Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.
For Whom You Really Work
We might think we work for an employer, but the truth is that we really work for God, just as when we serve people, we’re really serving God (Eph. 6:7). Many years ago, I was working as a janitor and scrubbing the floor of the men’s bathroom at a machine shop. There I was on my hands and knees, sometimes scraping the floor with a razor blade to remove what a mop or a scrub brush couldn’t. It was grueling work, but then I remembered it was God for Whom I was working. Wherever I put my hand, I was determined to do the best job I could because, ultimately, it was God for Whom I worked, so I gave it everything I had (Eccl. 9:10). I still believe that. My wife once said during this difficult time in my life that any honest work is honorable work, and, of course, she was right.
Make Work Your Offering
I think we should thank God for our jobs because a lot of people around the nation and the world don’t even have one. We can pray that God establishes the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17) and that we offer it as a sacrifice to God. The fruit of our labors are blessings from God (Psalm 128:2), so we should give back our thanks to Him. Those who labor diligently will receive all their provisions needed to sustain them (Prov. 12:11). There really isn’t anything better than a good day’s work (Eccl. 3:22), for God has placed us where it pleases Him. But if we slack off, we are robbing our employer, ourselves, others (Prov. 18:9), and really God, Who gave us our jobs in the first place. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, both He and the Father worked (John 5:17), and Jesus was a carpenter for many years. A carpenter back then involved working with heavy stones and timber and not what we think of a carpenter’s job today (although that, too, is very hard work).
God Works
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, both He and the Father worked (John 5:17), and God, although He never needed any rest, rested from His creation (Gen. 2:2) as an example for us to follow. Therefore, we should work every day as if we were working for God because we are, and we also ought to rest as God did on the seventh day of creation. When we were created, we were considered part of His work (Isaiah 64:8). Paul wrote that when we work with our hands, we ought to give because this is what Jesus taught (Acts 20:35). Since God works, we should work with our own hands because our labor is not done in vain; it is for a purpose for which God created us (1 Cor. 15:58), even as God commanded Adam to tend and keep (work) the garden (Gen. 2:15). What if you worked knowing that you were really working for God? Would that change how you thought about work?
A Closing Prayer
God, my Father, You have been so kind to me, giving me a job in order to provide for my family and for helping the work You are doing on earth. I thank You, Lord, that by Your generosity, You have allowed me to have so many blessings so that I might give to others as Jesus said, and it is in His holy name I pray.
Amen
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