Worthwhile

I was doing something really menial this afternoon, cutting out shapes for a Sunday School classroom, and I asked myself, “Why do I care if the lines are straight? Does it really matter? Is anyone else going to care?”

And, suddenly, I remembered that verse in the Bible that says “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV). So, it mattered that the lines were straight not because others might notice, but because I was serving God, not humans. (There’s a similar verse in Ephesians, my favorite book: Ephesians 6:7.)

But, really, everything? I mean, the beginning of the verse even goes so far as to include eating and drinking. I read that and think, “Really, Paul—really?”

So, until recently, I’ve taken that verse as an example of supreme exaggeration, assuming that Paul couldn’t have really meant that Christians should do every little thing as if they were serving God. But, recently, I’ve found that serving God is the most abundant way to live! So why on earth would we not want to think that way? I’d encourage you to try it, even if just for a day, to start.

But this may not just mean changing the way you think about the things you do throughout your day; it may also mean changing what you do. Some things you just can’t do for the glory of God or as if you were serving Him—like sinning. Those two ideas really don’t jive. But, there’s more. I wonder, if we took a look at what we really do throughout the day, if we’d find most things to be worthwhile or worthless? So I tried it:

· sleeping: worthwhile (I need sleep to function, after all)
· sleeping late (worthless—that time could have been spent better)
· eating breakfast (worthwhile—good nutrition, if you can get it, keeps you in shape to minister)
· quiet time with God (worthwhile—need I explain?)
· bath/shower (worthwhile—BO can be a real turnoff to nonbelievers)
· surfing the Facebook for new pictures and status updates (worthless—Facebook can be an awesome tool, but that half-hour was wasted)
· reading a book about leadership (worthwhile—personal development)
· watching Black Beauty (worthless—sometimes you can get an illustration or idea from movies, but I just watched this one for nostalgia this time)

I hope you get the idea by now, but I’m afraid that to take you through the entire day would just be—well, worthless.

Now, I’ve made this list simply as an example of this exercise, so let me remind you that it’s not so much the activities you do that make them worthless, but your reasons for doing them. For example, I also use Facebook in a constructive way, to keep up with friends overseas. That is worthwhile. Relationships are important. Additionally, if you watch a movie with your family, that time may very well be worthwhile, because I find that movie nights with my family help build us together and give us some wicked inside jokes. On the other hand, sometimes eating can be worthless—like if you eat just because you’re bored, or are stressed, or something. It’s not what you do, it’s why.

So, when we start doing things because we want to serve God, I can almost guarantee that our lives will change. Try it with me.