all.

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WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE? Philippians 1:21-24; 2:12-15.

People love to ask, “what is the meaning of life?” It has become a cliché. Homer asks God the question on the Simpsons and just as God is about to tell him, the credits begin to roll. On Monty Python a man opens an envelope labeled “the meaning of life,” and it says: “Well, it’s nothing very special. Uh, try to be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then….” Paintings, movies, novels, and characters both comical and serious constantly talk about the meaning of life. Why are we so obsessed? Because we know the answer will show us the happiest, most fulfilling way to live.

Would it surprise you if I said the Bible answers the question? Many passages speak to the subject, but consider Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

“For me, to live is Christ.” There you have it—five words. But let’s read on:

“For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I live on in the flesh, it will mean fruitful work for me, and I don’t know which I should choose…. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ—which is FAR BETTER—but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you [because I can keep teaching]” Philippians 1:21-24.

Paul’s advice:

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling .… for God is at work in you, helping you both DESIRE and FULFILL his purpose, …. So you SHINE LIKE STARS IN THE WORLD” Philippians 2:12-15.

In 2014, that great philosopher Kanye West said “the meaning of life is getting things done and being happy.” Believe it or not, he’s not far from the wisdom of Ecclesiastes.

But Paul gives us a greater ambition. Life is about serving Christ and storing up eternal treasure. Seek him and he will make you WANT to serve him, and as you serve, he will make you shine like a star.

The meaning of life[1] is serving the Foot-Washer (the “Suffering Servant”) who first served us.

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[1] At other times I have described Ephesians 2:10 as “the meaning of life”: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Is Your Life Driven by a Purpose?Ephesians 2:10.

Rick Warren’s 2002 book THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE was a hit, selling over 50 million copies in over 85 languages. People are looking for purpose! Another way we say it is ‘What is the Meaning of life’?

Have you noticed how many books and movies ask the big question:

“What is the meaning of life?”

People don’t ask it every day, but when you hit the bottom—when you envy people in the cemetery—you will ask about the meaning of life. And also when you are at the top, such as a wedding day or the day your first child is born, and you know you are the happiest person on earth, then you ask–why me? Why am I so blessed? Why did God do this for me? What is my purpose? What is the meaning of my life?

There are dozens of excellent scriptures that address this deep question. But one of the best is Ephesians 2:10.

“For we are HIS creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10.

So what does that mean? What is the meaning of life?

1. “We are His.”

Another verse says “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You belong to God. Do you see yourself that way? You do NOT own you. Your mind belongs to God. Your heart? God’s. Your soul? God’s. Your body? God’s. Your future? God’s. Your education? God’s. Your talent? God’s. Your work time? God’s. Your free time? God’s. Your health? God’s. You have to see yourself that way. It’s all about Him. Are you trying to please Him? Do you pray about your decisions? Do you ask yourself WWJD? You belong to Him. He bought you with His blood. You can no longer simply do what you want. You are HIS. He owns you.

2.We were created to do good works through the power of God—works God planned for us long ago.

God owns you and He made you to serve Him. Not only that, He planned your path long ago. He created a set of tasks for you, and He crafted you to complete those tasks. That means He knows your gifts, talents, and interests, and made you to complete a set of tasks created just for you. You and the good works you were made for fit together perfectly. No one on earth is as perfectly prepared for those tasks as you are—and no works will so perfectly fit your unique combination of strengths and talents as the works God made for you. He made you, he knows you, he loves you, and long ago he designed a life of very specific good works with you in mind.

So what’s the secret? You have to walk with Him every day. Pray and read the Bible or you will miss some (possibly many) of the things He has planned for you. Why? Because you have an enemy who is working every day to steer you of course. You have to live your life in prayer and in the word or you will miss God’s perfect plan for you.

Dear God, thank you for loving me! Help me remember that you bought me with a price and I am not my own. I am yours. I submit all of me to you: my work, my talents, my hobbies, my health habits, my free time, my Bible reading. I know that you own me. Take control of my life more and more every day. Thank you for planning good works for me. Help me walk in your path and discover and complete every good work you have planned for me. Help me to be grateful every day for the works you give me to do. I love you, Jesus.

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YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT. Ephesians 1:4-13.

Was it God’s will that Jim’s mother got pregnant when she was 19? Was it God’s will that Jim then fathered a child at 17? God wills that we save sex for marriage. But God also wills that sex results in children, even difficult, unplanned pregnancies.

Now what? Now Grace!

Grace is God stepping “outside” His rules by making the baby such a blessing to the parents that they cannot imagine their lives without that child. THAT is God’s grace: the supernatural transformation of mistakes into miracles. Such amazing grace!

Let’s take it to a deeper level. Does God see unplanned children as—if you’ll pardon the harsh, trendy term— “Oops Babies”? That is, He had a plan for the parents, but they messed up, so the children are doomed to be mistakes forever, a living monument to their parents’ sin?

Will children conceived out of wedlock forever be “damaged goods” because God had other plans? No! God’s grace is bigger than that.

No matter who you are, God planned you before He made the world. It may never make sense to us—but God’s grace is beyond our comprehension.

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His Will…. He lavished His grace on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will…. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose…. You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” Ephesians 1:4-13.

