“Do everything for Jesus’ glory and honor—and do so with gratitude and passion. Do nothing “unto people”—to win their affection, to get them “un-mad,” or get them to change. Serving the Lord doesn’t have earning power, but it is rewarded with an inheritance that you cannot imagine or calculate. Never forget—you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ—not yourself. Jesus died to give you life and to have you for himself.” (Expanded Paraphrase of Colossians 3:23-24)
Lord Jesus, we want to love you like Paul described in this passage—with gratitude and passion. And we want to be 27 times freer than we currently are from doing anything out of fear, manipulation, penance, or codependency on people. To be specific:
Jesus, free us to parent and grandparent unto you—to steward, love, and serve our kids as though they belong more too you than to us. Forgive us for looking to our kids’ performance, love for us, “success” or anything as our identity.
Jesus, free us to “spouse” unto you—when marriage is easy-breezy and when it really isn’t. Since we are more married to you than any human spouse—may we always look to you, Jesus, for our deepest intimacy, fulfillment, and joy. Wherever we are in living out the “for better or for worse” of our marriage vows, give us grace to do so with a profound sense of your presence and love.
Jesus, free us to “friend” unto you. Acquaintances are as easy to attract as mosquitoes; but really good, grace-saturated friendships are rare, priceless, and to be treasured into eternity. May they be a priority for us all the way Home.
Jesus, free us to steward our vocations and retirement as unto you. Forgive us for turning our jobs into an idol factory for self-glory, and/or for feeling insecure and useless when we enter some version of retirement. None of us will ever pine from our deathbed, “I so wish I had been more of a workaholic, a wealthy superficial friend, and a total spiritual flyweight.” So Very Amen.
