Whatever You Do, Do It From the Heart

(Read Colossians 3 / Proverbs 24)

Very few people I know feel that they’re better than others perception of them. Most of us, downplay our virtues. We put on a self-deprecating humble face. There is some honesty in this humility. No one is truly good enough to meet God’s standards and no amount of good deeds will ever erase our sin.

Before we start following Jesus, we base our goodness on our successes. We rest assured that we’re going to Heaven because we do the right things. But then there are those claim to be Christians who live lives that say otherwise. And there are those who are living Christ-filled lives who don’t always see it in the mirror.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4

The Apostle Paul was making a cutting-edge point in this passage above. You can’t have things both ways. You cannot claim Jesus as your Savior unless you have surrendered to him as Lord, and you can’t say you are submitted to him as Lord if you intentionally seek the things that put him on the cross.

“I had made a decision to give my life to Christ,” a longtime friend told me yesterday while sharing his testimony. He promptly followed that statement with an admission that he doesn’t feel as intentional as he should about his Christian walk.

In the 14 years I’ve known (B), I don’t think we ever discussed our faith. At some time in the past, I’m pretty sure we had a Christian-lite conversation but we never got very deep into things. Then, more recently his parents shared with my wife and me that both he and his wife are serious followers of Jesus.

“My story is probably not that important or dramatic, compared to others,” he explained. “I was Baptized as an infant but my parents allowed my sister and me to make our own decisions about our faith and worship.” Then, the excuses I have personally been part of and heard again and again, “When soccer became a big part of my life, Church didn’t,” he said.

As the story goes with many Christians, it sometimes takes another believer who leads us to drink the Living Water. “I first came to understand Jesus when dating (V) in my 2nd year of college. “Seeing her faith served as a model for me. I could sense the impact her relationship with Christ had on my friend. As opposed to college couples living their lives for the pleasure of “now,” they were building a foundation of rock on faith in their Savior.

“The first inroads into my active faith as an adult was from FCA in college,” (B) described. FCA is a Christian community that powers others through the influence of coaches and athletes. “I felt the energy associated with Christian beliefs.” FCA customizes their message to be applicable to young people — I could tell that he could relate to their teachings.

“I got my first Bible and the way I am wired, I had to dig deeper,” he laughed. “I had to learn the history, the teachings, the parables.” Sadly, our conversation was a phone call, but I could almost see his intensity and excitement. “I was super interested, I was on fire for the Lord.”

As (B) was detailing the highs of his faith, I wondered about any tipping points during this period. “One of my aha moments was watching Joe White at an event. A self-proclaimed Expert on raising Godly teenagers, Joe told stories with such passion and conviction, that it made a mark on my friend’s heart. “I truly felt God’s love through his speech.”

I have not been in (B)’s shoes before, but I have experienced the same almost ecstatic highs from Christian performances and dramas before. The energy is overwhelming, but like a sugar energy drink, for some it can fade. My friend admitted, “But all this didn’t create a lasting change in me. At the time, I didn’t realize it. I was too struck by the emotion.”

Our families have been close for a long time. Both (B) and his sister played varsity tennis together with my son in High School. They also went through the lows of losing a teammate and the father of another teammate in their athletic years together. We had lots of fun times together on and off the courts. Despite our protests, they moved 3,000 miles west to California. (B) had finished college and then his first job. His fiancée (V) was in graduate school. It was a really stressful time for them.

“When we moved to San Francisco, it became harder for us to get into a church community.” Maybe it was them living in new surroundings, maybe it was the makeup of the area, or maybe it was just the distractions of time in their lives. “God just wasn’t a priority,” he sighed. “All things considered, I was more connected than (V). The pressures of grad school sapped her time. “We became spiritually distant as a couple and I was becoming stagnant in my prayer life.”

Aside from their despair of feeling spiritually apart, they also believed they were becoming disconnected from God. (B) shared that he also felt he wasn’t living life for the all the right reasons. This was a real low point after the highs they experienced only a few years earlier. They understood God’s grace but they weren’t living up to it. We all go through these peaks and valleys in our lives if we’re honest. Sometimes we can move mountains for God and other times we deny Jesus like Peter did.

