Just Because

Earlier this week, I brought flowers to my wife at work. It wasn't an anniversary or a birthday or anything like that. She hadn't been asking or hinting that she wanted followers or a present. I got them for her simply because I knew she would like them, and that they would make her smile.

Most people like to do nice things for their spouses, significant others, parents, brothers and sisters or friends, at least every once in awhile. There are lots of times that we do nice things for the people we love for no other reason than because we can.

But how often do we do that sort of thing for God? How often do we do something that will put a smile on his face just because we can? Far too often, followers of Christ, myself included, view the things we do for God to be obligations or work. We do them because we're supposed to. We give up doing something that we'd rather be doing because we "have" to pray or go to church or do something in ministry to others.

That's not how it's supposed to be. In various places the Bible refers to the followers of Christ as his spouse, family and friends. If that's the kind of relationship we have with Jesus, then we should want to do things that make him happy, just like we do for the other people we have relationships with.