Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
-- Colossians 3:23-25 (ESV)
John Chrysostom, Homilies on Colossians:
"He does not say, 'Do it as unto God,' but what is far more, 'as for the Lord.' For by this he shows that it is Christ Himself Who is served, and that the things done in the house, the meanest of them, are done unto Him. For when a servant sweeps the floor, or prepares the table, or does any such thing, he does it as for the Lord."
Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World:
"The real sin of man is not that he is not 'religious' but that he is not free. He is a slave to the powers of this world, to the passions of his flesh, to the fear of death. The Christian is called to freedom -- but a freedom that is found only in service to Christ, never in service to self."
Gregory the Great, Pastoral Rule:
"Those who are set over others must be so disposed that they are not puffed up by their position, but rather remember that they are servants of those whom they seem to rule. For authority over others is truly exercised only when it is directed toward the good of those under it, not toward the satisfaction of the one who holds it."
Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book I, Ch. 25:
"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. We must bear with others as we wish to be borne with ourselves. We must learn to break our own will, and then we shall be able to subject it to God."
If the Lord audited your work this week -- not the results, but the *heart behind it* -- would He find a man working for Him, or a man working for his own name?
"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."
-- Epictetus, Discourses
St. Clair, MI: **102°F**, sunny. Wind W 5-9 mph. Overnight low 77°F, mostly clear. A brutal day -- stay hydrated, work before the heat, rest when it peaks.