Worship While You Work

“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” (Colossians 3:23-24).

On summer days, my older sister and I put off the “chore list” from Mom as long as possible. We didn’t want to be all cooped up inside with a vacuum in hand and a dusting wand in the other. No way! We’d much rather be outside in the summer sunshine, playing with water squirters, kicking a soccer ball around, or pushing each other on the tree swing (probably way too hard. . . and way too high).

One day, we got a little too carried away, though. Guess how many chores we checked off our list. That’s right. . . zero. Uh-oh!

My sister and I spent so much time playing that we didn’t get anything done on the list that Mom had asked us to do. When we heard Mom’s car pull into the driveway, we knew we would be in trouble. So, my sister ran to grab the vacuum, and I fiercely began scrubbing our dirty dishes. Yikes! It would only be a matter of minutes before Mom opened the back door. What would we say?

Maybe you also remember a time when you didn’t complete your chores as a kid. Perhaps this story reminds you of another experience. Maybe you can think of a time when a deadline seemed to sneak up on you, or maybe you neglected to face a different responsibility, and now you’re facing the consequences. You are not alone.
Work isn’t always fun. Work isn’t always how we prefer to spend our time, especially on summer days. I want you to know that God isn’t against fun. In fact, He is the Author of fun.

God created humans to enjoy a relationship with Him and to bring Him glory (Gen. 1-2). One way we glorify God is by enjoying the wonderful things He has created, like laughter, godly friendships, and relationships with family members, tasting good food, caring for the world and one another, and stewarding our bodies well.

God also isn’t against work. He created us for that, too. Yes, that’s right. In Genesis 1-2, God made Adam and Eve and gave them the incredibly important task of caring for the earth. This became extremely challenging in the Fall in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve rebelled against God, the Creator. It was then that God cursed the ground He had made, causing it to bear thorns and thistles, and making humanity’s work much harder. I can’t help but wonder if Adam and Eve groaned every time a new weed sprang up. Did they regret their choice to disobey their loving Creator? I’m sure they did.

Friend, no matter what work you find yourself involved in these days—whether you have an office position, work as a full-time mom or nanny, or are currently searching for a job—I want you to know that work was God’s good design. Our work—whether filling out spreadsheets, answering phone calls, meal-prepping, and/or homeschooling children—can be an act of worship if we do it all unto the Lord, and to the best of our ability for Him.

The Apostle Paul has a lot to say about this kind of stewardship in the book of Colossians. In Colossians, Paul urges believers in Colossae to honor God in how they conduct themselves, whether at home, church, society, and with the knowledge that Christ is Lord over all.

Listen to Paul’s charge to the Colossians in chapter three, verse 23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” No matter the task, even the tasks that are seemingly meaningless, should be done with great care and excellence for God. In this case, every task the believer does—even the ‘mundane’ ones—can be meaningful.

Paul goes on to say in Colossians 3:24 that we work as if we’re working unto the Lord, “since [we] know that [we] will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ [we] are serving.” This reward isn’t a “brownie points” kind of system on this side of Heaven. But, man, I sure do wish I were awarded a brownie every time I folded the laundry, turned in a seminary homework assignment, or completed a mundane task. Tell me I’m not the only one, friend!

The truth is, the Father sees the genuine effort you put in, even when no one else does. You can trust that He will reward you for such worshipful service unto Him, even if not in this lifetime.

Remembering what Christ has done on our behalf, how could we not then view every task as an avenue for His well-deserved praise? No matter what work we’re doing, whether making PB&Js, writing board reports, washing the dishes, or preparing curriculum lesson plans, may we work as unto the Lord.

Every task can be meaningful worship when done for Christ.

Let’s pray:

Dear God,
Thank You for lovingly creating both work and fun. Thank You for Your good design for work. Thank You for sending Christ to do the work of salvation on our behalf, making a way for us to be forgiven for our sins. Help us to view every task, no matter how small, as a significant opportunity to worship You. You are forever worthy.
In Jesus’s name, amen.