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.”
We should do our daily work for the Audience of One.
The farmer who prays to Jesus at sunrise should also be working for Jesus in the fields during the day. To pray but not do good work and then expect a harvest is contrary to God’s design. To labor for the harvest but neglect worship and prayer is also contrary to God’s will. God is glorified when both the prayer and the labor are directed by trust in him and faithfulness to his truth.
Doing our job every day requires having a vision, planning, setting goals, executing the plan, learning and making adjustments, and laboring to achieve results. This is God’s way. He is pleased when we achieve things and produce results … provided our hearts are right.
God is concerned with the what, why, and how of our daily efforts.
What = the actual work we do. Waiting tables is good. Robbing banks is bad.
Why = the motives for our work. Seeking personal glory is bad. Seeking to be productive, impacting others, and glorifying God is good.
How = the methods of our work. Doing our job with character & competence is good. Doing our job poorly or without integrity is bad.
The “way” of God includes biblical principles AND the physics of his created world. God is the author of all truth. He authored the bible, and he expects us to obey it’s principles. God also authored the physical world, and he expects us to obey it’s principles.
All of this is true because we work for the Audience of One. Paul made this clear in Ephesians.
“Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” (Ephesians 6.5-9)
Paul’s instruction is that whether you are a boss or an employee, you serve Christ first, and your work ethic and response to your boss or employees or co-workers is a reflection of your walk with Christ.
Even though we have an earthly boss, the reality is that we work for the Audience of One. Even if we are the boss, we work for the Audience of One. The work we do is ultimately for God. The Lord sees our work, and he cares about our work.
Therefore we are to work diligently in all things, including menial tasks. As a result of the Fall, there are many aspects of work that are drudgery and there is no avoiding it. Floors have to be cleaned, diapers changed, drains cleared, and trash collected. But it is important to understand that this is part of our mission. “Drudgery done for ourselves or for other human audiences will always be drudgery,” writes Os Guinness. “But drudgery done for God is lifted and changed.”
Take a moment and re-read the Colossians 3 passage at the top of the page. Remember that in whatever work you do, “you are serving the Lord Christ.”
Trust God and do the work … for the Audience of One.
