Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

A. Ironside, the late beloved pastor of the historic Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, Illinois, used to tell his students of the maid who was asked how she knew she had really become a Christian. She replied, “I know I’m a Christian because I sweep under the rugs now!” Whether she chose to work more heartily in this regard out of guilt or out of a deeper commitment to excellence, we will never know. But we do know this—she became a better worker because of her salvation.

Could the same be said of you? Of me?

Across America, polling consistently shows that only 45% of workers are either satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. Of course, some people have more exciting jobs and/or career fields than others, but Paul is pointing us to a higher plane of existence when it comes to how we approach the work in our lives…be that in the conference room, the factory floor, the office cubicle, the retail store, the job site, or in the home. The bigger issue for us as Christians is not WHAT we do, but rather, HOW we do it.

In my NOBLE U Christian Ethics class, we do a unit study on Work & Vocation. It is usually a real eye-opener for my students as they wrestle with what it means to be a “good Christian” in the workplace. Answers vary from being willing to share the gospel with a co-worker to being honest and a good team player. Rarely do any of them mention the quality of the work itself. “If you never share the gospel with a co-worker, and you kind of work alone bagging french fries, can you do that to the glory of God? Can you bag fries in such a way as to make God smile? Do you think God cares about how well you do that menial job?” At this point, their wheels usually start turning.

When you do all your work “as for the Lord” it should give you a new sense of purpose and satisfaction. And while your good “God work” may bring you earthly success and even have you stand before kings (Pr. 22:29), it will be a part of your eternal inheritance later. When Paul wrote this letter, most Christians were either very poor or in some form of indentured servitude, so the thought of an inheritance was simply inconceivable.  A believer’s inheritance consists of eternal life but is even now received in part as a quality of life—Christ’s powerful life lived in and through us.

So, the next time you have some work to do…at your job or in your home…do it as if it’s an offering unto the Lord Jesus Christ…because it is!