Imagine it is Monday morning and you’re on your way to work. You’re sitting in public transport still thinking about your fun and eventful weekend while staring at all those other tired and bored faces commuting to their workplace. Arriving at the office, you habitually go through your inbox to see what you’re up to for the day. Reading the news makes you almost smash down your freshly brewed coffee: Your company installed a new CEO and his name is God.
What would you think and feel in this moment? Is it fear of not doing your work as you should? Or are you excited in hope for a better work environment? What would YOU do differently starting from that Monday morning onwards because God is in charge now?
In this post, I’d like to unwrap what it looks like to work for God as your boss based on Colossians 3:23-24: 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.
I know someone who worked with his whole heart for God and not for any human master. In fact, he even gave his life to God: Jesus Christ.
God had a clear task for him in this world: To bring heaven down on earth in display of his kingdom, to serve, to love people and bring them into the knowledge of who he is. Work for the Lord has a clear goal and purpose in mind. Embedded into the bigger vision of God’s kingdom it’s about realizing love, peace and grace in the lives of people.
So what exactly did Jesus do in his mission unto the Lord?
1. Jesus always had God’s vision in mind.
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.Matthew 9:35
This was God’s mission for Jesus’ life and he followed it with his whole heart. Jesus’ ministry wasn’t just about loving people and healing them. It included much more like giving his disciples the bigger perspective of what God wants to do with the whole world: Establishing a new era with God himself as king who reigns through love, grace and peace.
2. Jesus obeyed God in everything.
For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. John 12:49
No matter how much opposition he encountered or how difficult the circumstances were, Jesus obeyed God with his whole heart. He didn’t try to please people but followed through with what is right. Jesus knew that obeying God and following his lead is the only thing that matters.
3. Jesus served wholeheartedly.
He laid aside his majesty in love and service to people: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”Matthew 20:27
Service is at the heart of Jesus’ mission. There’s nothing purer and more praiseworthy than to actively show love to someone. Serving people should be the core of our daily lives, too. The great thing is that you can bless somebody in whatever job you’re doing. There’s always a person you can encourage, love and help.
4. Jesus knew that nothing he did for God was in vain because God sees everything.
As it is written in Colossians 3:23-24: When you work for the Lord with all your heart, he’s the one to give you a reward. In the end, God is the one who pays and promotes you at the right time. You’re not depending on a human organization for your salary and career path, but on your true and loving boss, who is God.
God sees everything you do! The small favors when you help out a coworker, the overtime that may not get paid, the extra mile you go for a customer, etc. Even if your earthly boss doesn’t recognize your effort, God sees you and he’ll reward you at his time. You’re not just working in accounting, in sales, in marketing, as a dishwasher, or whatever. First and foremost, you’re building in and for God’s kingdom which is everlasting. It means that your work matters greatly. There’s no time wasted, and nothing is too small when it’s done wholeheartedly in service to God.
Working with the knowledge that God sees everything you do also means doing your job with integrity. It means to surrendering your schedule and list of priorities to him. You see, this whole new attitude doesn’t just affect our job. Above all, it affects our entire life’s agenda which our job is just a part of it. It’s another area of our lives that needs to be fully surrendered to God in order for us to live a life in worship to him.
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