Blog

Jun 19, 2025 06:00am

The Ultimate Evaluation

311 Views

It was evaluation time. Corporate was trying something new — an evaluation from your manager and then a self-evaluation.

I opened the file and began reading through the questions and how the rating system worked. “On a scale of 1–4, 4 being the greatest, how would you rate your performance and effort in this area?” If you gave yourself a 4, you had to give an explanation of why you felt you excelled in this area and provide numbers, examples, reviews, etc. as proof of your excellence.

As I submitted my evaluation to my boss, I knew I could do so without fear, anxiety, or worry about what she would say. How? Because I knew I had done the very best I could. I provided proof of my performance and believed in the work I was doing.

Once she was finished with her evaluation of me, we sat down together and talked through both. If one of us scored me higher or lower in an area, we discussed our reasoning, and if we felt led, we could change that rating to reflect it.

Did I care what she thought about my role and the work I did? Of course! But ultimately, I knew I could hold my head high because I had done the best I could, sometimes even in tough circumstances.

How could I be so sure? I knew my role. I knew my job description. And I knew what our mission was.

1 Corinthians 4:1–4
“So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries.
² Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.
³ As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point.
⁴ My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord Himself who will examine me and decide.
⁵ So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For He will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”

Paul knew his role. He was a servant of Christ. He understood the mission and knew what it took to be fully committed and do his job well.

While he taught with authority, showed exceptional leadership skills, and even wrote this letter to correct the church, the point was clear — he was a servant of Christ.

By understanding his role in God’s mission, he felt confident in the work he was doing. Ultimately, the Lord was the Judge over all things, and Paul answered to Him. Was he following the Lord’s command? Was he fulfilling the responsibilities God had given?

He answered with a resounding “yes!”

But the believers in the church of Corinth couldn’t. Paul wrote the letter as an “improvement plan.”

They had lost their focus from the mission.

Have we?

Are we getting wrapped up in silly arguments and debates? Is our stance on a subject more about opinion than biblical truth? Are we focused on keeping tradition and religion rather than doing what needs to be done to complete God’s commission?

Let our focus be on Christ! He has given us a job to do. God has a plan to reach the world with the gospel and make disciples of all nations for His glory. We have a purpose and a role in His great plan.

Let’s be obedient to the Father.

Ready to learn how? Go to follow.lifeword.org. Learn how to be a disciple of Christ and how to show others to do the same. Now in Spanish at follow.lifeword.org/spanish.