Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. --Colossians 3:23;   So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.--Isaiah 55:11;  "I believe God made me for a purpose---for China. But He also made me fast! And when I run, I feel His pleasure. To give that up would be to hold Him in contempt."  ---Eric Liddell, film dialogue, "Chariots of Fire"

     Eric Liddell never saw winning the Olympic medal as the purpose of His life. His purpose, his life service, would be the work he did as a missionary; ultimately becoming a martyr for the cause of Christ in China.  But he understood what many of us in the workplace struggle to understand or recall: Honoring God is about doing our best in today's work, not waiting for tomorrow's promise.  Being competent in the place God has us right now is how we honor Him.  Whatever we're doing this day---driving a truck, managing a company, plowing a field, punching a keyboard, tending children---now is the moment God calls us to honor Him.

     One of the keys to playing a role in God's Kingdom is competence in the task before us this day.  Developing ourselves into effective and valued workers is a vital building block for influencing our work culture.  God may occasionally choose to use someone who is not competent to bring glory to Himself, but more often the most effective impact for Christ comes when we do our work responsibly and competently, honoring the time and resources of our employer.  We often fail in our efforts to honor God because we fail in honoring our employers.

     Employers, coworkers and customers who trust our daily  work efforts are more likely to trust our spiritual efforts also.

     Just as we must be competent in the job, we must also be competent in our handling of the Scriptures on the job.  It is essential we find ways to steep ourselves in the truths of the Bible.  Life at work seldom offers time to stop and find a passage of Scripture that applies to the task before us.  Rather we must work to commit the truths of the Bible to our mind so they are accessible in the heat of workplace moments.  Even in the most boring of our quiet times, God is at work making His Word come alive in us.

     We see in today's Scripture passages that as we read His word He begins to work revealing truth to us. He is also faithful to bring those truths forward as we go about the routine tasks of life. His word will not return empty!  Now our decisions at work can be guided by those truths, and our culture begins to be influenced by them through us.

     Eric Liddell won the gold medal in the Olympics, and then slipped into the tiny villages of China to serve Christ there.  "He made me fast"  was but one scene among many in his life.  He didn't wait to reach China to serve God, but served Him in the circumstance---and with the skills---God gave Him each moment.

     "He also made me ______?"

     How we complete that sentence defines where we serve Him next.  Tomorrow is not the time to be competent.  We must do it now.

--Randy Kilgore