#198 WORKING FOR AN AUDIENCE OF ONE 9-27-26
There is a particular kind of weariness that comes when you have worked hard, served faithfully, tried to do something well, and nobody seems to notice. Sometimes the criticism is loud, while the encouragement is silent. Sometimes the people you hoped would understand your heart misunderstand it completely. And sometimes you can do your very best and still wonder whether it mattered.
God’s people have faced this struggle from the beginning. Perhaps the key, which I know I do not always use as I should, is learning to do our work “heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). If Christ is the One for whom we are working, then His approval becomes more important than everybody else’s approval. We can take pleasure in knowing that we have done the work carefully, faithfully, and lovingly, even when nobody applauds.
The Bible says, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). Paul was not merely talking about church work. He was talking about life. The Christian does not need an audience to make his obedience meaningful. We work for Christ. We serve for Christ. We give for Christ. We endure for Christ. And ultimately, we answer to Christ.
Watchman Nee learned something of this lesson through a life filled with both usefulness and suffering. The Chinese Christian leader endured years of imprisonment under the Communist government and died in 1972 after roughly two decades of confinement. His ministry also brought criticism, accusations, betrayal, and misunderstanding. Yet the important lesson is not simply what happened to Nee. It is the principle that shines through his life: Christ was his Master.
That changes everything.
When we live for the approval of people, praise becomes addictive and criticism becomes crushing. One kind word can lift us into the clouds, while one harsh word can send us into despair. We begin measuring our faithfulness by applause, numbers, recognition, invitations, compliments, or the opinions of people whose judgment may change tomorrow.
But Paul asks, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men?” (Galatians 1:10). The Christian life cannot be built upon the shifting sands of human opinion.
Jesus sees what others do not see.
He sees the work nobody thanks you for. He sees the prayer nobody heard. He sees the kindness nobody remembered. He sees the sacrifice nobody understood. He sees the sermon preached to a small crowd, the visit made to a lonely person, the cup of water given in His name, and the good deed performed when there was nothing to gain.
Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name.”
God does not forget.
So give your work to Christ. Give Him your productivity, your service, your creativity, your energy, your sacrifices, and even the things that seem insignificant. Let them become an offering laid before the Master.
Then something wonderful happens. You are no longer controlled by the twin tyrants of human criticism and human praise.
If people praise you, you can receive it humbly without needing it. If people criticize you, you can examine it honestly without being destroyed by it. Your identity and your purpose remain anchored in the One who sees everything.
Jesus is the audience that matters.
And if He knows you have done your work with love and care, you can rest tonight knowing that your labor was not wasted. As Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Work for Him. Serve for Him. Live for Him.
You may not always be recognized on earth.
But heaven sees.
BDD
