Colossians 3:1, 23-24, 16 | Matthew 5:41
“Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes!”
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
(Colossians 3:23-24 NLT)
Wait–you’re supposed to work at whatever you do ‘with all your heart’? What about laundry? Homework? Chores?
How can you put your heart into stuff that is boring? More importantly, why should you put your heart into stuff that is boring?
Answer this question: Who is the most famous, successful, admirable living person right now? Now imagine you had the opportunity to not only meet that person, but to act as their assistant for one week. If they asked you to do their laundry, would you turn them down? How much effort would you put into getting their favorite shirt clean?
Now answer this: Is anyone more famous, successful, or admirable than Jesus Christ?
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
(Colossians 3:1 NLT)
Isn’t Jesus the one who said…
If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.
(Matthew 5:41 NLT)
So how can you go the extra mile? How can you set your sights on things above?
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
(Colossians 3:16 NLT)
Fill your life with God’s Word, share it with others, and sing to the Lord with a thankful heart. And let the hope that he gives you strengthen you to put your joyful heart into everything you do.
Questions for Group Discussion
- Does the thought of working ‘as if for the Lord’ scare you? If so, why? If not, why not?
- Does the notion of ‘working at whatever you do with all your heart’ sound exhausting? Does God want us to continually work ourselves to exhaustion?
- Is the idea of ‘going the extra mile’ (Matthew 5:41) at odds with Jesus’ offer of ‘rest for your soul’ (Matthew 11:28-30)? Why or why not?
- Who benefits most when we work at everything with all our hearts? God? Us? Other people?
Whatever You Do: Challenge
This is a simple one-week challenge. Simple, yes. But easy? You tell us…
The Challenge: Pick your least favorite task (laundry, dishes, schoolwork, babysitting, etc.) and work at it with all your heart–as if the Lord himself had hired you to do it–for one week.
Notice how your attitude and performance changes by the end of the week. Has it become easier to do the task? Do you still hate doing it? Are you glad you took the challenge?
Send us a message and let us know these answers.
