Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
(Colossians 3:23 NIV)
Whatever you do, work … as working for the Lord.
The Bible assures us that work in the home or marketplace (“whatever you do”) can, and should, be done in service of the Lord Jesus. This issue of Methodist Message offers examples of marketplace work done in service to God. An old Sunday school song also made the point:
In the house and out of doors
Brushing shoes and scrubbing floors
Washing, ironing, brewing tea
Sometimes making Hokkien mee (or spaghetti!)
We’ll do it all for Jesus (repeat 3 times)
He’s done so much for us.
We could easily add another verse.
Typing, teaching, cutting hair
Making music, and childcare
Building flats and cleaning rooms
Corporate meetings held on Zoom1
We’ll do it all for Jesus (repeat 3 times)
He’s done so much for us.
Charles Wesley wrote a prayer hymn to consecrate daily labour as work done in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go,
my daily labour to pursue
Thee, only thee, resolved to know
In all I think or speak or do.2
So, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. Amen.
1 Additional lyrics by Janice Khoo
2 United Methodist Hymnal, 438