{This post is part of my 31 Day blog series Work Hard + Rest Well: Learning Obedience in the Rhythms of Work and Rest.}
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Colossians 3:23

There’s the one thing about rest that I have to remind myself daily, and then there’s the two things about work that are equally important.

When we decide to follow Jesus, we’re called to work for Him.
We’re no longer working for others and we’re no longer working for ourselves…or we shouldn’t be. We’re working for Him.

And it takes my breath how even my scrubbing the floors on hands and knees can take on a heavenly importance.

Because my scrubbing floors and washing dishes shouldn’t be simply to satisfy my own standards of neat and tidy. It should be to serve my husband by keeping a clean and peaceful house for him to rest from work. It should be so that I can love others by dirtying those floors and dishes again to serve them a meal.

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
Matthew 25:37-40

When we begin to look at our lives from the perspective of heaven our work takes on a weighty importance.

The task of cooking meals can suddenly become a service of love to welcome a new neighbor or serve our families. The work of scrubbing floors is suddenly an act of love for God as if He were walking on our floors Himself.

And from a heavenly perspective every act of service we do is an opportunity to love God by loving others.
And from a heavenly perspective, every hour of work is an hour of serving our God.

Because He says that our work is for Him and our work is us imitating Him and our work is empowered by His Spirit.

When we decide to follow Jesus, we’re now working for Him…and we’re empowered for our work by Him.

So the call to work well is a call to love God and to serve God and to be like Him. But it’s all empowered by Him. We aren’t left alone to learn how to work hard and serve as unto Him. He is in us and He can empower us and He will empower us.

Will we ask for His empowering? Will we put our hands to work? Will we work in a way that shows we’re working for the King of Kings?

Be blessed
<3