How Should We do Whatever We Do?

Col 3:17 & 23-24 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him...Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. ESV

Every other Saturday a small group gets together in our home to look at and discuss a portion of Scripture. A few of the verses we looked at this past Saturday were the ones quoted above. In between verse 17 and verses 23 and 24 Paul made it clear that he wasn't just referring to what we do in church. Doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus should be reflected how we live, whether we're husbands, wives, children, parents, or even bondservants.

Nowhere in Colossians 3:17-24 does it limit how we are to treat others based on whether we think they deserve it or not. It doesn't tell us husbands to love our wives and not be harsh with them if they behave to our liking or unless they aggravate us. It doesn't tell bondservants to obey their masters if and when they happen to like how they're being treated.

In this passage of Scripture, each of the instructions given to particular groups of people is based on doing things in the name of the Lord. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior that we are His, and we represent Him in whatever we do and wherever we go.

How does Jesus want us husbands to relate to our wives? How does Jesus want wives to relate to their husbands? How does He want parents to relate to their children, and the children to their parents? How does He want servants or employees to relate to those for whom they serve in the workplace?

We can know how we are go go about doing things from what we learn from Scripture. We can learn what Jesus said and did, and what His followers explained in their writings in Scripture. It is so good to check back with what's written because we can get caught up in present circumstances and act on our feelings rather than according to how Jesus wants us to live.

Hopefully this little blog post can help remind you (and me) of how we should do whatever we do as we live out each day. Jesus is worthy of our paying attention to doing things His way. Not to earn salvation, for He's given that as a free gift. But simply because doing things His way expresses our love and appreciation for who He is and what He's done.