All for Him

And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. --Colossians 3:17

Everything we do must give glory to God. When it comes to serving Him, sometimes it isn't true that our actions speak more loudly than our words--in reality, our actions and our words should work together. It is important to make sure that the two do not cancel each other out, but rather, build upon one another as we honor and glorify God in our lives.

I have to admit that there are times when it is a lot easier to do things with an attitude that I might somehow gain recognition from it. Maintaining a humble, selfless attitude is difficult, particularly in this day and age. I'm sure we all have had times when people get a lot accomplished and think "I deserve a pat on the back for this." Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately) a large portion of what we do goes unnoticed by the rest of the egocentric world.

No matter what we do, we can be sure that if we are truly doing it to God's glory, He will give us a certain feeling of joy that is possibly the spiritual equivalent of a pat on the back. It takes practice to have a servant's heart and to rid ourselves of the pattern of doing things simply for personal recognition, but the eternal reward is far greater than anything we think we desire in the here and now.