Devotionals for the Heart: God First

God first, others second
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

We keep a sign in our house that says, “God first, others second, self last.”

I thought I put it there for my kids, but as a reformed people-pleaser, I now know it’s there just as much for me as for them.

See, I’ve always felt like that awkward girl—the one who didn’t quite fit in. I was painfully shy, but I moved around a lot and also did a lot of theater, so I learned enough social skills to get by. Still, making real, lasting friendships wasn’t easy. Between trust issues and girl drama, I was always overly concerned about whether people liked me or what I could do to make friends. People-pleasing became an idol in my life.

Finally one day, well into my adulthood, I had enough of the games and the worrying. As my relationship with God grew stronger and I became more committed in my faith, I realized it no longer mattered what others thought. It only mattered what God thought.

But it was hard to unshackle my former chains. I’d become somewhat of a slave to my people-pleasing mentality. I had to retrain myself to “hit pause” or “reset” when an unhealthy thought would enter my head, to shut down my initial instinct to wonder, “Hmm, what might they think?” Instead, I focused on whether I was pleasing God.

Today, I hope this has become a natural habit. But I know I am a flawed human woman with a foot in two worlds: my eternal future with God and this temporary, earthly realm. And sometimes the voices of others clamor for attention so loudly that they threaten to drown out God’s almighty call on my heart.

I try my best to combat that by beginning my day in prayer and with Bible reading, and by being aware of the struggle between the world and the Lord. While I have an obligation and a mission to spread God’s love in the world, there’s a big difference between loving the people in the world and being influenced by those people.

That’s why the apostle Paul’s encouragement to the early church in Colossae speaks to me today. In his letter, Paul tells us to do all we do—whether that’s loving our family members or in our labors—in the name of Jesus.

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people. You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ.”

 ~Colossians 3:23-24 (CEB)

You serve the Lord, he said—not people—so serve from the heart. Serve joyfully, in love, just as we love our Lord, for loving and serving our family is loving God. Loving and serving others is loving God. Loving and serving our “master” (modern day read on this is “boss”) is loving God.

God first. I pray I can always remember that.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 ACFW Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight

Devotionals for the Heart: Love

Is your work a labor of love for the Lord?
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“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 (NIV)

She had two-inch burgundy nails, glitter on her eyes, and the biggest smile I’d ever seen—and she made my day. Ringing up my purchases at the local megastore, this cashier chatted joyfully as she slid items across the scanner and into the bags. She smiled like she meant it. I’d never met her before, but her attitude lifted my heart and made me want to know her. She represented the store well, and I’d be willing to bet she also represented her faith well. For she clearly was a Christian, and the words “Jesus” or “church” didn’t even need to come out of her mouth for me to know that.

But, of course, she’s an anomaly. Most times I’m at that store, I get a cashier who rarely makes eye contact, let alone mutters a “have a nice day.”

I get it. Years of working day in and day out can take a toll on a person. We become lost in the work, lost in the shuffle of busy-ness. We forget about the big picture—why we are working—and sucked into whatever it is we are working on. Our perspective about life starts to change with this.

Defeated by the prospect of endless working, some people just seem to give up. They show up at their job, do just enough to get by so they don’t get fired, collect their paycheck, and go home.

As Christians, that’s not the kind of workers we are called to be. The apostle Paul had some important words about the work we do on earth. He wrote several times about the importance of working hard and giving our all. After all, the way we live our lives reflects our Lord. If we claim to be Christians but spend our time being lazy, mean-spirited, or selfish, we aren’t reflecting our Lord in a good and proper manner.

In his letter to the early Christians in Colossae, Paul urged obedience and an upright, faithful life. He urged husbands and wives to respect each other, and the same for children and parents. And when it comes to work, he urged, “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, NIV).

Work is a given. We spend our lives at work, and while the pay varies, everyone has a job. Some work as parents, some as teachers, some as business owners, some as employees.

Our challenge as Christians is to do that work as though we are doing it for Christ—for in reality, that’s exactly who we are doing it for. Everything about us—the way we live, the way we love, the way we speak, the way we think—comes back to the Lord. We are to serve Him in all we do, at every moment.

It’s not just so we can represent our faith well, though that certainly is a bonus. But our work, all we do on earth, is tied up in our souls. When we greet a customer, we’re greeting someone in the Lord. When we use our God-given gifts, whether that’s working on a car or preaching the Gospel, it’s all in the Lord.

Nothing we do is too small or insignificant to matter. All we do is seen and noticed. And everything can point to Christ if we let it.

This Labor Day, think about how you can allow the work you do to glorify God and point the way to eternity. Is there anything you could be doing better to make that happen?

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is a Christian author, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Learn more about her fiction and read her blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.