Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV): Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
As God’s people, we must always realize that when we come to Him for salvation; when we repent of our sins and receive His forgiveness; when we plead for and receive His mercy and His grace; when we commit to live the rest of our lives for Him; at that moment, we become God’s slaves, His servants by choice. At that moment, God purchases us, body, soul, spirit, with the price of Jesus’ life and blood, just as He purchased the Levites as priests and servants when He saved Israel from the plague on the firstborn of Egypt. (Numbers 3:11-13) In the same way, everyone to whom He has been given eternal life belongs to Him and is His to command from that moment forward, for all the rest of their lives.
From a functional standpoint, that means that every saved person’s day belongs to God, and everything that we do will be done for Him and as a witness of Him and His kingdom. If we are at work, we are actually working for God, and as a representative of the kingdom. If we are diligent in our work, that diligence is counted as diligence to Him, and the reputation of the kingdom is enhanced. If we are not diligent, if we are lazy or dishonest, if we do not give a good return for our pay, we are not only cheating our earthly bosses, we are cheating God out of the wages that He has helped us to receive, and we bring disrepute on Him and on His kingdom.
Being God’s slave and working for Him as His servants is not optional for Christians, and it’s not just for “paid clergy.” Every saved person belongs to God, whether they acknowledge it or not. If we serve God well, we open the door to abundant blessings in our lives. But if we serve Him poorly, stiffening our necks against the yoke, resisting or ignoring His leading and direction, it will be considered open rebellion, and we will receive discipline from His hand.
Father, forgive us for the times that we have forgotten not just WHO we are in You, but WHOSE we are in You. Forgive us for putting You into a “religious” compartment in our lives, and then living the rest of our lives as if You have no stake or ownership in every area of our lives. Help us always to remember the staggering price You have paid for us, and that we come to You as slaves, as servants by choice, who owe You our very lives. Help us to be a very good investment for You. Amen.