Think about your summer job/internship/classes and your motivation toward them. What do you enjoy about it? What do you dislike? Why did you choose to do these? Today’s devotional is from Colossians 3:23-24. Here, Paul is instructing different pairs of people with instructions and he ends with this:
READ: COLOSSIANS 3:23 & 24
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS
- What kind of perspective is Paul urging the Colossians to have about their work and responsibilities?
- Paul tells them to work “for the Lord, not for human masters”, what does he mean by this? What is the result of this mindset?
- Who are you serving when you work? What is your knee-jerk response when doing something boring or undesirable?
- Are you working like you’re working for Jesus or are you serving yourself? Or are you only really working when the boss is watching? Do you do just enough to skate by?
CLOSING REFLECTION
I think it’s tempting for us to view our summer jobs and internships as a means to an end. It’s just something to help pay for school or add to a resume. Those are some purposes for a job, but when they are the main focus, they can negatively affect the way we perform and how we treat our co-workers and bosses.
Throughout college I worked at a day center for adults with severe disabilities. I really loved my job and loved the adults that I cared for and served everyday. But there were many not-so-glamorous aspects of my jobs. Many of the clients were severely disabled and could not use the restroom on their own. Three times a day I would change the diapers and wipe the behinds of at least 8 different people. Even though I loved my clients and coworkers, it was not very easy to do this as if I were serving Jesus.
There were many ways I could have taken short cuts, but that wouldn’t have been fair to the clients (how would I like to have just part of my butt wiped?) or my coworkers who would be caring for my clients later in the day. God’s desire for me in that job was to work like I was serving him. If I were changing God’s diaper, would I do a haphazard job? Of course not! So why should my clients be any different?
Some jobs and internships will be easier and more enjoyable than others. Paul doesn’t say to only “work at it with your whole heart, as working for the Lord” when it’s easy or fun. God wants us to realize that whatever role we’re in, desirable or undesirable, privileged or powerless, changing diapers or managing a Fortune 500 company, we should make it our priority to serve him.
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