You know how when you are working or you have an assignment for school sometimes you might drag your feet because what your are doing is boring or you have no motivation to give it 110%? On the other paw, how about when someone asked you to do them a solid and you decided to go the extra mile, just because you cared? It makes a big difference on the quality of your work, no?

So what if everything we did was for Jesus? What if in all our tasks we pretended we were doing it for him? What if we actually dedicated all our work to him who died on our behalf? Let's get some context and break this all down.

Before: The verse before, Colossians 3:22, says, " Slaves, obey your human masters in everything; don't work only while being watched, in order to please men, but [work] wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord." (HCSB)

So what, is verse 23 only speaking to slaves??? Well, how about this, who do you work for today? Do you have a job? Do you volunteer? Do you do chores around another's house because they've taken you in under their roof? You may not be their "slave" but you may be in service to people and we all have people whose authority we are subject to. So even if we aren't slaves by our understanding of the word, this scripture still applies to our daily life.

Now: Colossians 3:23

Part A: "Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically..."
Do it with energy! Do it like you want to! Do it with passion, like it means something. *whatever* we do. Those dishes you gotta wash, that garbage you gotta take out, that paper you have to write--whatever it is, do it enthusiastically.

Part B: "...as something done for the Lord..."
I don't know where you are in your walk with Jesus, but as those who receive grace by faith in his work for our spiritual well-being, ideally, we'd be running to the front of the line wash our master's feet. If someone you simply adored were to appear in front of you and ask you to do something, you'd feel privileged to have the chance. That's how our work for the Lord should be and according to Colossians 3:23, we should take that same energy to our daily tasks as if we were doing them for the Lord as well.

Part C: "...and not for men,..."
This just amplifies Part B. We should carry a work ethic fitting for things we'd do for our beloved friend and Savior with us in all our trivial tasks for our fellow humans. We should hold the same standard and apply the same energy level to our work as if we were doing it for the Lord rather than for men.

After: Colossians 3:24 "...knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord--you serve the Lord Christ.

We have a heavenly inheritance coming to us by faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. We should work as if for that inheritance rather than as if for worldly wages. Yes we do have to work for income here, but this passage isn't suggesting we work to earn heaven. Instead it's telling us we should be energetic in our work *because* we have an inheritance.

Let us work today and onward as if for our master.

~ thomasmaltuin