²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:22-24 [NKJV]

Even as I am trying to type out today’s daily bread entry, I am currently also nursing a rather nasty headache. The headache is currently a side effect of the cream that is used to treat my hemorrhoid and the anus area. So my head might not be on straight this morning. But I have prayed and ask God for the strength to get something done today, and then I will go rest later.

How We Treat Others and What We Do

Every time that God would remind me of this passage, it feels like a reminder that we need to check out hearts. When we are doing something, be it at work, or at home for our family, or when we are trying to help someone out; we need to double check our hearts (our intentions). But it is not just that. We also have to think about how much effort we are putting into whatever it is that we are trying to do. Yes, I am talking about excellence. So, there are two parts to today’s daily bread reflections.

Checking Our Hearts at the Gate

² Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the hearts.

Proverbs 21:2 [NKJV]

In Proverbs 21:2, we are also reminded that God always knows what is inside our hearts, better than we know ourselves. And when we say, or think, or decide to do something, He will always be looking into our hearts. Do we really mean what we say? Did we do something because of pure intentions without any personal agendas? Part of learning to be authentic/genuine with others and about ourselves is about being self-aware enough to check our own intentions before we start speaking to someone, or when we are doing something like reaching out to help someone else.

Just imagine, how you would treat someone that you truly care about. Would you have any kind of ulterior motive or personal agenda? Chances are, you won’t. You do it because you truly love and care for that person. In very much the same way, we should learn to treat everyone with the same level of respect, kindness, empathy and compassion the way we would treat people we love.

“But that person doesn’t deserve it.”, you might argue about someone that has offended you, or did something wrong against you. They have sinned against you. I get it. But it is not for you to judge their actions. Leave to God’s hands. Trust me, God will deal with that person in His own way. As for us (or you), just because someone has made a mistake, caused us disappointment, it doesn’t mean that we should disrespect them as a human being.

Just remember, how we treat others is not a reflection of who they are, but a reflection of who we are. So, what sort of person are you?

Doing Everything with Excellence

The other part of understanding this passage in Colossians 3, is to imagine the way you would treat a VIP that decides to visit your home. Or maybe you are at work and you have someone special coming to visit your workplace. I imagine that you would go to every length to prepare and make sure that everything is done properly before the arrival of the VIP right?

In much the same way, the way we treat your favourite client/customer and how we treat others should always be the same. Whatever work we decide to do today, even if you are just a student in school right now, the kind of attitude and excellence we produce says a lot about who we are. Within the context of the bible, when it says that we are doing something “unto the Lord”, it is usually assumed that we would give Him nothing but the very best that we have to offer. So, in much the same way, shouldn’t we be giving the very best to others that we deal with?

When I think about my own life right now, I can immediately think of a few ways that I can apply this passage into my real-life right now:

• Part-time work – though my temp QA job will only last for a month, and the pay is also not that much, I am going to treat the work that I have been given like this is also a full-time job. I know that the only things I can control are my own actions, and my attitude towards the work that I do. Even though I might be recovering from my hemorrhoid condition right now, I am hoping that God will allow me to feel much better later today so that I can start to resume some capacity of work. Better yet, I want to be able to go back to the library tomorrow to resume my remote work status.
• Full-time work (starting in 10 June) – when I think about my upcoming full-time work which starts on 10th June, I am also thinking about only one thing – what can I do to ensure that I excel at my job? More importantly, what can I do to ensure that I am always adding-value to the company that I’ll be working for. I want to give them nothing but my very best.
• Any freelance gigs – when it comes to all future potential freelance gigs. I am also carrying the very same attitude towards those potential engagements. If there is an opportunity to work on something with others, I want to give them nothing but the very best that I have to offer.

Is there some area of your life today, be it personal, professional or at school where you can improve the way you treat others and what you do? Before you start acting on it, I would encourage you to also check your hearts at the gate. Are your intentions pure, or do you have some sort of agenda?

Personal Prayer for Today

Dear Heavenly Father,

I want to thank You for giving me the strength and discipline to stay up this morning to get this daily bread word out. Thank You for everything that You have allowed me to experience in recent days and weeks. I continue to feel humbled by the level of kindness and compassion that I have experienced so far.

Being on the receiving end of other people’s help and compassion has also made me remember what it means in Colossians 3. A reminder that when we decided to do something, or how we treat people around us (even strangers), our attitude and our intentions matter.

As I continue to take the time to recover and get better today. I pray and ask that You will continue to give me the much needed rest and time to get better. And as I get better, I ask that You will give me the discipline and focus to get back to work in some capacity.

I am reminded today yet again that how I treat my work is just as important as how I would treat others. That I want to give them nothing but the very best that I have to offer.

I vow to give You all of the praise and all the glory. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.