Colossians 3:23
I think that everyone can agree that we live in a world of quick solutions. If you ever have a problem, you can just Google it! You’ll immediately get thousands of different responses from people across the globe. If you need to learn how to do something, there’s probably a YouTube video out there that will teach you how to do it. Oftentimes, we don’t have to work as hard as we should because of the world we live in.
Even advertisers have learned to tap into this. Everyone wants a quick fix, so they advertise products that get you where you want to be in 5 quick and easy steps. There is a pandemic of wanting to take the easy route, but is that what God calls us to do?
To expand this passage a bit, Colossians 3:22-25 says, “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”
There’s a lot to dive into here, but the main idea is that when we work, we must work hard and put our hearts into our work. Work shouldn’t just be a lackadaisical activity that happens to take place every now and then. Work should be something that we’re passionate about. Especially if you’re working in the Kingdom of God, it is absolutely essential that you recognize who you’re actually working for and why you’re doing it. So often, we become so task-oriented that we forget who we are actually doing the tasks for. Instead, we must take a step back and realize that we are working for the Lord, not for men, and that through our work, we store up an inheritance for ourselves in heaven that no one can steal.
We should also include this hearty work in cultivating our relationship with God. When Jesus gave the greatest commandment, He said in Matthew 22:37-38, “’ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.” You must love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This too means putting your all into something, specifically your relationship with God. Just like with work, you cannot approach it without being willing to put your all into it.
God calls us to work hard for Him. The question is, will we do it? In all of this, the first step is to recognize who you are actually working for and why you are working in the first place.
King James Version (KJV)
“Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters”
New International Version (NIV)
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters”
New American Bible (NASB)
“Whatever you do, do your work [y]heartily, as for the Lord and not for people”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”
The Living Bible (TLB)
“Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters”