Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NKJV) reads, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” Colossians 3:22-24 says, “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
I have been sick since Monday of this week. Sparing all the details, I have been home most of the week. Sometimes illness overtakes you, and you have no choice but to give in and try to get better. However, way too often, I am afraid, some tend to give in to the slightest problems—a headache, being tired, various other ailments—and use them as an excuse not to meet one’s obligations. Sometimes, it is necessary to push ourselves to do what we do not necessarily feel like doing. We cannot give in to every little problem and be successful in life.
We Need to Push Ourselves to
Do Everything with All Our Might
We should work hard to meet our obligations and to be the very best we can be at what we do. I know some people who are always pushing themselves to do the best they can. Quite often, they get out of bed not feeling well, yet they keep on going. They are going to accomplish what they need to do, no matter how they feel physically or if they dislike what they are having to do. They believe in working with all their might. On the other hand are those who are going to get out of anything they can, and who will just give up working at the slightest suggestion of feeling bad or disliking the job. The first group includes successful people, whereas the second group is much less successful. The first group believes in pushing themselves to do whatever they have to do with all their might.
We Need to Push Ourselves Because
We Recognize That Whatever We Do,
We Do It for God and Not for Man
Christians should be the most trustworthy people on earth. Christians should be those upon whom anyone can depend because they recognize that they are responsible not just to man but to God Himself. When we allow ourselves to bow out of obligations at every opportunity and for every little excuse, we are not only letting ourselves down, and those to whom we are obligated, but we are letting God down.
We Need to Push Ourselves
Because We Recognize Our Priorities
We must get our priorities straight. There is nothing wrong with staying up late at night, as long as we recognize we have to get up and go tomorrow anyway. There is nothing wrong with resting, when the time is appropriate and it does not interfere with our obligations. We need to prioritize our lives and make sure that the obligations we have, whether they are school, work or even Bible Study and worship are put into such a priority that we are willing to push ourselves to get them done.
One Personal Example
When I was a child, I was running a high fever. I did not go to school, which was the wise thing to do. However, some of my friends started playing ball after school, and I went out and started playing. I was still sick, and I should not have done that. Yet, it quickly showed where my priorities as a child lay. In adults, I often see the same type of confused priorities. Let us push ourselves to do what we should do. We will have enough times when we cannot function, due to illness, etc., but let us not use every excuse to keep from doing whatever we do heartily as unto the Lord.
