… and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Summary: Paul continues his admonition to obey our earthly bosses with detailed instructions as to how we should serve them.
In our last meditation, we looked at what it means to be a servant. Essentially, the modern-day equivalent is having a job.
If we look at Paul’s text that way, it is easy to see that his words still have value.
Paul begins by telling us to obey the boss. He goes on to expand on the idea with several key points. Let’s begin with the first one, “and do it…”
For years, Nike’s trademark was “Just do it!” I hadn’t thought about it before, but it looks suspiciously similar to Paul’s synopsis of what to do.
The “it” is whatever your earthly boss tells you to do. The rest of Paul’s instruction is how to do the work. Honestly, though, “do it” is a good start! For some people, “not doing it” has been raised to an art form. Like a child who doesn’t want to go to bed, the ungodly servant is looking for ways to avoid work.
“I need a cup of water!” might fly when you are three years old, but for an adult with a job to do, that kind of excuse does not cut it.
The next thing Paul points out is when we “do it,” we should do it like we mean it, whether we are being watched or not. People have been known to “put on a show” for the boss when they are being watched, and as soon as the boss leaves, so does their ambition.
(I feel like I should make a joke about curry being a “flavor” and not a “favor,” but I think I’ll let it pass.)
So, how should we “do it?”
Paul says, “… with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”
That sounds like a recipe for good Christian living! To revere the Lord is the Greatest Command (Matthew 22:37-38). “Sincerity of heart” is something else. It is more about “how” than about “what.”
What does “sincerity of heart” mean?
In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he equates insincerity to Eve’s original sin:
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)
Imagine a heart not fully devoted to the Lord. It is like a house foundation with a crack in it. Satan loves to slither in through the cracks in our devotion. This is why Paul advocates for a sincere heart. In another place, he writes:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)
Paul equates everything we do with our service to our Lord, Jesus. Perhaps we should, too.
Application: “Do it” with sincerity!
Food for Thought: How does serving our earthly bosses reflect on our faith in Jesus?
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Continue reading “Colossians 3:22b – Serving Jesus”
