So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:31-33
PRAISE: Do everything for God’s glory.
Martin Luther was approached by a working man who wanted to know how he could serve God. Luther asked him, “What is your work now?” The man said, “I’m a shoemaker.” Much to the cobbler’s surprise, Luther replied, “Then make good shoes and sell them at a fair price.” Luther didn’t tell the man to make “Christian shoes.” He didn’t tell the man to leave his shoe business and become a monk.
Six months before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King spoke to a group of Jr. High School students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia and this is what he said: “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.'”
Excellence is: Doing the best you can with what you have.
Beware of the paralysis of perfectionism.
If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Ecclesiastes 11:4
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23
He says to do ALL you do for God’s glory. It’s not just big things. It’s not just the Church-y things. It applies to everything you do, even eating and drinking.
Think of your favorite food. Steak perhaps. Or Thai green curry. Or ice cream. Or homemade apple pie. God could have just made fuel. He could have made us to be sustained by some kind of savory biscuit. Instead he gave a vast and wonderful array of foods.
Food is a central experience of God’s goodness. The world is more delicious than it needs to be. We have a superabundance of divine goodness and generosity. God went over the top. We don’t need the variety we enjoy, but He gave it to us out of sheer, exuberant joy and grace.
It means everything including our work, our worship and our service. You can even breathe for God’s glory. Think about your breathing. It’s involuntary.
You take approximately 23,000 breaths every day, but when was the last time you thanked God for a single one of them? The process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide is a complicated respiratory task that requires physiological precision. We tend to thank God for the things that take our breath away. And that’s fine. But maybe we should thank him for every other breath too!
Problem – Don’t be a stumbling block
“If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
Who am I going to live my life for? Am I going to live my life to please people or am I going to live my life to please God? If you live your life to please people you will always be set up for hurt. Because you can’t please everybody.
You can’t please everybody. Think about this: even God can’t please everybody. Some of you don’t wish it to be this hot today. Some of you wish it were colder. When it’s raining, you want the sun out. God can’t even please everybody.
The secret to simplifying life is saying this: I’m going to do what pleases God. And if I live my life to please God it’s always the right thing to do. And it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks.
“Obviously I’m not trying to be a people pleaser. No, I’m trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people I would not be Christ’s servant.” Galatians 1:10
Based on this verse you and I have a choice. We can choose whether we’re going to live for the applause of God or the applause of people. Because you can’t get the approval of both at the same time.
PURPOSE: Remember the goal: to win as many as possible!
- I will do more than belongI will participate.
- I will do more than careI will help.
- I will do more than believeI will practice.
- I will do more than be fairI will be kind.
- I will do more than forgiveI will forget.
- I will do more than dreamI will work.
- I will do more than teachI will inspire.
- I will do more than earnI will enrich.
- I will do more than giveI will serve.
- I will do more than liveI will grow.
- I will do more than sufferI will triumph.