And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Parallel translations
- WEB And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men,
- BSB Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men,
- NKJV And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
- NASB Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,
- NLT Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Whatever work we do, we should do it wholeheartedly as if working for the Lord himself. It matters because it transforms ordinary labor into worship and service to Christ.
Overview
Paul lifts the servant's daily toil to a new dignity by directing it Godward: the real audience is the Lord, not human masters. This principle reaches beyond the original setting to all believers, making every honest task a sphere of devotion. Because we serve Christ, no work done in faith is insignificant or wasted.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Col 3:17And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
- Eph 6:6–7Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
- Rom 14:8For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
- 2 Chr 31:21And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
- Eccl 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
- 1 Pet 2:15For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
- 1 Pet 2:13Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
- Ps 119:10With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
- Rom 14:6He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
- 1 Pet 1:22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
- Ps 119:34Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
- Jer 3:10And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
- Ps 119:145I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
- Zech 7:5–7Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?
- Matt 6:16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
- Ps 103:1Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
- Ps 47:6–7Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
- Eph 5:22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
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The image of the invisible God, firstborn over creation, in whom all things hold together and all the fullness of God dwells bodily — supreme over every power.
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Original language
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