Volunteer or Paid

I was painting today, as well as helping a new friend move. I started thinking about jobs like that. I have helped a lot of folks move over the years, and I have done quite a bit of painting. However, neither one is a job I would like to do for pay. I rather enjoy them when it is volunteer, though.

What makes the difference? When you do something for pay, I think you should enjoy it and be very good at it. The person who is going to pay you will appreciate those characteristics. However, when you volunteer to do something to help someone else, it is a labor of love. You want to do it well to help the other person, but the pressure is off. since you are volunteering.

OK, now apply this principle to what we do for God. Are we doing it for pay, in other words, are we doing it because we want God to bless us? In that case God looks at your heart, and He is not going to pay you very much, no matter how meticulous you are. Are you doing it as a volunteer, because you love the Lord? In that case He will pay you well. He loves for us to do what we do for Him out of love, not out of a feeling of obligation or seeking a reward.

Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 14-16.