My friend told me, “I would sometimes talk with homeless people in the city. I wanted to know what they needed, sometimes we just talked. I just listened. I prayed over their food. I prayed over them.” As he told this story, I thought to myself, that doesn’t sound too disconnected from God to me.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Colossians 3:15-16

Five years after they started dating, they got married and moved to South Carolina. “We didn’t want to take our worship decisions lightly and just slide into any church community.” For some, the decision of which church to join can define someone’s faith life. The wrong church gives people excuses to hide or let their faith sleep. The right church can springboard the Holy Spirit through the most unlikely believer. (B) continued, “We ended up joining a church that we attended in college but it was a different campus. It was much smaller than the main campus, but we felt comfortable and knew people.”

“During Covid, we met over zoom. I felt right at home and comfortable doing prayer requests for others. I always feel it is easier to pray for others than for my wife or myself.” He told me that to work through it, he reminds himself how Jesus taught us to pray.

After some time, they joined a small group where they felt a sense of community. He learned to share his life story. Even though he shared with me that he would like to get more involved with acts of service, my friend co-leads a group of high school boys in a church group. “I’m trying to get my wife and me to challenge each other to be more intentional outside of our comfort zone. Currently, I feel that we’re much more sacrificial with our time and money,” he said.

Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people.
Colossians 3:23

My friend has competed and completed multiple iron man triathlons. It’s some weird family thing they do. “We created team kits with supplies and inspirational sayings. Colossians 3:23 was quoted one time. (B) explained that, “It focuses me towards working for the Lord.” He said it was very inspirational during the race as well as many years later.

Everything we do should be for God. If we listen to Paul’s words in Colossians, we are testifying to the worthiness of our God because we are laying down everything for Him. From our faith, we make beautiful things for God and even when no one is looking.

It has been said that our lives are like chapters, with Jesus as the author. Our non-thinking emotional reaction as humans allows us to stress over the littlest thing. The storms in our lives are part of the chapters that Jesus wrote. Since all that He allows is for our good we need to embrace these storms as His way of working on us.

My friend (B) gains hope from his faith. “God is a good God. He’s laid things out in life for me.” He summed up his thoughts, “Even if I’m not perfect have and made mistakes, it’s OK even if it’s not OK. My hope comes from Christ’s redemption. Everyone has a right to grace. We can’t save others, that’s Jesus’ job.”

During our conversation, my friend admitted that there are times even recently when he doesn’t believe he’s living a life that is correctly reflecting his faith. That he’s not living his life for the right reasons. The man I know is a gentle and courageous leader. I look forward to hearing how the high school boys he mentors grow in Christ and disciple other friends, I look forward to hearing how his church community blossoms from his leadership, I look forward to seeing how the Holy Spirit is making lasting change in his family, and I look forward to one day seeing the hope that he gave to the homeless he prayed on.

There is a lesson from Proverbs 24 that basically teaches, “When Good Men Do Nothing.” We’re not good just because we sometimes do good deeds. We’re not good just because we follow rules. If you were about to see someone experience a major fail in public, would you help them even if it might embarrass you too? Would you risk your reputation for someone else’s well-being? A lot of people, even many Christians, wouldn’t. My friend would. His compass points true north. We talked for almost 90 minutes. We made plans to get together next spring. Then, he asked me how he could pray for me.

If you do nothing in a difficult time,
your strength is limited.
Rescue those being taken off to death,
and save those stumbling toward slaughter.
If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,”
won’t He who weighs hearts consider it?
Won’t He who protects your life know?
Won’t He repay a person according to his work?
Proverbs 24:10-12

Key Applications:
Staying Connected to God. We all go through seasons embracing love and distance. How can we ensure that we’re always in His presence?

1. Put God’s will above our own even during times of challenge. When we submit to His will, we are accepting the change He is bringing to our lives.
2. Read Proverbs 24. Have a constant dialog with God. Always ask yourself, does my situation bring glory to Him? Keeping these questions before Him, allows us to continually hear His voice.
3. Pray and read a passage from the Bible at least once each day this week. Pick a passage of Scripture that reflects what you’re currently going through. Read it three times. Let God’s words pour through you. Then, open your heart and soul. Be silent. Pray to God. Listen.

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.