“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. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”
Colossians 3:22-25 (The Message)
I’ve been reading a book lately that is so fascinating and has really gotten me thinking about life here on earth as well as what life will be like for eternity in Heaven. Imagine Heaven by John Burke is definitely well worth your time if you feel like reading something that will get you excited about eternity as God’s child.
One area that is talked about in the book is what is our main job here on earth – what does God really care about and what will be His focus during the life review He has with us after we die? As the above verse clearly states, God wants us to work well at every job assigned, as though we are working for God and not a paycheck or employer. However, I tend to agree with the author that God will put more weight on the quality and investments we made in the relationships He gave us the opportunity to begin and maintain then on our paycheck or pension.
God is all about people and relationships. He wants more than anything to have a personal relationship with every human being He created. That is God’s main goal – so why should it surprise me that God’s main focus for my life would be about the relationships with people He allowed me to intersect with, He blessed me with to call “family” and “friends”?
Thinking about life that way, while I still strive to be an excellent worker who goes above and beyond for my employer, I am thinking more about the relationships I have (or don’t yet have) with those in my inner circle. God chose specific people for me to share a bloodline with. God allowed specific people to attend my children’s schools, my church, shop where I shop when I shop, bank where I bank, etc. He cares about what I choose to do with those relationships and whether I will neglect them, nurture them, invest in them or ignore them.
Our life here on earth is short. Even if I live to be 90 years old (which is definitely on the high end), it will be over before I know it. My timeframe of working and earning a living is even shorter than that. While I want to be a good steward of the talents and gifts God has given me and a body able to work while it can, I don’t want to forget that relationships are at the heart of God’s salvation message and genuinely investing in relationships with those around me gives me the opportunity to introduce those I love (and those I cross paths with) to the One who can change their life for the good for all eternity.
It was a great reminder for me where my real investments should take place. A great reminder of what my real job here on earth is.
© Cheri Swalwell 2017