23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 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
Is submission to your boss, also submitting to the Lord Jesus? Would you complain in the work environment if Jesus was in the group you were talking to? Do you have an inward standard to measure your “with all your heart” performance at work? If a smile from Jesus was your goal, would you work any differently today?
Paul frames what our work culture should be within these two verses. For many, the work environment is found in the lyrics – “Everybody is working for the weekend.” However, Paul takes the motivation for doing a good job at work to a higher plane, pleasing Jesus. We can endure a whole lot more, when we keep the perspective of working for Jesus as the end goal.
There is another element hidden in the verses. Who receives the glory? When a person hits their marketing goals, when they exceed sells expectations, when they outperform those around them, its okay to acknowledge their accomplishments. BUT who is receiving the glory?
Some notations to glean from the verse
- You are serving – ultimately all our work involves serving. The position of boss or employee does not change the ultimate role of serving others. How well did you serve those in your sphere of influence?
- Work at it with all your heart – This does not mean that you work to gain approval from your boss or Jesus. Working with all of your heart aligns your effort and joy level together. You can ask yourself, “Am I putting my best efforts of mental and physical abilities to this project?”. OR, “Am I carrying frustration, bitterness, jealousy with me instead of joy, peace and forgiveness?”
- Receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward – Future rewards are faith based. When the reward is too far in the future we may fail to connect the dots of today’s performance and future reward. Yet Paul is reminding us that faith in the promises of Jesus will impact our moment to moment actions at work or whatever we are doing. He sees and knows your efforts to love and serve others.
May you find the rhythm of joyful work in whatever you do. Invite Jesus daily to you work, school or home. Like Jesus, pick up the basin and towel and serve those whom you love and work with. Its amazing how your perspective of life toward others changes from the view of being on your knees.
Blessings Love y’all