Most of us are our own worst critic. Yet, we don’t typically like others to criticize us. Our response to criticism is often, “Don’t judge me.” However, constructive criticism is not judgment but an acknowledgement of a fault and advice for correcting it. Our defensiveness has festered and fostered our own downfall and continued failure.

Whether we like it or not, God is watching our failures. He sees every decision we make and determines whether the decision was good or bad. We can often discern God’s viewpoint by simply asking ourselves, “Did I consult God in this decision?” If we did not consult God, it has a much higher probability of not being good.

God is the One who is pure and sees us for who we really are. He is the One who weighs our decisions against his standard. He sees into our soul and knows our hearts. God constantly considers our motives. He knows the thoughts in our minds and what went into our decision. There is no hiding from God’s ability to know everything about us.

Though we may succeed in some ways on our own because we understand business or have specific skills, we cannot attain the ultimate success without God. It is only when we commit ourselves fully to God that our success becomes far greater than we can imagine. When everything we do is to glorify God, yes even in our daily jobs, God then blesses our work. His blessing results in success beyond what we can achieve on our own.

Many people think working for God only includes ministry in the church. That is just a small portion of working for God. Every moment of every day is an opportunity to work for God. Whether we are digging a ditch, working in construction, programming a computer, diagnosing a patient, or whatever your job, is an opportunity to serve God. It is all about attitude.

Why do you work? For a paycheck? Our attitude should be to work for God. We are to perform our jobs as though we are doing it for God (Colossians 3:23). If we are working to please people, our reward is temporary. Yet, when we work to obey and please God, our reward is permanent and far greater.

God knows our motives. He knows our attitude. We cannot hide it from him. If our motives are pure and our attitude is focused on him, he establishes our plans and gives us the ability to complete them. It is when we do everything for God that we experience the abundant life Jesus promised and the success God has planned for us.

Proverbs 16:1-3: The plans of the mind belong to mortals, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All one’s ways may be pure in one’s own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.