Today’s Scripture: Ephesians 6:5-8
…be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord
Franklin Roosevelt’s closest adviser during much of his presidency was a man named Harry Hopkins. During World War II, when his influence with Roosevelt was at its peak, Hopkins held no official Cabinet position. Moreover, Hopkins’s closeness to Roosevelt caused many to regard him as a shadowy, sinister figure. As a result he was a major political liability to the President. A political foe once asked Roosevelt, “Why do you keep Hopkins so close to you? You surely realize that people distrust him and resent his influence.” Roosevelt replied, “Someday you may well be sitting here where I am now as President of the United States. And when you are, you’ll be looking at that door over there and knowing that practically everybody who walks through it wants something out of you. You’ll learn what a lonely job this is, and you’ll discover the need for somebody like Harry Hopkins, who asks for nothing except to serve you.” Winston Churchill rated Hopkins as one of the half-dozen most powerful men in the world in the early 1940s. And the sole source of Hopkins’s power was his willingness to serve.
At various stages in life, God will bring us into the service of great men, great organizations and great institutions. And our legacies would be defined by how selflessly we serve. Unfortunately most of us deal with the people, organizations and institutions in our lives primarily on the basis of what we can get. What we give is secondary or at best, transactional. But God expects us to conceive of every person, organization or institution we work with as a service to Him.
How devoted would you be to your boss, your job or your organization, if it was a direct service to God? Consider how invaluable, like Harry Hopkins to FDR, we would be if we brought discipline, faithfulness and diligence consistently to bear, offering our service not unto men, but to God. Consider how invaluable we would be if our work is offered up as worship to the Father. It matters little how kind and appreciative our bosses, organizations or institutions are, it only matters that God has commanded us to serve faithfully wherever we are.
So let us render service from the heart always and in all situations. It is God we serve, not men. And it is from God we will receive our rewards on earth and in heaven. The Lord will give us a heart of service. He will bless us and cause us to increase on all sides today, and always, in Jesus name!
Memorize & Meditate:
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
Prayer & Confession:
Give me a heart of service Lord. Teach me to keep You in the picture at all times, in Jesus name! Amen.
