"Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14
There are things that are easy to do in love. So easy that many of us do them without thought. Giving a nice gift, a kiss to our kids, being kind to those who make it "easy" to be kind to. It's easy to do those things in love and we put God's command to do everything in love in action and we seem to be following through.
But what about the things that are just plain hard to do? When we are asked to do something that really takes effort and God asks us to go our of our way. Do we do those things from love? Most of the time we just hastily rush through it to "get it over with." So then we can be on our merry way and get back to the things that are easy. To do the hard things with love is to take God's command seriously.
If we view even the smallest tasks as things to be done in love for God, this will change our daily lives. Even when we don't feel God's love for a person or task, we show love to them or do the task not because we find the laundry brings us joy overflowing---but because of God's love for us and our love for God's kingdom.
We do everything from love, even the laundry, dishes, sweeping, the most mundane and repetitive tasks. We probably won't be dancing with the dishes and kissing them and saying "I love you dirty dish plate," but we will not feel that all is wasted. Because the dishes, the laundry, the person we need to serve, and the hard task God is asking us to do, is it not done all for Him? "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24
God made us to care for and be diligent with the people and things He has placed before us. He sees the attitude of our hearts. If we love begrudgingly, if we don't take the work He sets before us seriously, He sees the state of our heart attitude. He sees if we work at it with diligence or if we are lazy and apathetic. Because our diligence or our laziness is an attitude of the heart towards God.
When we overflow with the joy of the Lord, we see these tasks as God given responsibilities to be done unto Him. If everyone put their best effort into each small task, imagine how the world would change for Christ. The smallest and largest, done in love. The proud and the humble---loved.
Sometimes, we do things with a wrong attitude and wrong motives. "Do nothing from rivalry and conceit..." Philippians 2:3
When we do things with rivalry, to "one up" the Jones', to appease our pride and our ego, we are only giving ourselves a high that temporarily appeases our impure motives. This attitude and thought process bears no fruit in our spiritual lives and it does not further God's love. We are taught by the world to compete, compete compete! And we are taught that we need the best of the best. We need a better house, a better car, the better clothes, the best of luxuries to really show who we are to all those other people. After all, we MUST show our status--- our rivalry, our conceit. It is so fleeting and temporary.
When we do things in love, we are investing in eternity, putting our relationship with God first. We have a pure heart and the Holy Spirit works in us and through us. We never know how the smallest of things done in love can make the biggest change for God's plans and kingdom.
God's commands are so clear to us. Do EVERYTHING in love and do NOTHING from rivalry or vain conceit. Even when we are weary, and even when it seems pointless.
We can trust in God's word and His commands. He doesn't ask us anything that is not for our good and for the good of others.
Prayer: "God, help me to do everything I do to reflect my love for you and my relationship with you. Help me to make a difference for you even in the smallest things you ask of me." Amen.
"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8
"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do
not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love
serve one another." Galations 5:13
"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a
sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart... "1 Peter 1:22
"with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.." Ephesians 4:2
Love should be seen in little things as well as in great ones. Remember, not least, the words of Peter: “Love each other deeply”; not a love which just barely is a flame, but a burning, shining fire, which everyone around us can see. (1 Peter 4:8) It may cost pains and trouble to keep these things in mind. There may be little encouragement from the example of others. But persevere. Love like this brings its own reward." -J.C. Ryle
Stopping by from A Proverbs 31 wife link up :). This was a great reminder of what is really important in life. I believe love is one of the most important things in life and also a running important theme in the bible. I especially loved how you mentioned the competitive nature of the world or the need to one up the Joneses. It is something that needs to be addressed and I love how gently you wrote about it here. I have even seen the competitive nature in the blogging world where people put so much worth and value on numbers, stats, and who has more page views or "likes". Focusing on doing things for love and for a higher purpose or greater good, instead of competing is where my heart is at. Thank you for taking time to write such a well thought out post with scripture to go with :). ~Rebekah
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