DAY #297: Colossians 3:1-25

Slaves were to obey the commands of their masters, not just when they were being watched and hoping for a reward, but at all times. Paul exhorted these Colossian believers that they should no longer merely work for human approval, they should work hard and well because of their reverent fear of the Lord.

Their ultimate Master was God himself. Paul explained that God wanted the slaves to fulfill their responsibilities in this world even as they looked forward to the next. While neither condemning nor condoning slavery, Paul told masters and slaves how to live together in Christian households. In Paul’s day, women, children, and slaves had few rights. In the church, however, they had freedoms that society denied them. Paul tells husbands, parents, and masters to be caring.

Slaves had a variety of tasks—running errands, caring for or teaching children, cleaning, preparing meals, or doing menial work. Yet Paul gave their jobs a new dignity because these slaves would do their work for the Lord, serving the Lord Christ. Slaves had little, if any, opportunity to get out of slavery, and they received little, if any, monetary compensation for their work. Obviously, they had no inheritance in this world, but Paul reminded the Christian slaves that they would ultimately be rewarded by Christ with their deserved inheritance as children of the true, eternal King.

At the end of this chapter, Paul once again explained that judgment would be coming. Whether master or slave, the wrongdoer will be paid back, and those who do right will receive the inheritance as their reward. At the Judgment, God will judge without partiality. Paul explained the responsibilities of the believers. Both the Christian slave with the harsh and ruthless master and the Christian master with the lazy and untrustworthy slave knew how they were to act as believers. They also knew that God would judge wrongdoing without favoritism.


SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

I want to encourage each of you to be at the COV workday this morning. Working around the campus is truly a labor of love, as we get the campus ready for friend day on November 1.

The work we do in life should be viewed the same way. Whatever we do - we do it unto the Lord. When that is my motivation, my perspective about work - no matter the work conditions - changes. Lord, draw Your people to COV this morning to do their part at Your church. Bind our hearts and spirits together.

Remind us - day in and day out - that our labor is worship - expressing our love to You.