At the half-year mark, Dr. Nana Boadum returns to the theme verse — "doing more than enough in the service of the Lord" — for a mid-year audit. Not every good, honorable, legitimate thing is God-honoring: the real question is never good-versus-bad but what pleases God over what pleases men. The response is threefold: obey promptly, go the extra mile, and do it all in love.
The seven movements
- A mid-year re-evaluation. Half the year is gone; before the "new year" of July begins, measure yourself against the theme: always abounding, excelling, doing more than enough — knowing the labor is never wasted (1 Corinthians 15:58 AMP).
- Man's esteem vs. God's sight. "What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." A way can seem right — close to right — and still end in death. Evaluate the next step, not just the end goal, through the lens of what honors God (Luke 16:15; Proverbs 14:12).
- Servants don't chase approval. "If I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." Say it: my desire is to please God and not men (Galatians 1:10).
- God uses what men call useless. The foolish, weak, base, and despised things are God's chosen instruments — so an unpopular, "foolish-looking" obedience can still carry His mighty purpose (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
- Response 1 — obey, promptly and in deed. The two sons: the one who said "I will not" but went did the father's will; the yes-sayer who stayed home did not. Obedience is action, started before everything feels aligned — and prompt, because God's timing links your step to what it unlocks (Matthew 21:28-32; 1 Samuel 15:22).
- Response 2 — go the extra mile. Joash obeyed the prophet and struck the ground — three times — and forfeited complete deliverance by two strikes. Don't set your own expiry date on obedience; take it "like it's World Cup," fully dressed and all in, until the outcome God named is released (2 Kings 13:14-19).
- Response 3 — let love be the motive. Ephesus had works, labor, patience, discernment, perseverance — and had left its first love. Tongues, prophecy, mountain-moving faith, and emptied accounts profit nothing without love; "if you love me, keep my commandments" puts love before the keeping (Revelation 2:1-5; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; John 14:15).
Walk away with this
Ask in prayer: what is the Lord asking of me this season — in His house, my family, my career? Check the motive (God's pleasure, not men's), then obey promptly, strike past three, and do every bit of it in love. Grace for all of it was the closing prayer — pray it daily.