Do your best

Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters.  And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by.  Do your best. ~Colossians 3:22 (MSG)

God tells us to exceed the expectations of others.  It doesn’t matter what we are doing, whether we are tying children’s shoes or litigating in a courtroom God requires us to do more than the minimum.  We are not supposed to just get by in our work.  If we want God to bless our work, He says go beyond and farther than what is expected of you.  When was the last time you went that extra mile?  When was the last time you completed your job and asked somebody else how you could help them?  Getting your daily tasks completed is what you should do but helping others who are having a difficult time or trying to learn new skills is giving your best!  It is bringing more production to a business, and it is helping a coworker to grow.  We aren’t supposed to only be looking out for ourselves.  That is narrow-minded.  The Lord tells us in Philippians 2:4 “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (NLT)  The Lord also promises we will reap what we sow.  So, we can be sure that when we help others to shine, God makes us shine! 

We see mediocrity around us every day.  Poor customer service has become more and more accepted as the norm.  Have you had an experience with that lately?  How about an experience with good customer service?  You have to admit, there's a big difference in the takeaway.  God wants us to take pride in what we do.  Excellence in integrity should be one of the traits that distinguishes the Christian from the rest of the world.  And don’t we do others a disservice by not expecting the best from them also?  Our culture screams “I don’t want to”, “I don’t feel like it” or even “I can’t do that”.  But there’s still a few who say, “I will”, “I’m on board” and “I will make it happen” with a good attitude.  That’s the kind of people we should want to be, the kind that gives the Lord something to work with.  He knows we are capable of making a difference in this world and in the lives of others by doing our very best.  The question is, do we?  Ask the Lord to show you where you can make a difference today.  He is waiting to work in you and through you to be an example to those around you.  We don’t have to wait for others to show us how to improve ourselves and our work.  We have the Holy Spirit within us to help us to be the best we can be.  Just like you have to step up to trigger an automatic door to open, you have to step up and do your very best, exceeding the expectations of others.  When you do God promises to open the doors of opportunity and make you shine for the whole world to see. 

You lazy fool, look at an ant.  Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.  Nobody has to tell it what to do.  All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions.  So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?   ~Proverbs 6:6-8 (MSG)

Have you asked the Lord where you could make a difference today in the world and in the lives of those around you?

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