Thursday, 25 May 2017
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, Colossians 3:23
Continuing on with his words to bondservants, Paul now tells them quite clearly that “whatever you do, do it heartily.” In the comparable passage in Ephesians 6, he told them that they were to be “doing the will of God from the heart.” The two thoughts mean essentially the same thing. The heart is to be actively willing and eager to perform the required functions necessary to please God. If bondservants “fear God” as it said in verse 22, then they will naturally do their work heartily.
Paul then continues to explain this with his next words. The duties of a bondservant are be conducted with a friendly and agreeable attitude because it is “as to the Lord and not to men” that this work is actually to be done. We may have earthly masters over us, but we are first and foremost servants of the Lord. It is to Him that we are fully accountable in all aspects of our lives.
As noted in the previous verse, we don’t have slaves or bondservants in normal society today, but we do have employers over us to whom we are to submit. And the reason remains the same. We are representatives of Christ, and thus people will make their evaluations of Him based on our actions.
Life application: Who do you feel you are serving when you go to work? A crummy boss? A greedy company? In the highest sense, you are serving the Lord. Therefore, perform your duties to the highest of your capabilities, knowing that He will reward you for your efforts in glorifying Him.
Lord God, some of us have bosses that are really crummy. Some of us work for corporations that are greedy and have no care about the world around them. To them, it is all about the amount of profit they can get out of others. And yet, when we go to our jobs, we are above all serving You. Give us the desire, as faithful followers of Christ, to perform our jobs to the utmost of our capabilities so that others will see our actions and speak well of Your name. Surely, You will reward us for our efforts in bringing such glory to You. Amen.