Have you ever tried to do something and found yourself inept? Oh my goodness, during this year I have slowly eliminated wheat flour from the kitchen and am determined to become a proficient gluten free baker. Why? For my own family and also for several people that I know, I like to try to provide baked goods for from time to time and I see a growing number of people becoming sensitive to gluten. It just seems like a proactive thing to do, maybe a skill that God could use to help others.
I had to smile when this verse came up today, because I thought immediately of this pursuit of gluten free baking. Whatever you do, (even trying to make simple chocolate chip cookies for a few people in my church family) work at it with all of your heart, as if you’re working for the Lord. As you see in this photo from today’s baking experiment, I have made 4 small batches of cookies. The first one is soft but didn’t flatten out, so I added more fat to the mix, and raised the temperature. The second batch is darker but looks the same as the first. More fat. Ooops, too crumbly. You’ve heard of twice baked potatoes, batch 3 is twice baked cookies, that are now more like brownie bites because the chips are all melted and mixed in with the dough. Batch 4. Hmm, let’s try more sugar. Ding ding ding, better, but now are flat as a pancake and running off the baking sheet and smoking up the house. Good times! Batch 5 will have to wait for my bruised ego to mend. LOL.
The point. This verse is written specifically to slaves. (Keep in mind that slaves were basically voluntary employees, working to pay off a debt, etc.) As a Christ-follower, I really consider myself to be a slave to the Lord. Because I love the Lord and can never thank Him enough for what He’s done for me, therefore I will serve Him.
Today I served Him with all of my heart by trying to learn about baking in such a way that might help others. It’s tricky. It is new and takes much more effort than what I’ve done for many years in the past. But this, like every other work you can imagine, needs to be done with all of my heart, just as if I were reporting directly to Jesus, Himself.
What did you do today? Better question, what are you doing tomorrow? Who are you doing it for? How much effort is it going to take? Let other’s see your love and devotion for the Lord through your work, no matter what you’re working at. It may take 5 or more tries to get it right, but every effort for the Lord is a good effort.
