Many of us, myself included, have a tendency to overcomplicate things. In our quest to live our lives wholly devoted to Christ, we can over encumber ourselves with rules and promises intended to make us look like Jesus but in reality do little more than frustrate us. The way to ensure we are living as Christ designed us to live can be boiled down to one simple question: “Did I do my best to serve Jesus today?”
I think it’s a valuable question to ask before we close our eyes each night. Being aware we will answer that question each night should profoundly influence the way we live our lives throughout the day.
While asking ourselves, “Did I do my best to serve Jesus today?” is one simple question, it begs a couple follow-up questions we can dwell on as we drift to sleep: “Why didn’t I serve Him to the best of my ability?” and “How did I serve Him to the best of my ability?” The reason for asking these questions is to become more attuned to the way we go about serving our Lord. Too many Christ followers live in a cycle of defeat. We want to do better but continuously fail to do so. I think one of the reasons we stay trapped in this cycle is because we don’t take time to reflect on what we’re doing well and what we’re doing that triggers us to fail.
By examining the areas in which we are doing well, we can develop strategies to keep doing well and look for opportunities to serve better. Time grows shorter with each breath and we must consistently be looking for ways to bring God’s Kingdom to reality here on earth. Determining what you are doing that’s working allows you to focus on your strengths and utilize them further in building the Kingdom.
When we examine the areas in which we failed to serve Christ well, we’ll find blind spots in our walk. It will allow us to discover situations to avoid. We will find patterns to things that consistently trigger wrong impulses from us. The next time we encounter those situations or triggers, we can catch them before they manifest in our lives.
One simple question can change everything for us. By asking ourselves, “Did I do my best to serve Jesus today”, we force ourselves to focus on what we did or didn’t do for Jesus that day. As His disciples, it is our duty to stay focused and do whatever we can for His Kingdom each day. An unexamined life is a stagnating life. Jesus paid too high a price for mediocrity. We are pledged to follow Him, not to drift through life. It’s much harder to fall when you are aware of what’s going on. Asking yourself one simple question can help bring this awareness. You can ask it throughout the day as well. At any moment simply ask, “Am I doing my best to serve Jesus right now?” One simple question can – and should – change how well you are following Jesus.