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This is a message based on Colossians 3:23. It was used for a sermon focusing on graduates and their plans for the future. It emphasizes the importance of finding something to do and do it for the Lord.
Written Excerpts:
Introduction:
Several days ago this passage was included in the daily devotional book
that I am reading through this year. When I read it along with the comments
provided by the book’s author, I immediately felt that it would provide a good
text for today and our emphasis on honoring our graduates. My message today is primarily directed to our young people in the
congregation and especially to the graduates. But I think that what God has
laid on my heart will be good food for thought for the rest of you as well.
Now, I know that all of the graduates and other students here today
have already heard plenty of speeches and lectures, not only this school year,
but all of your lives. So I know I’m stretching your patience by asking you to
listen to one more. I want you to know that I’ve discovered that preachers and professors
or teachers have something very much in common…
W.H. Auden said, “A professor is a person who talks in someone else’s
sleep.” I am sure this applies to preachers as well. In fact, I’ve seen it
happen on many occasions during my years of ministry! J
For many graduates as well as those nearing graduation, the question
most often asked of them is, “What are you going to do after you’re done with
school?” Or, “What are you going to be?” We all presume that every child, experiencing normal growth and
development, will reach the point in life when he or she will move from the
period of preparation into the period of performance, and from simply receiving
to contributing.
Most of us understand that one of the main points of education is for
each of us to learn something that can enable us to make a living. Yet, we must
also remember that God is not only concerned that we learn how to make
a living, but that we learn how to live. For, as Theodore Roosevelt stated, “A man who has never gone to school
may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may
steal the whole railroad.”
For the next several minutes I want to direct your attention to the
passage of Scripture found in Colossians 3:23 in order to discover some basic
principles God has given us regarding our lives, our education and our work.
There are three simple principles that I see in this text. Find something to do. Do it with passion. Do it with purpose.
I. Find something to do.
As I have already indicated, it is assumed that every normal human
being should be productive and provide some positive contribution to his/her family,
community and society.
In various sermons that I have previously given I have tried to show
from Scripture that our individual worth and value does not derive from our
work or what we do. Our value and intrinsic worth is rooted in the fact that we
are created in the image of God.
However, Scripture does promote the sanctity of work and labor. The
Bible promotes the idea that every person must work to eat, unless, of course,
there are mental/physical disabilities that prevent them. Work is something that
God plans for all of us to do.
In this verse, we find the phrase, “Whatever you do…”
If you read the context of this passage, you will discover that the
Apostle Paul is giving instructions for how people can demonstrate the grace of
God in their relationships and behaviors. He discusses marriage relationships; family (parent-child)
relationships; and work (servant/master; employer/employee) relationships. The specific phrase we are looking at appears in the verses that deal
with servant-master relationships (which would parallel most closely with our
modern employer-employee relationships).
Paul, in this context, is saying, “In your day-to-day labor, whatever
you do…” The underlying assumption is that every one of his readers/hearers
would be involved in some kind of productive activity.
So my first point to you today, especially young people, is find
something to do. God has gifted you and provided you with unique talents,
skills and abilities to be used for His glory. Recognize the fact now that God condemns sloth and laziness. God has a
place for you to fill and a job for you to do. He never intended for your
parents or your community or your government to take care of your every need
for the rest of your life. There is dignity in work and in labor. Find something to do. Even if
you can’t find the job of your dreams, or the salary you want, or all the
fringe benefits you think you deserve.
It is amazing to me sometimes to observe the amount of effort and
“work” that some people will expend trying to get out of work!
II. Do it with passion.
When you find something to do, do it with passion.
Paul said, “Whatever you do, do it heartily…”
“Do” – the second word “do” is different from the first one, and it
primarily carries the idea of labor or working at something. Literally,
“Whatever you do, work/labor at it heartily…”
“Heartily” – a compound word that can literally be translated, “out of
your soul.” This seems to give the idea of doing something with everything in
that is in us; with our whole being.
I must admit that I have not always found it easy to live up to this,
but my parents and a host of other influential people in my life have often
told me, “Anything worth doing at all is worth doing my best.” I’m sure I have
failed to accomplish this goal at times. But that doesn’t reduce the truth of
it.
Paul seems to be saying the same thing here. Whatever you do, do it heartily; do it with everything you’ve got; do
it with your whole being.
I’ve already admitted that it’s not always easy to live up to this
ideal. It’s not always easy to have the heart and soul to do our best in
everything we set ourselves to do. But, the last phrase in this verse helps us in that regard.
III. Do it with purpose.
One of the reasons why it is sometimes difficult to do our best at
whatever task we are doing is the fact that we can’t see the purpose in it. We
sometimes can’t see the value of it or the good in it. In fact, I’ve often read stories and opinions regarding the fact that there
are few things that can mentally and physically break a man down any quicker
than giving him meaningless work to do; tasks that have no point or value or
purpose.
Paul helps clear up that aspect by admonishing Christians to do their
work “as to the Lord, and not to men.” This must have been a particularly great challenge to the servants to
whom he was directing these comments. Paul was saying to them that they were to perform their duties as if
they were doing them for the Lord, and not merely for men or for their masters.
I don’t have the time, nor is my purpose now, to discuss the issue of
slavery or servitude that is taken for granted in this passage. That is a
discussion better suited for a completely separate sermon or Bible study. But the point is that when a servant performs his / her duties, he /
she must act as if they are doing it for the Lord and not for a man.
Having this kind of mindset while performing the tasks required gives
the worker adequate purpose for his job. “My purpose in doing this task is to please Christ and glorify my
Father in heaven.”
Illustration – I was being interviewed by a man one time for a position
in his company. He told me right up front that most of the time he was not very
thrilled to hear someone recommend a prospective employee by saying, “He is a
good Christian man.” Why? He had known too many “good Christian people” who
were not good workers.
I don’t know if any of you have ever had this experience or not, but
there have been times in my life when I had a job to do that was not
particularly inspiring or enjoyable. I remember sometimes when I was tempted to do my work half-heartedly or
even shoddy. But then I would remember some scripture verse or I would hear the
voice of the Spirit reminding me that the Lord was watching me and taking
notice of my performance.
Example: Cleaning the kitchen as my work-hour assignment at Bible College
What Paul is saying is essentially this, “When you’re cleaning kitchens,
you’re cleaning Jesus’ kitchen.” When you’re balancing ledgers, you’re balancing Jesus’ ledgers. When you’re laying cement blocks, you’re laying Jesus’ blocks.
Dear friends, young and old, we must remember that we serve the Lord in
all areas of life. Everything we do
is a service to the Lord. All we do is offered to God as a sacrifice of worship. Yes, we worship
Him by singing and praying on Sunday morning, but we also worship Him by
working Monday through Friday or Saturday, whatever the case may be.
If we remember this truth, it will give us a higher purpose for our
work, our ministry and our service than we could ever get from any other
source.
Conclusion:
My advice for our graduates, our young people and everyone in general
is simply this: Find something to do; do it with passion; and do it with the
purpose of pleasing God.
In order to do that, we need the guidance and direction that only comes
from God through His Holy Spirit.
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