The Overwhelming Importance of Doing Whatever We Do, as though We’re Working Directly for God!

21 Sep 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 September 2026   Colossians 3:17.

Colossians 3:17.        And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

And here we are on another sunshiny, though somewhat cool and windy Monday, beginning another week of work all for Jesus! Yes, let’s remember that whatever we do, it’s supposed to be for Him, and we do it the way He desires, not the way we want. As Bruh Paul says in Colossians as he talks about putting on the new man. ‘And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) And the scholars explain that last verse by saying: ‘The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (vs. 16), but it is also to control all areas of a Christian life.’

Then, later in that same chapter, Bruh Paul addressing servants, admonishes them thus. ‘Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh: not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart (sincerity), fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:22-25)

Yes friends, even slaves were expected to work hard with a sincere disposition, wholeheartedly, not only when the master was watching, but always, because he was working not so much for his earthly master (unto men), but for his heavenly Master (to the Lord).  And if they did that, then they would receive the reward of the inheritance, namely salvation. Then the scholars tell us: ‘The fact that Christian slaves will receive salvation from the Lord rather than from men verifies the assertion in verse 23 that they serve Christ, not their masters.’  

Those scriptures therefore tell us that as believers, we must give our best effort in all that we do, be it a big or small task, a very important or not so important one. We must imagine that we’re working directly for God. And I like how this explanation puts it: ‘Turn ordinary chores or job duties into an act of worship.’ And we know that’s not always easy to do, especially with some of the work we do, and some of the supervisors we have, but it’s a good way to look at our daily tasks, and certainly to our benefit. (smile)

And all of that ties in nicely with this passage from Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, as he advises us to Live Joyfully. ‘Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments always be white; and let thy head lack no ointment (oil). Live joyfully (enjoy life) with the wife whom thou LOVEST all the days of the life of thy vanity (thy empty life), which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that this is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest (perform) under the sun.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happenenth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes are taken in an evil (cruel) net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.’  (Eccl. 9:7-12)

Now, that’s wonderful advice my brethren, for none of us knows when the grim reaper will come for us, but until then, we owe it to ourselves, especially as Christians, to live a joyful and fulfilling life as possible while serving the Lord, because that’s our portion in this life, and there is no working in the grave. And per verses 11-12, the scholars explain. ‘Five statements of unexpected results are followed by an explanation. Man’s ability cannot guarantee the results (vs.11) because of the equalizing effects of time and chance.’ 

That’s the indisputable truth. No matter how good we are at whatever we do, we’re not guaranteed anything. That’s why we need to live with a joyful attitude, and do whatever we do well, as to the Lord. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You  this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together.

We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour!

We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!

And now, having been granted our wish, let’s go out and faithfully keep our promise! Much LOVE!

…length of life is not guaranteed…but it can be joyful…if lived for Christ… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien   

The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Doing Everything as though it’s For God and not for Man!

19 May 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Colossians 3:23.        And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Oh my Scrip-Bit friends and families, what a joy it is to greet you on this Victoria Day Holiday Monday! Hope that your celebrations are going well on this sunny but not awfully warm day. Thankfully though the wind is not as strong as it’s been for the last two days. However, we do pray that there’s a modicum of circumspection taking place in the celebrations because tomorrow we have to go out and earn a living, and we can’t be sick or slovenly in doing Jesus’s work. No sir! Jesus expects excellence and diligence at all times from His earthly representatives. 

Now, some of us might say that we’re working for men, but the Lord has an entirely different take on the situation, as Bruh Paul reminds us in his letter to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25) 

Yes my fellow believers, we ought to consider ourselves servants of Christ in everything we do, for in the long run, it’s from the Lord that we will receive our rewards, be they for good or for bad, because the Lord does not show favouritism. And there’s’ an interesting corresponding verse from Cousin Sol writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. He says: ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave (Sheol), whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10) 

And that’s the living truth! There’s no working or otherwise in the grave. So whatever you do when alive, make sure you give it your best effort, especially when that’s what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ expects of His disciples. As Bruh Paul mentions in Romans, when he speaks about overcoming good with evil: ‘Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent in spirit (lit., boiling over), serving the Lord.’ (Rom. 12:11) That means we ought to be bubbling over with excitement in God’s service. 

So, although we cannot always be excited and enthusiastic, we Christians of today can certainly be much more enthusiastic and excited about Christ than many of us are. That’s why the world is so distraught, despondent, and uncertain about the times we live in; believers are not spreading enough of the joy of the Lord, letting the unbelievers know of His imminent return and the dire need for them to accept Him as Lord and Saviour if they want to receive salvation and eternal life. 

And I guess this passage on Servants and Masters in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians covers the whole spectrum of the subject. ‘Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness (sincerity) of heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond (slave) or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing (giving up) threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.’ (Eph. 6:5-9) 

Now what does all of that mean? The scholars offer these explanations. The masters according to the flesh, means their human masters. And slaves, or servants ought to carry out their duties with fear and trembling is that they ought to do a good job with reverential respect for their masters. Meanwhile singleness of heart refers to a mental disposition, an attitude that renders obedience out of sincerity, not hypocrisy. As unto Christ explains why servants should obey masters in the manner prescribed here: obedience rendered to their masters is obedience rendered to Christ. 

And singleness of heart, or sincere disposition excludes eyeservice, that is duty performed only when the master is watching; but it includes doing the will of God from the heart, that is, enthusiastic service coming from within and not having to be coerced by external pressure. Good will means “good intention.” The Christian servant (employee) seeks the best interest of his master (employer). 

And the basis for the servant’s “good intention” toward his master is his being recompensed by the Lord – both in this life and in the one to come – the same good he has performed in his servant duties. Finally, earthly masters are to behave in a reciprocal manner toward their slaves (servants) (i.e., with respect, sincerity, and careful concern). For earthly masters have a heavenly Master who will judge them without partiality.’ 

Wow! Can you imagine if we had a world like that where the majority of employees and employers treated each other with respect and concern for each other! It would be a great place! Sadly though, the opposite is true. Employers and employees are always at loggerheads, trying to get the best of each other. No wonder the workplace is filled with so much strife, greed, fraud and disgruntled employers and employees. And the only way that is ever going to change, or improve, is if we believers up the ante, through our better work ethic and Christ-like joy spreading. (smile) 

And we can certainly do it with the Lord’s help…if we try. The problem though is getting us to try. Anyway, right now, we need to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid, to help us turn things around. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Ah friends, it’s a tough row we have to hoe, but for Jesus’ sake, in gratitude for all that He’s done for us, I implore us to put our hearts, minds, bodies and souls into achieving a better world! Much LOVE!

…unless we sincerely give Jesus first place in our lives…and live for Him only…our world will never improve…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien