HIMPower Magazine HimPower August 2017 | Page 28

What’s the point? Handling things God’s way shouldn’t be predicated on what we will “get” for doing what God wants us to do. Our decisions shouldn’t be made based on reward, but on our love for God, our desire to make Him smile, our desire to lift Him up so that others can be drawn to Him. A lot of times your obedience will not yield the response you expect. Even more valuable is the way your trials (both big and small) are permitted to happen to grow you into a deeper knowledge of Him, and develop your walk with Christ. Returning to the sitch with my husband, God spoke to me about that. He pointed out that the “kindness” I was attempting to show my husband was only an effort to rub his face in what I thought was his mess up. God revealed to me that my acts of kindness were inauthentic, ill-in- tentioned, and thus useless in God’s eyes— 28  HimPower August 2017 pretty much like nothing. “Why should you, daughter, be rewarded for treating your husband—the Lord in your house—the way he should be treated? Further, why should I punish Him in the way you think I should. Who are you that I should consider your opinion on how I dole out punishment to my children. I love him just as much as I love you.” Wow! What a kick in the gut! But, it illuminated some old clichés. Do what you know is Godly, no matter what someone else is doing. Keep a cool head even while others are hot under the collar. And I should add, do it without expectation. You won’t always get or even see the results that God yields. Just do what you do, and let Him handle the rest.  DiAnne Malone is a book author, college profes- sor and founder of Who’s That Lady Blog.