All or a Pittance?

All or a Pittance?
by David Brenneman

Life Principle 4: The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.

If you're a Christian, Jesus Christ is the supervisor at your place of work—and He not only watches you from afar, He’s right there with you. You and I need to give a full day’s labor, regardless of whether we think management is fair. Jesus is ultimately the One we serve, and He’s always on site. You and I should do our very best because the Holy Spirit is present, equipping, and energizing us.

We make a terrible mistake by segmenting life. We may think that Monday through Friday we go to work, Saturday we play, and Sunday we worship. God has not designed life that way. If Jesus Christ is our Savior, we can’t exclude Him from any part of life. It isn’t right to teach a Sunday school class with everything we have, then meander into work the rest of the week—we must honor and glorify Him in everything we do. It eliminates the temptation of doing our work merely to be seen by men when we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Jesus (Matt. 6:24).

Do I mean that your mundane job is also the Lord’s work? Yes! Ministry is not just what you do at church. You worship God every day of the week—on Sunday, you do so in church; on Monday through Friday, you show your devotion to Him by doing a good job at work. Your exalted status as a child of God dignifies your labor, and your office or place of employment should be better off because you are there.

You serve the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 3:24). Do you have a good testimony in the marketplace for Him? Are you one of your company’s most faithful employees because you serve God? Does your attitude reflect the joy you have in considering Him the real CEO? If so, then you are truly getting the most out of your work.
- Life Principles Devotional, Dr. Charles Stanley.

It's been something that I had struggled with earlier on in my life.  Where did the Christians that I knew and grew up with get the idea that they were only to do what we'll call Christ-like things on a Sunday or a Wednesday evening?

To find this from Dr. Stanley is something that should really be addressed more often in Church. 

We have within all of us the heavy propensity to do what is right in our own eyes.  It's been a historical problem since Adam and Eve. 

I have seen other Christians, sometimes even in myself, do the my way or the highway at living life.

We don't fully apply the standards taught by the Spirit to all areas of our lives.  We want to keep things in our lives that Scripturally we know that the Word of God says is a snare, a trap.

We know that deep down these things we have been enjoying aren't glorifying God.

We have indeed been doing as the rest of the world in doing whatever is right in our own eyes.

We never read of the double lives of any of Christ’s Disciples.  We read nothing of them being taught that it's ok not to give their all to Jesus.

We have hymns that say "all to Jesus I surrender all to Him I freely give." The question is do Christians really believe that or do they put on a show for themselves as well as others including Jesus?

The days are drawing to a close before Jesus returns.  Every day the world finds a today is one day closer to that day set by the Father’s own authority...that day in which we give an account of our lives before Jesus.  All that had nothing to do with the work we were supposed to accomplish in Christ Jesus will be burned up. 

Sundays are a special time and place for corporate worship.  Perhaps even for specific special ministry, however our ministry is 24/7 365.  All of our lives belong to Christ Jesus for all He did to save us. 

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.  But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;  yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,  so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.  Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;  in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.  For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me." Philippians 1:21-30.

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

"I Surrender All"
Author: Judson W. Van DeVenter (1896)

Do you live life as though Jesus were watching over you AND that what matters to Him matters to you? 

Are you living a dual life?  One lived for you and another when it suits you to live for Jesus?

There is no separation between living for Jesus and not.  The Scriptures teach us to honor God in everything we do, say or think.  

We are visiting this world after coming to Christ for salvation. 

We aren't permanent residents anymore. 

We represent Christ to this fallen world. 

What will you say to all that was your life being turned to ashes before Jesus? 

Really consider your days ahead and how you're living life and this folly of only giving Jesus a tiny portion of your days. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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