“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters … It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23,24).
The audience gathers eagerly. The eighth grade band students are dressed in their best, backstage, nervously waiting for each of their names to be called for a solo performance.
Like contestants on The Voice, they’ll be on stage all by themselves, under the lights, and judges will give a score.
Amber has prepared for this, but still feels her nerves fluttering, and paces back and forth until she hears her name.
The curtains open and for a split second she considers turning around and running. She can’t do this. She’s going to make a mistake.
But she nervously takes center stage, and raises her violin. As she begins, she sees in the audience the smiling, approving face of her mother—no judgment, no fear, just a bunch of mom-pride and eager excitement for the best performance in the world.
And that’s what Amber does, performs her best in the world. Her mom was her audience of one, and when Amber saw her it changed everything.
Serve Jesus as your audience of One.
In mercy he forgives you of everything and smiles approvingly—no judgment, no fear, just a bunch of heavenly pride and eager excitement for your best performance in the world.
Later that week, Amber went to band practice. The director raises his hands, and with an energetic downbeat the band begins a song rich with 18 different kinds of instruments all tuned into the director’s lead. He’s their audience of one in that moment, he’s their focus, and he brings them all together.
He’s smiling, approving, enjoying the band and they’re enjoying him.
When a trumpet plays a wrong note, the clarinets keep playing and he keeps directing. When the trombones are out of tune, the flutes don’t stand up, pack up their instruments, and walk out—he just keeps directing and the band keeps plating.
He has brought them together to play for one purpose, not for themselves, but for the greater good of beautiful music. He has taught them skills based on their instruments, given each of them himself.
Serve Jesus as your audience of One.
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:4-6).
PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for watching me serve, for cheering for me graciously as I perform for you. Thank you for seeing any of my mistakes in grace and forgetting about them with forgiveness, as I keep trying to do my best. You are my audience of One. Amen.
SPIRITUAL NEXT STEP: When it comes to serving at church, someone once said, “I get tired in volunteer ministry, but I never get tired of volunteer ministry.” Explain the truths behind this approach. See 2 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Corinthians 15:57,58; 1 John 3:16.