Colossians 3:23-25 “Work willingly at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.”
I remember when I first moved to Florida, I went in for a job interview and at the end of the interview, the person said to me the job was mine even before the interview. Why? Because the area of the country I was from was known to have a strong work ethic. It was ingrained in us at a very young age that you gave your employer 100% while you were on the job. Times have changed, but as Paul said, we should be willing to do everything as if we are doing it for the Lord. He created us to work hard, in Genesis 1:28 it tells us “God blessed them and said to them ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'” Adams job – multiply, grow, rule and care for everything. People tend to feel better, they are more satisfied when they work hard. Even if the work you do is more mental than physical, it still gives you satisfaction when you feel you have done your job to the best of your abilities. Paul is not telling us to simply “work hard”, he’s telling us to put our whole heart and soul into whatever we do, and admittedly that isn’t always easy. We are to work as if we are working for the King of Kings, not for human bosses. As the quoted scripture says, we need to remember “that the master you are serving is Christ”. As Christians, these verses should really hit home for us because we represent Christ, we identify ourselves through Him. Our behavior, our attitude, our work ethic should all speak in a positive manner, reflecting His values and love. We need money to live on this earth, but that should be a secondary reason for working hard, our primary reason or thought should be we are working to please God and to glorify His name. The reward we will receive from Him cannot be bought with money and is of far more value than any possession on this earth. So, on those days when your boss is getting on your last nerve, or you are wondering if your job is really worth all you are putting up with; think about these verses in Colossians. Picture in your mind Christ standing in front of you, smiling and nodding His head because you are putting your whole heart and soul into your work, you are working for the Lord rather than for people. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.