“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ”
Colossians 3:23-24
A world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell, once sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play his violin. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. He chose to play his pieces during rush hour, when thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
During the 45 minutes, a middle-aged man walked by and noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly, he was late for work. The only one who paid attention was a 3-year-old boy. Even though his mother tagged him along, he kept looking back at the violinist, awed by what he saw and heard.
Often in life, we may wonder whether our contribution matters. We may wonder whether our work makes a difference. After all, the world seems to hum along at a steady, self-involved pace, and other people may seem too preoccupied with their own lives. Just like Joshua Bell, it might feel as though we are offering precious pieces at the wrong venue. The Apostle Paul said, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). God has given us the gift of work and endowed all of us with talents, great and small. He calls us to work diligently even when no one is watching. He calls us to work with dedication when there are no accolades. He calls us to work joyfully in challenging and difficult times. God expects us to work honorably whatever the nature of our job might be. The Apostle Paul assures us that God is watching, awed by our offering of humble service for his honor and glory, and will reward us accordingly with a heavenly inheritance. Have no doubt, YOU are exactly where he wants you to be!
One of the pieces, Joshua Bell played at the metro station that morning was a piece of music worth 3.5 million dollars! Just think about that. What type of service will you offer the LORD this week? If one were to put a value to it, how much will it be worth? AMEN.