Do It With Purpose
Scripture
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”
—Colossians 3:23–24 (NLT)
We’ve all seen it happen: someone wearing a company uniform acts out of line, and it ends up costing them their job. In that moment, they forgot that their behavior reflected not just on themselves, but on the name they carried. Paul’s words here are a powerful reminder that as followers of Jesus, we too are always representing Someone.
We are “clothed with Christ,” serving as His ambassadors in this world. That means there’s never a moment when we’re truly “off duty.” In our jobs, our homes, our neighborhoods, wherever we go and whatever we do, we represent our King.
Paul reveals that our true Master is not an earthly boss, but Christ Himself. This truth should radically reframe every task before us.
“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.”
— A.W. Tozer¹
Whether it’s a spreadsheet, a dirty diaper, or a difficult conversation, you are called to do it with excellence, as if you were doing it directly for Jesus. This perspective changes everything. When work is mundane, you can do it with purpose. When serving people is draining, you can find renewed strength. And when you’re tempted to cut corners, remember who you’re really working for. Your ultimate reward isn’t a paycheck or a thank you, but the “inheritance” that the Lord Himself will give. So today, do the next small thing as though Christ Himself were watching, because He is.
Reflection
- In what area of your life (work, home, school) do you most need the reminder that you are working “for the Lord rather than for people”?
- How does the promise of an “inheritance as your reward” from the Lord motivate you to work for Him?
- Thinking of Tozer’s words, what would it look like to do your specific work this week not for what it earns you, but for who it’s ultimately for?
Prayer
Ask God to transform your perspective on your work, whatever it may be. Pray for the grace to do everything with excellence, as if you were doing it directly for the Lord. Thank the Lord that your ultimate reward is the secure inheritance He provides.
Footnote
¹ A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1948).