Above Only Daily Devotional http://cgmglobal.org/aboveonly Monday, MAY 21 Practice God-service; Not Eye Service Philippians 2:12-15 (NLT)

Above Only Daily Devotional
http://cgmglobal.org/aboveonly

Monday, MAY 21

Practice God-service; Not Eye Service

Philippians 2:12-15 (NLT)
.. you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing,... Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

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When do you work your hardest and do what is right? Is it when people are observing you or when you are not being observed? If you only work best and do what is right in front of people, you are practicing eye service and hypocrisy. When you are engaged in eye service and hypocrisy, you are being double minded and unstable (James 1:8), you are deceiving yourself (James 1:22) and you will not receive any blessing or reward from God, Matt.6:2. In our text above, Apostle Paul commended the believers at Philippi for doing the right thing while he was with them but he encouraged them that even in his absence, they should do what is right even much more. The only way they were going to be able to do this would be if they became more God conscious than man conscious. God is not only watching us in what we do, He is always at work in us, enabling us to know and do what is right.

Do not work simply because of who you are working for in the physical or what you seem to be gaining as income or as a reward. Instead, work with your eyes fixed on God and the blessings and rewards that He wants to grant to you, Eph.6:5-9. Maintain a God vision and passion for what you are doing. Receive the joy of the Lord for the things you are engaged in and you will not struggle to do them anymore. Yield yourself to God more and more and let His mighty ability flow through you on that job of yours.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to be more conscious of Your ability in me and to focus on You and give my best in all my work.

BIBLE IN A YEAR READING PLAN: 1 CHRONICLES 13-15; JOHN 7:1-27

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