Working Hard or Hardly Working

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:22-24

Mom peeked her head into the living room. “I thought I told you two to do the dishes.”

Lauren and Robbie glanced up from the computer screen. “We did them, Mom,” Lauren said.

“I guess I should have been clearer. When I said to do the dishes, I didn’t mean stack them in the sink. I wanted you to fill the dishwasher and run it.”

Robbie’s fingers danced over the game controller. “We’ll tackle the dishes after we finish this level. It took us all day to get this far.”

Mom sighed. “I wish you two would put as much effort into your schoolwork and helping around the house as you put into video games.” She pointed to the kitchen. “You have five minutes to finish that game, and then you need to get to work.”

Robbie and Lauren finished their game and marched into the kitchen. “Doing dishes isn’t as fun as playing video games,” Lauren said.

“Do you think cleaning the bathroom is fun?” Mom asked. “I don’t love scrubbing the toilet, but I try to make it shine every time so it’s clean for all of you. We should put our best effort into everything we do.”

“Well, at least we put effort into playing video games,” Robbie said as he rinsed a plate in the sink and handed it to his sister.

“That’s true,” said Mom. “You certainly work hard when it comes to video games, but you hardly work when it comes to anything else. But as Christians, all the work we do is for Jesus—even things that aren’t so fun, like washing dishes or scrubbing toilets. The Bible says God put Adam and Eve in the garden to work it and take care of it. After they sinned, work got a lot harder and less fun, but Jesus gives us the strength to do it. We need to do our work for Him.”

Lauren closed the dishwasher. “I guess Robbie and I can do a better job helping out around here.”

Robbie nodded. “We need to work hard instead of hardly working.” He smiled. “Maybe an increase in our allowance will help us get started!”

“Maybe,” Mom said. “But then you’d be the one cleaning the bathroom!” – Jared Hottenstein

How About You?

Do you work hard—or hardly work? Some things just aren’t fun to do, but we can’t go through life doing only the things we love. We need to work hard in order to learn, grow, and help others. The Bible tells us that we need to do our work for Jesus—even the things that don’t seem important or fun. He’ll give us the strength we need to do whatever work He gives us.

Today’s Key Verse:
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Do your work for Jesus