This is the devotion I'll be doing for 65 teens at drama camp this week. :-)
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We all love to act. We come to drama camp and work hard acting as different characters. It is very rare that you go on stage and just act like yourself. Drama camp is a perfect venue for acting out.
How about real life? Do you ever find yourself acting out? Hiding behind a façade that you deem cool or popular? When was the last time you acted like yourself? Your real self?
Ephesians 6:5&6 says “Slaves be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ: not by way of eyeservice as menpleasers, but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.”
No, I didn’t pick that verse to say you must fear and tremble before the directors! I know your first reaction is probably, “Hey wait a minute! I am not a slave!” We don’t necessarily want to be a slave. It has a bad connotation. Another word for slave is servant.
I like the way the Message Bible translates this verse: “Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.”
Jesus was a servant. He always did the Father’s will. He is our example. In this verse it talks about being obedient as to Christ. Not by eyeservice – This means we should be ourselves and not worry about what others think. We shouldn’t put on our Christian mask so all can see what good Christians we are. That’s eyeservice. Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. In everything we do; we should do it as unto Christ.
I encourage you to challenge yourself to be a true servant of Christ. Be yourself. Don’t just act like you think you should act to be cool. God only made one of you. He is pleased with you personally. He doesn’t want you to be like everyone else and follow the crowd.
If we are serving God from our hearts and acting in His will; that is what counts. That is the way to be cool. Mathew 5:6 says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
This way of acting has eternal ramifications. So act out!
