Yesterday, I was in the checkout line at Guan Eagle. I said to the cashier, a young man in his 20s, “How are you.” “I’m here.”
Work. It’s a four-letter word to many people in NE Ohio.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. God doesn’t want it to be that way for you. He wants us to go through life energized, passionate.
truth@work
Text: Colossians 3:22-4:1, p.
Series: The truth about truth in a whatever world
Life Under Construction. Get some flyers and use them as personal invitations to others. The "personal invite" is always the best way to get people interested.
You have the opportunity to turn your job into an act of worship.
We’re going to read the words “slaves” and “masters” in these verses. God has already in this letter undermined the institution of slavery and raised up the principle of equality. Colossians 3:11 says, “There is no distinction between slave and free, but Christ is all and in all.” And Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither… slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The leaders in the early church were not called to be social reformers. Their calling was to tell people the good news of salvation in Christ. Slavery is not condoned; it’s just recognized.
The truth we see here was ultimately revolutionary, because in time, as Christ-followers like William Wilberforce applied its truths, this brought the downfall of slavery as an institution. But it was also immediately revolutionary in that it brought fullness to the Christian’s life, whether slave or master.
22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 3:22-4:1 (NASB)
If God commanded slaves, who had nothing to say about the conditions and circumstances of their work, to give faithful, ungrudging service to their masters, then surely He commands us today who enter voluntarily into employment and who receive wages for our work.
My work will be my worship when I…
1. … stop serving selectively. v. 22a
We try to make ourselves and our work look better than we are and it is. We act all busy and hard-working when the boss is watching and then we are slackers when no one is looking.
We should be diligent in our tasks even if no one is there to observe us and then to reward us for our hard work – no seeking to gain favor with the boss. So what keeps me motivated? It’s “fearing the Lord.” When no human supervisor is checking on us, the Lord Jesus sees all, especially the hollowness of work outwardly correct but without the heart put in it.
Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth…
Note: This is the antidote to bull-headed service.
God isn’t suggesting submission to immoral or hurtful commands. There are times when obeying God means disobeying a boss. But most of our troubles at work aren’t caused by a good verses evil struggle. It starts when you are asked to do unpleasant things.
The Greek word translated “obey” is actually a combination of the Greek words for “listen” and “under.” It means to "get under the authority of your master, and listen to what he tells you to do. Considering the working conditions of slaves in those days, that was a strong statement.
You servants must submit yourselves to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
I Peter 2:19 (TEV)
All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that
God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.
I Timothy 6:1 (NIV)
Work that counts is work that costs.
My work will be my worship when I stop serving selectively and when I…
2. … start serving passionately. vv. 22b-23
… not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of
heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord
rather than for men…
Note: This is the antidote to half-hearted service.
This is describing work that is only done when the boss is looking. External service results in half-done jobs. The room is swept, but the dirt is pushed under the carpet. Work breaks extend until the boss returns.
Don’t cover up your shoddy work by putting on a good show in the boss’s presence. Work hard even when no one is looking.
When I was in high school we ran suicides.
From the end line to the first free throw line.
From the end line to half-court.
From the end line to the second free throw line.
From the end line to the other end line.
When the coach wasn’t looking, sometimes I’d cut out the 3rd cycle – just to see if I could get away with it!
Give a 100% effort. Work at your work! Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)
Whatever work you do, do your best.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NCV)
Put everything you’ve got into everything you do. Throw your soul into the work as if your one employer were the Lord! Too many people stop looking for work once they get a job.
Christ-followers ought to be the best workers. I read about an employer who said that he had become skeptical hiring believers because of his experience with two seminary students who seemed to be always standing around talking about God during work hours. But what really did it was when the boss saw one young man go into the bathroom for twenty minutes. When the employee finally came out, he said to his fellow-student, “I just had the most wonderful time. I read 3 chapters of John in the john!”
This allows for no distinction between what you like to do and what you don’t like to do, between what’s dull and what’s challenging. It simply states that everything must be done energetically, from the heart, whether the boss is present or not.
You mean I have to work with passion even in a dead-end job? Think with me. For a follower of Christ, there is no such thing as a “dead-end” job. Those are simply opportunities. Opportunities to show God how faithful we can be in the small things of life.
Maybe you’ve heard about a man in the Old Testament that held a couple of dead end jobs. His name was Joseph. His brothers beat him up and sold him into slavery. That’s about as dead a dead end job as you get. But for the next few years, he was the best slave he could possibly be. Then Joseph was thrown into prison on a false accusation. He even found jobs to do in the jail. That’s an even more dead end job than being a slave. But because Joseph was faithful to God even in this terrible situation, God rewarded him even in prison and ultimately raised him up to take a position of great importance.
