Faith for the Week: As Unto the Lord
Faith for the Week is a moment to pause, reflect, and receive encouragement grounded in God’s Word for the days ahead.
Colossians 3:23-24 (ASV)
“whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ.”
Reflection
Before you read these two verses, it helps to know who Paul was talking to. The verse right before them starts with one word, servants. Some of the people in the church at Colossae were household servants. Their days were the same work over and over, for someone who owned their time and rarely noticed them.
In verse 22, Paul tells them not to work “with eye-service, as men-pleasers.” Eye-service is working hard only while someone’s watching, and making sure the right people see what you did. Most of us know that pull, even though no one owns us.
Then Paul gives them a different way to do the very same work. Whatsoever ye do. He doesn’t narrow it to the spiritual parts of the week. The laundry’s in there, and so is the report no one’s going to read.
The word heartily literally means from the soul. Paul isn’t asking tired people to try harder. He’s asking them to be fully present in the work, because of who it’s really for.
Verse 24 would have landed hard on those first readers. It says “from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance.” A servant in that world had no inheritance. That belonged to sons and daughters. Paul tells people no one ever wrote into a will that the Lord has an inheritance set aside for them.
Think about the most ordinary thing on your list this week. Who have you been doing it for?
Paul ends the thought plainly: ye serve the Lord Christ. Whoever hands you your to-do list, the one you’re actually serving is Jesus. He sees the work no one else claps for, and none of it is lost on Him.
Faith on an ordinary day looks like doing the thing in front of you with your whole heart, knowing exactly who it’s for.
Application: Pick one ordinary task this week. Before you start it, tell the Lord it’s for Him, and notice whether the work feels any different.
Prayer: Jesus, You spent most of Your years on earth doing ordinary work, and none of it was wasted. Thank You that the regular parts of my week matter to You. Help me do what’s in front of me from the heart, for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Closing: The day in front of you isn’t small to Him. He’s in it with you, and He sees every bit of it.
