Colossians 3:1-17
I've blogged about the last verse in this passage as really central to what this blog is all about--everything that you do, including work, should be centered on Christ. And I've written about the middle verses in talking about honesty and anger. As I look at the larger passage, I see verse 17 ("whatever you do... do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus...") being the center of the entire chapter. Verse 17 is the climax of the first section on general, holy living and is the introduction to Paul's specific instructions to wives and husbands, to children and fathers, and to masters and slaves. Whatever you do in any role, honor Jesus.
But how do you do that? Paul gives us an answer at the beginning of the chapter. "Set your hearts on things above." He repeats, "set you minds on things above, not on earthly things." For many people, setting their hearts on "things above" may mean looking forward to a spacious office at the top. When you're working, what's your motivation? Are you working for prestige or respect from colleagues? Are you trying to win the boss's favor and that next promotion? Are you trying to build your resume? When you're pushing hard, trying to win more business for your company or trying to serve more clients, why are you doing that? Are you obsessing with the bottom line?
Or are you obsessing with how your work reflects on Jesus? Are you constantly thinking about how your job honors your Creator and Savior?
If I'm honest, I have to admit that I often focus much more on the day-to-day tasks that I need to complete and on the prestige and accomplishments that come from those tasks than I focus on Jesus.
How would work be different if we really set our hearts on things above? Maybe missed promotions wouldn't heart so bad. Maybe we could better deal with the every day things that cause others so much stress. Maybe we wouldn't try to play politics with those around us. One thing is for sure--we would be seeking to honor Jesus in everything that we do.
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