All of us who are employed must be passionate, hard workers or we are sinning. Not workaholics. That’s sin, too. But passionate. Diligent. Excellent.
My work will be my worship when I stop serving selectively, start serving passionately, and when I…
3. … keep serving expectantly. vv.24-25
…knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the
consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
Note: This is the antidote to short-sighted service.
This eternal reward is described as “the inheritance.” It’s a significant word since slaves could not inherit any earthly possession.
I love this idea of reward. God is not shy about it. He can be trusted to pay His “reward” at the end of the day.
Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
Ephesians 6:8 (NLT)
For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life.
II Corinthians 5:10 (TEV)
After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 (TEV)
Don’t think that if you seek to live up to the biblical teaching regarding work, all will go well on the job. It won’t. We live in a fallen world. But if you do right, God will reward it. God pays us so well that when we get to Heaven we will wish we had served him even more.
My work will be my worship when I stop serving selectively, start serving passionately, and keep serving expectantly.
Now, don’t miss the truth in 4:1.
1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 4:1 (NASB)
The master is himself a slave of Christ. This means that every Christian supervisor ought to realize that he or she is accountable for how they treat their employees.
Those you supervise have rights. Two words here: “justice” and “fairness.” To tell a master in the ancient world that slaves should be treated with justice and fairness would sound revolutionary. When I think of those words a long list comes to mind: fair pay, reasonable expectations, sensible hours, safety, a concern for health and family, a share in the profits.
All injustice will be brought before the divine court, and God the supreme Judge has no favorites.
All you supervisors out there: realize that you must answer to God for the way you conduct yourself with your employees, you will care about what happens to them. You will be concerned that they are paid properly. You will be concerned about their illnesses, their spouses, their children, their education. Yes, this will create more problems for you. But you know that you are pleasing Christ, your own Master.
The secret to marketplace success for Christ-followers?
When I am at work, I am serving Jesus Christ!
A paradigm shift is needed for most of us. You were made by God for God.
Notice that in this passage, five times we are reminded to work for God.
22 … fearing the Lord…
23 … for the Lord rather than for men…
24 … from the Lord you will receive the reward…
24 … It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
1 … you… have a Master in heaven.
I don’t know all the whys of why you work where you work. But God has a reason for you to be there. Someone may need to know Jesus as a friend. Someone may need to be encouraged.
Long before we first heard of Christ… He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.
Ephesians 1:11 (Msg)
Don’t work like there is no God. If there is no God, then there is no purpose or meaning or significance to your work. There would be no right or wrong at work. There would be no hope at work. But there is a God and He made you for a reason and your work has eternal significance.
You can work for God or you can work for money. For some people the drive to acquire become the whole goal of their lives. “Having more will make me happy, more important, more secure.” Not true! Possessions only provide a temporary happiness. We get bored with them and then want bigger, better versions. Self-worth and net worth are not the same. Your value is not determined by your valuables.
You can work for God or you can work for your boss. Don’t focus on earning the approval of you boss. Or even your fellow employees. Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.
Some of us think we work “nothing” jobs. Some of us shuffle meaningless mounds of paper. Some dig holes and fill them up. Some of you can see nothing noble in the tasks you perform day after day. You can serve God as you work. Your “nothing” tasks can actually have dignity when you do them for Christ.
Work for God. This gives every job dignity. It gives you job purpose. And purpose produces passion. It’s meaningless work, not overwork, that wears us down, saps our strength, and robs our joy.
You [are] working for the Lord rather than for people. (NLT)
Christ is the real Master you serve. (GNT)
I hope some of you are thinking, “OK. OK. Count me in. How do I do this?” You could say something like, “This is for You, Lord” or “You are the real Master I am serving, Christ” or “I’m working for You, Jesus, not for these people” all throughout your day.
Do you think that if you made a conscious effort to work that way, it would make a difference in your life?
What ultimately matters most will not be what your boss says about your life, but what God says about your life.
A point to ponder: Christ is the Boss of my boss and I’m really working for Jesus.
A verse to remember: It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:24b (NASB)
A question to consider: How much would my joy increase and my relationships improve if I kept a quiet conversation with Jesus going on all day long at work?
This “worship while we work” is only possible for people who truly know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Do you really and truly know Him? Have you been born again?
