Bible Text: Colossians 3:23 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

Dr. Ralph Byron, a medical doctor, told how a young man came to him with a problem. Said the young man, “Everything seems to be such an effort! I am chronically tired.” He started to pour out his heart. He told how he had always wanted to be a doctor, but because he played around in school and made poor grades, no medical school would accept him. The result was a young man who was miserable in his job, constantly tired out and completely bored with life.

A lot of people are the same way–completely bored with life. You may be one of them—indifferent, disinterested, and, yes, just plain bored. Dr. Byron had some wise words of counsel. He said, “All of us have certain chores, assignments and obligations which have to be done. Most of these jobs are not the type that we would choose for pleasure.” But notice Dr. Byron’s antidote to boredom–“Start generating some enthusiasm for what you are doing.” So how do you do that?

One of the most remarkable persons I was ever privileged to know was Dr. Henrietta Mears. She distinguished herself as one of the greatest of contemporary Christian educators of the 20th century, and her major was enthusiasm. Her friends referred to her as “Public Energy Number One.” I’ll never forget the afternoon that I met her. I had just finished a master’s degree and had a couple of weeks free to be her shadow before I accepted a position with a church.

Her secretary introduced me and with no ado, she briskly snapped, “Sit down, young man. In the next two hours you are going to learn more about Christian Education than you did all the time you were in school.” That was the primer. She started talking, telling me of her first love–relating people to God through Jesus Christ. I did learn something that afternoon that is more important than anything the academic world may produce–if you do not have enthusiasm you will never get yourself or your message across.

Do you have trouble getting excited about anything? Remember what Paul said: “Whatever you do, put your whole heart and soul into it as unto work done for God and not merely for men” (Colossians 3:23). In the economy of God, the small task in front of you is just as important as the big, glamorous one. Do your work as though you were doing it directly for God. The only way that is possible, however, is for you to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ, looking beyond the drudgery of what you dislike to Him who gave you a higher calling.

Next, pray that God will help you to be obedient to Paul’s advice. Be open and honest with God. Tell him that you are just plain bored with life and you want to change your attitude. Many times I have seen a person’s entire concept of life change when he realized that his work could be done for God’s glory. A young mechanic hated his work, but when he realized that God wanted him to tune up each car with just as much interest as though the Apostle Paul were going to drive it out of the shop, he suddenly took a new interest in his work. It transformed his outlook on life.

Boredom or enthusiasm–it pretty much depends on you. There is a rainbow in the sky for the man who lifts his eyes from the mud and notices the sun behind the clouds. It is no accident that the Bible stresses that we do everything heartily as unto the Lord. God never wills boredom for those who look up and trust Him.

Resource reading: Psalm 144