Work with All Your Heart
By Rick Warren
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.” Colossians 3:23 (GNT)
God wants to bless your work!
No matter what you do for a living, when you approach it as an act of worship, God blesses it. Whether sweeping streets or running a business, God calls you to treat work as more than just a job—it’s an offering to him.
This means your real boss isn’t your supervisor; your real boss is God.
Imagine working in a hotel, cleaning a room as if Jesus himself were staying there. Wouldn’t you do your absolute best? Of course! Treat every task—whether fixing a car, closing a sale, or changing diapers—as if you are doing it for him. Martin Luther, who started the Protestant Reformation, said even milking cows can glorify God when done with the right heart.
Are you feeling less than enthusiastic about your work? If your heart isn’t in it, you might be in the wrong job. Life is too short to spend on work you can’t give your whole heart to. The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” (Colossians 3:23 GNT).
If you’ve sincerely tried to put your whole heart into whatever job you’re doing and you just can’t, it might be time for a change. God wants your work to be an act of worship, to bless him and you!
God blesses work where there is —
Planning: Proverbs 21:5 says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” (NLT). When you make plans and work hard, God blesses you in that. He’s not going to bless you if you’re always cutting corners or trying to do the minimum.
Initiative: Proverbs 10:4 teaches, “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth” (NIV). Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you—pursue them with determination.
Integrity: Be honest in all dealings. The Message paraphrase reminds us in Proverbs 16:11, “God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business.” Pay your taxes, treat others fairly, and act with integrity.
Focus: Stay committed. Proverbs 12:11 says, “A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense” (NLT). Stick to your goals without getting distracted.
Persistence: Don’t give up easily. Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time” (NLT). Wealth built through hard work endures, unlike riches gained quickly, which vanish just as fast.
Work, when done wholeheartedly and with these principles, becomes an act of worship that God blesses abundantly.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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