Daily Devotional Details

Date

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. 1 Thessalonians 4:11, NIV

Some people are always drawing attention to what they do. Others get on with their work quietly without a fuss. Paul says that’s what you should aim to do. Make that your ambition.

Jesus noticed that some people drew attention to their giving, their praying, and their fasting, so He taught: “Do it in secret, and God will reward you openly” (Mat. 6:3, 6, 18).

In every workplace, there are people who like to draw attention to what they are doing. They need constant attention and affirmation to keep going. They draw attention to themselves with long faces looking for sympathy. You don’t need to do that. Why would you need to draw attention to what you are doing, if you knew that your work was seen by almighty God?

It is right for us to thank others, but we should not go through life feeling that we need to be thanked. If that’s what you feel, eventually you will become a pain. You will lose the respect of others, and eventually they will feel that the workplace would be better and happier without you.

It was said about Jesus: “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets” (Isa. 42:2). Consider how Jesus ordered the leper to tell no one about his healing, and how He kept the crowd outside while He raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead. The disciples were constantly talking about their needs, but Jesus was focused on His work.

On a scale of 1 (constantly drawing attention to myself) to 10 (completely content in working for God’s approval), where would you place yourself today?