A Life of Service

“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.” – Colossians 3:23 (HCSB)

The verse above is one of my favorite Bible verses and sat in my office for years. It served as a reminder that no matter what I was going through that day and whatever was on my agenda, I was to do it as I was serving the Lord, not men. Working in school administration or as a teacher in the classroom, it can be difficult to keep that focus. We have behavioral situations, tough conversations with parents, interpersonal conflicts with other staff. But the more we keep focus of why we are there and who we really are working for, it will help us handle those situations more effectively. Paul instructs us how to keep that mindset earlier in the chapter:

“So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.” – Colossians 3:1 (HCSB)

For us to walk with Jesus and to work for Jesus, we have to be fueled by Jesus. We have to seek those things that are above, the eternal things, and our perspective needs to be on those things – the things of God. When our focus begins to shift, we start to feel anxiety, worry, stress, and even burnout. We have to allow God to be our source and to fuel us every single day.

What Colossians 3:23 is basically telling us is that our work should be done as acts of service to the Lord and not just acts to fulfill our own desires. We see this reflected throughout Jesus’ life and ministry: He would heal the sick, feed the masses, and minister to those that he encountered. Our service should reflect Jesus’ service: Meeting needs, loving those we encounter, seeing beyond the physical and thinking about the spiritual needs of all of our students and families. Once we change that perspective and our goals for service, we start to live out Colossians 3:23. We have to remember that regardless if we work in a Christian school setting or a public school setting, or Sunday school classroom, or even just in an office setting, we have a responsibility as Christians to live out Jesus daily in our interactions with others.

I heard a story once that they asked an older lady in a congregation what she did for a living and she responded, “I am a minister of Jesus Christ cleverly disguised as a factory worker.” Do you see yourself that way? Are you a minister of Jesus Christ disguised as a teacher, a principal, a secretary, an aide, a cook, an office worker, a retail worker, a factory worker, etc.? You may be the only representation of Jesus that people see. What Jesus are you showing them? Are you representing Him well? If not, it’s not too late to start.