“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.” - Colossians 3:23-24
This is such a great nugget of Scripture. A couple things that stand out about work...
How we are to work.
The word "heartily" is the focus. The Greek root word there is "psuche" or "psyche". The meaning is commonly translated as "soul". So when Paul writes heart-ily. It's a call to work from deep within your soul, or to work soulfully. While that may be hard in parts of our work, when praying without ceasing we can lean into the Holy Spirit, our helper, to guide us in finding the things of work that we can take pleasure in the toil (Eccl 3.22).
Who we work for.
Not only does Paul talk about working for God (the giver of our very breath, so as to remind us how easy that should be), but he contrasts God to man with the word "not". Now in context, Paul is writing to bond servants (slaves). While we may not technically be slaves with masters in the literal sense, the application absolutely applies principally-speaking. And with employers, creditors, and governments of today's world wielding so much power over individuals, one could make an argument that slavery is very much alive today.
What happens after.
When the work is over, we will receive the inheritance as our reward. Keywords:
Knowing. Pretty powerful to know something…especially as big as this.
Inheritance. The inheritance Paul is talking about is eternal life in relationship with God and all that goes with that…particularly after we shed these sin suits we call bodies.
Reward. Also, inheritance is described as a reward. But it’s not a reward because of the work. It means it is already earmarked for us. We are not working to earn it. We are working out of faithful obedience with gratitude for the grace given to us through Christ Jesus.
So remember that while we may or may not like our work, WHATEVER we do, work heartily for the Lord. And God will reward that behavior!
*This commentary is a perspective I pray is worthy of God. If it is not, I pray it will be forgotten. When considering smaller chunks of Scripture that are extracted from their "home" context, always be sure to think on them within the context of the larger passage, chapter, book, and Bible in which they are found. Also seek help from the Holy Spirit to discern truthful meaning (call on Him while thinking about the meaning and application). This will help protect against applying a human, potentially inaccurate meaning to a Scripture. We need to understand the actual meaning as the author intended. Trust the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.