So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV
No task is too small or insignificant for God. God cares for every little thing because God created every little thing. God created flowers to bloom on mountain tops where no one will ever see.
Now it is important to note that in our passage of Scripture this month, Paul is discussing the difficult decision Christians in the Corinthian church had to make of whether or not they would eat meat sacrificed to idols. Paul weighed both sides of the argument, and ultimately left the decision up to each individual believer. Paul argues that with the freedom we have in Christ, it is more a matter of personal conviction and in the moment decision based on how others may be affected by your choice.
While Paul argues that we have freedom to choose in this situation, he urges the Corinthians to consider those around them and ultimately make the choice out of love for others. This is why he says, “…whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” In making our decision for the glory of God, we must consider the other and choose the option that best honors and loves the other.
It is with this in mind that we consider the topic of excellence in our work. While we know that God is the one who is in control of the outcomes of our work, He invites us to be active participants in that work. With that, we do not want to take any of our work lightly. This does not only apply to our work in organized ministry, but all of the work we do, because all that we do is a witness to Christ. Whether you stock shelves at a store, do landscape work, drive people around town, manage investment portfolios, sell insurance, or anything else, the work you do can be a witness to God’s love and care for the world. Even the work that is not part of how you make your living, such as house chores, is a witness to Christ.
Now I say this with one important caveat, doing work with excellence does not mean burning yourself out doing it. Whether it is work done in a church or elsewhere, our work is not excellent when it is coming at the expense of our selves or others. But when we do our work with the best we have, while also recognizing and embracing our limitations as humans, that is when our efforts are truly excellent and a powerful witness to our faith in Christ.
Excellence looks like valuing even the smallest, most mundane tasks. It looks like letting our values of love for each and every person be expressed at every level. Excellence is not just about the quality of work done or effort put into it, it is about valuing the humanity of each and every individual involved in the process. May we strive for a life of excellence, where Christ’s love so permeates our hearts and actions that everything we do is done in such a way to express the love of Christ for all humanity and all creation.