Just Punchin' The Clock

Yesterday was Punch the Clock Day. Have you ever had one of those days -- or one of those jobs -- where you feel like you're just, well, punching the clock? Phoning it in? Maybe that describes your job now.

We've all been there: the work is unfulfilling; you go through your days unappreciated, unnoticed, and underpaid, and slowly being drained of all semblances of motivation. But has it occurred to you that, even if it's the last place you want to be, God has you there for a reason?

It's a lesson it took me far too long to learn, that no matter what I'm doing, ultimately, I'm doing it for Him. Consider Ephesians 6:5-8...

 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

Now, Paul was talking to people in a position of unpaid servitude. People who had no choice about calling in sick. People who got no benefit from their position except, maybe, a bit of food and a roof over their heads. And his call to them? Serve, as though you were serving the Lord, and not people.  

Be encouraged! You don't labor for these men and women who may or may not appreciate all you do. You don't work for the paltry benefits and praise presented by earthly businesses. We work -- we strive for excellence -- because we are serving a God who loves and gives and rewards. 

So strive for excellence in your work, whether you're pumping gas, or managing a business, or chasing toddlers around the house -- because you're doing it for Him. 

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." And shouldn't we give God our very best?