“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

When you and I hear these four words from Colossians 3:23, “working unto the Lord,” I wonder if your natural instinct is like mine when I immediately feel my resistance towards work. Although I love my day job, my coworkers are great, and the people I work with are easy to love, I always wrestle an inner resistance towards work. This scripture does not only refer to a day job, but refers to any type of work that you have whether that is taking care of your children, maintaining household chores, a side business, a personal project, or ministry of any sort. It also can refer to personal situations like working on your marriage, bringing up your children, fixing your finances, tending to friendships, reconciling broken relationships, or even working on your spiritual maturity and personal growth.

Whatever the type of work is, maybe you are like me and can relate to my own wrestle with laziness, lack of self discipline, and not being motivated. Maybe you tend to put off work because of a fear of failure or you don’t feel smart or capable enough. Maybe you feel paralyzed and an overwhelming workload cripples you because it feels impossible to complete. Maybe you have external factors that push you to not want to work such as a toxic work environment or toxic people surrounding you. Maybe you just like the life of pleasure and working hard is not appealing to you.

Well, I have good news for you, friend. We do the work God has called us to not because it is easy, but because He is worthy! Ultimately, our work on earth is not unto a human master as Colossians 3:23 says, but is unto the Lord. The work He puts before us serves a purpose and is for Him. That is the attitude that you and I need to have when it comes to our work.

Maybe you are wondering what purpose your work has in your life. Well, work is what God uses to build our character, to prune us of bad habits, and to mold us like Christ. The work in our life should demonstrate that we are children of God. If we are children of God, then our work should reflect the fruits of the Spirit such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Maybe your integrity to your work directly affects other people who need you to process that paperwork or schedule that meeting. Maybe the way that you work will have a direct affect on your children who will be shaped by the way that you were or were not present or involved in their life or instilling good values. Maybe your marriage is at stake and what you chose to work on directly affects the state of your marriage.

There are infinite purposes that your work could have. Your work here on earth is more than physical. It is closely representative of your service, dedication, and love for God. Doing the hard work becomes possible through Christ. Your knowledge of God should impact the way that you work. A greater knowledge of God should reflect greater excellence in your work.

Perhaps then that you wonder what is the benefit of working with excellence? Not all of us live in big, beautiful houses with extra money to spare on a life of luxury, so what reward is there for us who love God and work heartily unto Him (Colossians 3:23). Proverbs 28:6 says, “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” Proverbs 10:9 tells us, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”

You and I might never experience the life of luxury that the rich do. But when we work onto the Lord and not unto man and integrity marks our work, there is safety for God’s people. Not only that but Colossians 3:23-24 ends with the much needed reminder that “you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Friend, let’s remember that work serves an internal, external, and eternal purpose. How will the knowledge of God affect the way you work today?

Heavenly Father,

I thank You for desiring to demonstrate Your character through Your sons and daughters. May our work be marked by the fruits of the Spirit as we remember that You desire a people transformed by the gospel. May our service in any capacity reflect Christ as we submit to Your good and perfect will.

Amen.