It's Not What You Do; It's Who You Do It For
Did you know that you don’t have to be in full-time ministry to work for the Lord? Whether you’re the CEO of an organization, a stay-at-home parent or a missionary overseas, one job doesn’t carry more weight than another in God’s eyes. Why? Because it is not what you do; it’s who you do it for!
In the book of Colossians, Paul offers this instruction to the bondservants who were Christians:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV)
For the sake of the Lord, the servants were called to approach their work with their whole heart. It wasn’t the master for whom they labored, but God Himself.
This principle applies to all believers, for every task we put our hand to — do your job as if working for God Himself. It is God who gave you that job to begin with. Whether it’s working for a boss, clients, customers or our family at home, the very act of working can be an act of worship to the Lord.
Let’s break this verse down further.
“Whatever you do,”
Everything we do should be for the glory of God - everything. If there’s any activity, whether it’s serving at church, mowing the lawn, coaching little league, or leading a board meeting, it should all be done with an attitude of giving honor to the Lord.
“work at it with all your heart,”
There's an old saying that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. This is a godly principle, first and foremost. Christians should seek to live a life where their time and energy is never wasted, and they are known to give 110% effort all the time.
“as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Keeping our God-given purpose in mind as the primary motivation for the work that we do will help us to do all things “as working for the Lord.” It’s not that we shouldn't take our earthly bosses seriously, but we should view their authority as coming from God — our ultimate authority. And since we as Christians are ambassadors here representing the Lord, the attitude we show as we go about our work should reflect the gratitude, we have for what Jesus has done for us – having given Himself up to pay the penalty of our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him!
“since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”
Salaries and words of appreciation are valuable in this world, but our ultimate reward will come from God. There’s nothing like His retirement plan! We have such a loving, generous Lord. What a blessing it is to do everything in our lives wholeheartedly for Him, as we build our treasure in heaven.
“It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Regardless of our station in life, our service is for the Lord. From the mail room to the C-Suite, every person was made in the image of God and is called to work for His glory and honor. We don’t work for men or for our own selfish goals, but to glorify our heavenly Master. When people see the way we go about our work and our attitude, do they see the love we have for Jesus and others and somebody that always places others ahead of themselves, or do they just see another mess that is out to glorify themselves?
God intends not only that we would avoid idle hands and create value in this world through our work, but that we would also represent Him as we do it. Your work may be tedious, and you may be in a job that you dislike, but as you strive to represent Christ and worship Him through your diligence, then joy and satisfaction will follow. Every day on the job is not going to be a walk in the park and work isn’t always going to be fun. But remember, we're called to operate at a higher standard than the world. Our boss (and our inheritance) is in Heaven. What peace and joy that should give us each day!
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