He chose you BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. He knew you before Creation. He loved you. He chose you. He predestined you to be adopted into His family—heir to a great inheritance—through Christ. He lavished grace on you. He has plans for you and gives you the Holy Spirit as a reminder that—

YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT.

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“SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE” Colossians 3:2.

The Middle Ages: Disease. Cities filled with sewage, rats, and dirty water. Physicians practice bloodletting (draining up to 80% of a patient’s blood), purging (meds to cause vomiting or diarrhea), and extreme sweat treatments. (Such so-called ‘heroic medicine’ often hastens the patient’s death.) You are better off poor—poor enough to avoid doctors, that is, but not so poor you risk starvation.

Women die in childbirth. Half the babies won’t reach 12 months. Half that do will die before age five. Burying children was part of life, and adults were not much better off. Life expectancy was 35 years.

But people found hope in church. Was it the “prosperity gospel”? Imagine one of today’s TV preachers: “Don’t be discouraged! God’s gonna turn things around. That new job is already on its way! I know you just used another dresser drawer for a baby coffin. But turn that frown upside down! Your check is in the mail!”

If it sounds ridiculous, it is. Old time Christians did not find hope in the things of earth—a new romance or dream job—their hope was in HEAVEN. Ours should be too. Why do we spend ALL our time dreaming about things on earth? Why do so many preachers speak only of God’s blessings in THIS life? Have we forgotten that Heaven is better than Earth?

Jesus talked about blessings IN HEAVEN. And not just once or twice—there are many verses about it. The Catholic church got this right: cathedrals are designed to make you think of heaven: high ceilings so you literally LOOK UP, colored light streaming in, angelic acoustics, statues that illustrate Biblical texts, and the entire building shaped like a cross. In a world with little recreation or entertainment, mass was the highlight of the week. (Have we not lost something with our 24/7 entertainment?)

Dear God, help us LOOK UP, to long for the blessings of Heaven, not the unsatisfying stuff of earth. Don’t let us be enticed by the dazzling things around us. Bless us with preachers and teachers who point us to heaven.

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THE SLAVERY WORK ETHIC. Colossians 3:22-23.

Slavery, as a rule, does not produce hard workers but people who LOOK LIKE hard workers. People will not work hard if they believe they have no control over their work. But slaves will say “yes sir,” and hustle and SMILE as though thrilled with their work. But once they’re out of sight, the smile and hustle vanish.

Children do the same. As a child, I did little for teachers because I felt like a slave: I was forced to go to school, I hated the work, and the value of good grades was so remote it meant nothing. (Get into a good college? Who cares?)

By contrast, an adult with power over his own life–with agency–says, “No one owns me. I OWN this work, this class, this project. If I work hard, it will pay off for ME.”

People work hard for cash. Cash is CONCRETE and IMMEDIATE.

But the rewards for success in school are ABSTRACT and REMOTE.

They are abstract because they include things like knowledge of a subject your friends never heard of, and a better GPA that may or may not result in more earning power; and they are remote because they include ideas such as ‘I will become well-educated, but it will take years, and is it even worth it?’ and ‘I MIGHT earn more money someday, but I might not.’

Maturity is what you have when you can stay motivated as rewards become more and more remote.

If you can stay motivated for an 18-week semester in a boring class, knowing the payoff is not cash but an abstract gain in education and a good GPA, that is maturity.

Being an adult means OWNING your life and working hard when the payoff is extremely remote.

“Slaves, … don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it as working for God, rather than men. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” Colossians 3:22-23.

“It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Do your work in a way that honors Him—and you will reap tremendous benefits!

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Do You Get Tired of Working? Colossians 3:23.

The Bible encourages us to work hard and to shake off the weariness. You can do it! Unbelievers are sometimes quite lazy. Sometimes people are poor because they are unwilling to work in a regular or disciplined manner.

Laziness is tempting. It’s hard to get out of bed, to hustle, to stay motivated. And that is a problem for people around the world. It’s not a problem for everyone, of course—millions work hard every day. But millions more are vulnerable to the pull of laziness.

Let me sleep a little more. Let me sit down instead of pulling weeds. Let me play with my phone instead of studying. Let me just watch a little TV. Laziness and idleness can take many forms.

But the Protestant Work Ethic—another result of the Reformation—taught generations to get up and get back to work. In fact, Luther and Calvin said your job is a calling from God, and all workers should be as dedicated to their work as a priest might be.

When God calls you to work or to school, give it your best, because “it is the Lord Christ whom you serve,” Colossians 3:23.

In fact, your job is a vocation, right? Do you know what the root word for ‘vocation’ is? It is ‘voice,’ as in you heard the VOICE of God calling you to your work. In other words, your vocation—your work—is your calling from God. And if you are a student, your education is part of that. God calls you to school and He calls you to do your best. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

When you feel tired, remember that the Bible says, “Do not grow weary in well-doing,” 2 Thessalonians 3:13. Instead, “whatever you do, do your work heartily, as unto God rather than men. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve,” Colossians 3:23.

Work hard. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

God, help me to fight weariness and laziness. Help me to honor you by working hard for you every day. Help me work hard in class, on homework, at my job, or for sports teams, and even chores around the house. Show me where I need to improve and help me work my hardest and do my best so that others “will see my good works and glorify the God who helps me do those works” Matthew 5:10. Help me to work hard for you and glorify you with my effort and dedication. Thank you.

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