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Colossians 3:23 - How to Work with All Your Heart.

Colossians 3:23 - How to Work with All Your Heart.

Colossians 3:23 (NIV) Whatever you do, work at it with all your 
heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. 

   Since the creation of man, God has given us work to do. Adam 
was to "tend and watch over" the Garden of Eden. Only after sin 
entered the world did work become drudgery. Today most of us work 
because we have to, not necessarily because we want to. We are blessed 
indeed if we enjoy our jobs.  
   However, Paul doesn't tell us to do our jobs to the best of 
our ability only if we like the job, enjoy our coworkers, or have a 
good relationship with the boss. Paul says to "work willingly at 
whatever you do" (3:23). This all comes back to true Christian 
behavior--how we should represent Jesus to the world.  
   No matter what your job is, you should do it as though you 
are working for the Lord rather than other people. When you see your 
work as a service to God, you will be able to exemplify such 
Christian values as a strong work ethic, honesty, integrity, respect, and 
even love, and you will be content. Your day will be better, and you 
might just brighten someone else's day, too! And best of all, God, 
your ultimate Boss, will be pleased. [The One Year Bible for New 
Believers] 

   There is an important difference between doing something for 
people and doing something for God. God always deserves our best 
effort. People will disappoint us, betray us, neglect us, and mistreat 
us. Some will constantly ask for what we can give while offering 
nothing in return. From our human perspective, these people deserve our 
minimal effort at best. What then should motivate us to serve people, 
except our love for God? God deserves our love, and He demands that we 
love others in the same way He does. We are to love our spouses, not 
as they deserve, but as God commands (Eph 5:22-33). We are to treat 
our friends, not as they treat us, but as Christ loves us (John 
13:14). We are to labor at our jobs, not in proportion to the way our 
employer treats us, but according to the way God treats us. God is the 
One we serve (Eph 6:5). 
   Mediocrity and laziness have no place in the Christian's 
life. Christians must maintain integrity at home and in the workplace. 
Working for God, as opposed to working for other people, changes our 
perspective as we view our endeavors in light of what He has done for us. 
Our toil then becomes an offering to God. We not only worship God at 
church on Sabbath, but our labor throughout the week is an offering of 
worship and thanksgiving to the One who has given us everything we have. 
When people do not measure up to our expectations and we feel our 
efforts are being wasted, we must keep in mind that we are toiling for 
holy God. He is worthy of our best effort. [Experiencing God Day by 
Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby] 

   Brother Lawrence said he was happy to pick up a piece of 
straw from the ground just for the love of God, not looking for 
anything in return, but seeking the Lord alone.  
   Over the centuries, readers of Brother Lawrence's letters and 
written conversations have been intrigued by the image of the awkward, 
barefoot monk bending for that straw with a wonderful sense of God's 
presence. What was going on? How did he find such joy and contentment in 
his simple daily tasks?  
   Even more intriguing is his confession that although he 
worked in the monastery kitchen for fifteen years, he had "a strong 
natural aversion" to it! Somehow that didn't matter. He was "always 
doing small things for the love of God." He had formed the habit of 
conversing with God, constantly practicing God's presence no matter what 
the circumstances.  
   How might we emulate this humble brother? Pick up some 
litter. Peel the carrots. Write a paragraph. Drive to the store. Say a 
kind word to someone. All as acts of service for God.  
   Is it possible to consciously do that, moment by moment? 
   Brother Lawrence worked at it, and his attitude resulted in 
God's giving him "endless gifts of grace."  
   We might dislike the tasks at hand, but doing everything we 
do as service for God changes our perspective. Brother Lawrence's 
secret was not changing what he did, but "doing for God what we 
commonly do for ourselves."  
   Lord, you know my thoughts. Infuse my mind with what Brother 
Lawrence practiced. When I'm distracted from you, transform my thoughts. 
Father, if I wander, please bring me back and lift me into your arms. 
[The One Year Book of Encouragement by Harold Myra] 

   Seek to please me above all else. Let that goal be your focal 
point as you go through this day. Such a mind-set will protect you 
from scattering your energy to the winds. The free will I bestowed on 
you comes with awesome responsibility. Each day presents you with 
choice after choice. Many of these decisions you ignore and thus make 
by default. Without a focal point to guide you, you can easily lose 
your way. That's why it is so important to stay in communication with 
Me, living in thankful awareness of My Presence.  
   You inhabit a fallen, disjointed world, where things are 
constantly unraveling around the edges. Only a vibrant relationship with Me 
can keep you from coming unraveled too. (Matthew 6:33; John 8:29; 
Colossians 3:23-24) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young] 

CLOSING EXAMPLE 

   I stared in amusement at the photo of my twenty-year-old son 
carrying groceries up the stairs in a ghetto-like apartment complex. His 
face was beaming as if he were on a ride at Six Flags rather than 
carrying out a chore for a missionary.  
   I thought of the times I had asked him to run to the store to 
pick up something for me. I do not recall seeing that roller-coaster 
grin on his face then. I usually got some lackluster response, such 
as, "Why can't Laura do it?"  
   My husband, Mark, reminded me that John was on a mission for 
God in the Dominican Republic, so every task, no matter how mundane, 
became significant and meaningful. I figured that getting work out of 
my family meant I needed to frame it in the context of their being 
on a mission for God, and since I was painting my daughter's 
bedroom, I suggested to Mark that God might be calling him to help me 
paint. He laughed loudly, but then he picked up a roller and dipped it 
into the paint.  
   How often has God asked me to serve him, and I have asked why 
someone else couldn't do it or ended up doing the job reluctantly with a 
less-than-cheerful attitude? Do I do my chores heartily as if I were working at 
God's house?  
   Regardless of whether we are on a mission trip in a faraway 
land or we're here at home, the work we do to help others is work we 
do for Christ. Ultimately he is the one we serve. Paula Hemingway  
   Dear God, help me to serve you with all my heart, regardless 
of the task or where I am. Amen. [The One Year Devotional of Joy 
and Laughter by Mary Hollingsworth] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2014/20140909-1649.html

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20081009-0856.html

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