As To The Lord

Good Day,

Colossians 3:23 (New International Version)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Colossians 3:23 (Amplified Bible)
Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.
Colossians 3:23 (New Living Translation)
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Colossians 3:23 (King James Version)
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.

I think it is very good to read various translations of Scripture. Personally, I find in extremely valuable because it shows, sometimes, the different nuance from one to another and helps me to understand more clearly what God is saying to me. That's why from time to time I include various translations. I hope it helps you, as well.

When I read this very familiar verse today I was struck by something that is probably obvious to many but maybe not so clear to others of us. That is the fact that if those who were responsible for creating the huge financial mess the world is in were to have put their efforts toward good things and Godly things...rather than trying to just line their own pockets with ridiculous amounts of money...well then, the world would be such a marvelous place right now.

Ok, that's pretty simple, I guess. And, as I said, pretty obvious. But, and here's the rub as I see it, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, even hundreds of thousands?, of people who claim to be good, believing Christians who got caught up in this ridiculous and artificial creation of personal wealth instead of doing what they did "as to the Lord."

That's the point of this verse, of course. To do all we do as if we were working for God. And, to take it just one logical step further, if we're doing our work "as to the Lord" then we'll not be doing things that are against what God would have us do. Make sense? It certainly does to me. If I am doing whatever work I am involved in as if I'm working for God, then when something that isn't exactly Godly comes along, I shall obviously refuse to do it. Because doing something that isn't Godly in my endeavors would be anything BUT doing my work "as to the Lord."

Sometimes we need to see the logic that goes the next step when reading Scripture. I know, I know...that isn't "Scriptural" per se. But, it DOES make sense. And, if we'll open ourselves up to hearing what God tells us after we read Scripture, perhaps we will then hear even more than the thought expressed in the verse or verses we are reading. And I firmly believe that God wants us to use our God given brains and common sense when thinking about and applying Scripture to our lives.

Am I, today, doing my work as to the Lord? I wish I could say with 100% surety that the answer to that was "Yes," but of course, I cannot. Could I have done what I've done so far today in a more Godly way? "As to the Lord?" Of course. I would wager that most of us would say about the same. And one day is often better than another when we think about this idea given in this verse of Scripture. All we can do is to really etch this verse into our minds so we are more keenly aware of it and then etch it into our hearts so we will be more likely to actually live it out.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David