Colossians 3 (#3): Do It with a Sincere Heart

Verse 23: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

◇ Paul is advising on various human relationships that form within a household. He instructs wives and husbands, children and parents, servants and masters to treat each other with obedience, submission, love, sincerity, righteousness, and fairness. The standard for all these virtues is to do as if you were doing it for the Lord.

Doing it for the Lord means dedicating everything to Him. It is sacrificing all you have for the Lord. Paul said that whether he lived or died, it was for the Lord (Romans 14:8; Philippians 1:20).

In Ephesians 5:25, Paul speaks of how Christ loved the church as a clear standard for husbands to love their wives: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Christ's love for the church was shown even unto death. He loved the church by giving His life for it. Paul said that since Christ did so, he too would live or die for Christ.

What would it look like if the relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, servants and masters were restructured with the same mindset that Paul and Christ shared? What kind of community would we have if we all related to each other with such a mindset in our communities?

♧ Lord, help us to embrace the true and sincere heart that Jesus Christ has shown us! Let us treat everyone with that heart! Holy Spirit, lead us in truth!