- Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJV) And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Long-time former Penn State coach Joe Paterno defined professionalism this way: “You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional. Professionalism has nothing to do with getting paid for your services.”
There’s a little irony in that statement that you sports fans will catch but that’s a topic for another day.
But the truth of the matter is you do have to perform in this world. And for the Christian our performance has more at stake than either professionalism or a paycheck: our performance is a reflection on Jesus Christ – in other words our performance is a part of our Christian witness.
So how does a Christian – saved by grace – deal with the tension of not having to perform for God but having to perform for the boss?
Answer: you work like people’s souls are dependent upon your performance but yours is not.
In other words, make sure your efforts give a positive reflection on Jesus Christ. Don’t let anyone be able to point a finger at you and say, “If that is what Christianity is about I don’t want any part of it.” If you do that the professionalism and the paycheck will take care of themselves.
The ONE THING 