EVERYTHING that we do as Christians should be done as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23, 24 says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men." It is easy for us to separate what we consider secular from the spiritual but according to scripture this is a fractured worldview.
To often we forget WHO we are trying to please. We forget that while others may not see our shortcuts and half done jobs, that the Lord sees. Busyness often takes away from a job well done. There are many good things to participate in but if I am running to and fro doing half jobs then what I am really trying to do is glorify myself. Look at me, see how much I am doing, see how busy I am! I see this frequently in the area of hospitality. We invite and then we do the minimum. We don't want to go out of our way to serve the people we invite. I am guilty of occasionally wondering why I bother to clean before guests come when I will only have to clean again once they leave. Don't forget to do your best for your family. In Mathew 25:40 Jesus tell the disciples that "to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even to the least of them, you did it to me." Sometimes our families are on the short end of our stick. When was the last time you set a beautiful table for the most precious people in your life? We should give the best to our families not our left overs.
We forget that when we claim Christ what we do effects how others view not us but view our Savior! When we put a little fish on the back of our cars or the bumper sticker to a local Christian radio station we are proclaiming our faith. We are saying we believe in Jesus. When that same car tailgates or speeds through traffic people look at that and see a powerless God who does not impact his beliefs enough to affect their behavior! We preach a gospel of no higher accountability. This is particularly true of of woman. In Titus 2:5 God tells us that we are "to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, SO THAT the word of God will not be dishonored." When we are not sensible, pure, working at home, kind or subject to the authorities of our husbands the very God we claim to serve is DISHONORED.
My best and your best may not be the same. Each one of us is in different circumstances and different points in our lives. I have one dear friend who always uses her best dishes (China not chinet:) whenever she invites our family to her house. I do not own any fine china and in our circumstance I would consider it an extravagance. However, I did carefully choose serviceable dishes in white that would look nice with any meal and whenever I see a nice white dish at the local thrift store I pick it up. The heart of my friend and mine as well is to bless and serve those that come to our homes. I have another friend who can not afford to have people over for a meal so she has chosen to invite people for desert and she makes a beautiful presentation out of it, not to show off but to honor the Lord who has provided all these things.
That should be our goal first and foremost. That Christ be honored and exalted in all that we do!
