Working For The Lord

Working for the Lord

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Colossians 3:23

Have you ever known someone who loves work? My eighty-three-year-old grandma lives with me, and she said the hardest thing she’s ever had to do is sit still. She can’t cook and clean the way she used to, but she can load stray dishes and plates into the dishwasher—and she does. I can’t leave a half-full glass on the counter for five minutes without worrying that it’ll be dumped out and loaded by the time I return to the kitchen.

My husband is a hard worker too. He started college after we were married, and he was a pizza delivery guy in the evening after his classes. I’ve never had to worry about John not having a job. There’s a certain peace to that. It’s a sweet thing knowing that even though times are tight, my husband is willing to work hard and he does his best to provide.

An Amish person doesn’t understand the world where we spend time taking our kids to music lessons, sporting practices, and other extracurricular activities. Members of Amish communities value work and shun idleness. The Amish teach their children to work hard, to enjoy their work, and to appreciate a job well done. Children aren’t given sticker charts to motivate them. They don’t earn allowances. Instead, they see their father, mother, and older siblings working hard, and they do all they can to pitch in.

Of course, part of the Amish work ethic is that they know all their work is done for the Lord. They know that their lives have purpose and that they are valued and needed.

“Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom,” we read in Ecclesiastes 9:10. Think about the work you’ve done over the past week. Do you feel as if you’re truly working for the Lord and not only for other people? What would you need to do to change your attitude about your work?

Dear heavenly Father, in a world that values entertainment, may I focus on serving You. Help me to put my self-interest aside so that I might care for others as You desire me to do.