Work for the Lord
Paul wrote this to slaves, people whose work often went unseen or unthanked. He tells them that their labor has a real audience: the Lord Himself.
Most of us do not work for a dramatic cause. We work in offices, kitchens, classrooms, and fields. Whatever is in front of you today, do it as if the Lord were your employer, because He is.
Lord, whatever my hands find to do today, let me do it well and with a whole heart. Keep me from doing only what is seen, and help me work as someone who is working for You. Amen.
ἐργάζεσθε (ergazesthe (er-GAH-zes-theh)). “Work.” The verb means to labor or to do work. Paul uses it for ordinary, hard labor, which shows that God takes everyday work seriously.
Colossians was written to a church that was facing false teaching. Paul's instructions to households, including to slaves and masters, show how the gospel reshapes daily relationships and everyday work.
Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau landed at Tranquebar in South India, among the first Protestant missionaries sent to India. They faced hardship and opposition but began schools and a Tamil translation of the New Testament.