The Glory of God

The summer heat is approaching so for me that means crunch time. Its long days, little sleep, lots of stress and short-tempered customers. But who am I to complain. It’s my business and it’s what God has me planted in the desert for.

For the last few years I have tried to put to memory a verse that will carry me through the season. I ask the Lord to give me something that gives me purpose to why I’m doing what I’m doing when it’s 110 degrees outside or I’m climbing through an attic at 10 o’clock on a Sunday night. It has really helped take the focus off of me and the woe is me attitude just because I’m working a little hard.

Perhaps you all have stressful times that are more seasonal than others. Maybe everyday is a stressful time. Maybe the summer is your slow time and you get to relax a little because school is out and the winter is your stressful time with all the snowbirds in town. For my office staff that reads this, they share in my struggles since they are the first line to those customers that are grumpy, hot, and sweaty and dying (at least that’s what they tell them).

My verses last year came from Colossians 4:5-6 and it was about dealing with my customers. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Whenever I felt the urge to get defensive with a customer, the Holy Spirit brought to mind this verse that says maybe this customer has never met Jesus as an a/c repairman before and the right response is for me not to be a jerk. It stopped me right there in my tracks.

This year He has given me something much easier to memorize, but just as powerful and important to me. It comes from the Apostle Paul as he tells the church in Corinth that if done for the right reason everything they eat can be done guilt free. As long as it’s done with a spirit of thankfulness, it’s all good.

The verse goes like this. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” 1 Corinthians 10:31. As you can see this verse doesn’t just pertain to where I choose to have my lunch during the day. The key component to me is “the whatever” part. If I’m fixing an a/c, talking with a customer, if I’m getting a call late in the day from my office girls when I would rather call it a day, Paul says I am to do all this to the glory of God.

What does giving God glory mean? The Greek word from the New Testament is doxa and it means an opinion resulting in praise, splendor, majesty and a most exalted state. God deserves our best at all times and if we can do our jobs well whether it’s in the workplace or at home, we need to give Him the glory and the honor.

When you do anything that you don’t want to do or something that doesn’t seem exciting, the task takes on a different meaning or purpose when you do it with the outlook that you’re doing it to give the praise to God. This goes from cooking dinner to housework or going to the grocery store. Did you know that you could give God glory doing these everyday things?

I encourage you to find a verse that will be there when you need it to carry you through the tough times and then tell someone about it. I have all told you mine so I expect I’ll hear from you if I get out of line or cranky this summer. It doesn’t mean we won’t fall off track, but the stay will be a lot shorter.

Now let’s go out and glorify the King.

Amen