Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

Many Christians attempt to compartmentalize their lives into sacred and secular parts. They are aware of God for an hour on Sunday mornings and perhaps for a few minutes each day when they read their Bible and pray, but they hardly think of Him the rest of the time. One of the most life-transforming concepts is that we are in God’s presence all day, every day. We can relate to Him, serve Him, and depend on Him every moment- at work and at home, in the car and on the golf course, in the bedroom and in the boardroom.

In his insightful and challenging book The Call, Os Guinness defines purpose as “the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have in invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to his summons and service.” This perspective gives meaning to every moment, and it challenges us to live with integrity in every choice and relationship because we represent God at all times.

Does this perspective inspire you to use every part of your day more effectively as God’s servant, or does it threaten you because you realize some things in your life aren’t what they should be? It should do both.

You’ve got to be before you can do, and do before you can have.

Zig Ziglar

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Bible teaches us that we are the temple of God. Now when we think about that concept, what we are saying is that God lives inside us and if that is true then He goes with us wherever we go. Whether it’s to work, or the grocery store, or a thousand and one other places, God is always with us. We find comfort that God is with us when life goes sour, but we must remember that God is with us when life is good. And if God is with us at home and work, He is also with us when we are on vacation.

David the psalmist says it this way:

“O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up [my entire life, everything I do]; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue [still unspoken], Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And [You have] placed Your hand upon me. Such [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high [above me], I cannot reach it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, And the night will be the only light around me,” Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You, But the night shines as bright as the day; Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was being formed in secret, And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape]. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.”

Psalm 139:1-18

What David is teaching us is that since we invited Christ into our hearts; once He comes in He is with us at all times and in every situation. Go back and read again what David wrote. Where can we go that God isn’t with us. Now I know those who think they have to act or speak a certain way when they are around the preacher or some other Christian. I suppose they think that’s showing respect and I guess it is but when we act one way in church and another way every place else, we are disrespecting God and perhaps we may have some form of religion but if you have Christ in your heart, where ever you go He goes. What ever you say He hears. And what ever you do you is not without God knowing. And if we are the representatives and ambassadors of Christ, and we are, then what we say, how we act, and what we do is attributed to Him. So if our language or conduct is any other than what we say or do when we are in church, we give a poor impression of who Jesus is.

Paul reminds us that we belong fully to God for we “are bought with a price” so our lives are not to be lived for our purposes but for the purposes of God who owns us. That’s a difficult concept for most western Christians for we value our independence but the true Christian is not independent but fully dependent and at the disposal of God to do with them as He chooses.

“I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Galatians 2:20

So I challenge you to ask God every day, at home and at work, at play or with family and friends, to make His purpose your purpose. I heard someone say years ago that if we would make the business of God our business, then He would make our business His business. Our priority is to “seek first the kingdom of God, and all these(other) things will be added to us.”

Dr. John Thompson