Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness…
– Jeremiah 48:10
Huh? What a verse. And this is just the first part of this verse, but just let this soak in. “Cursed is he who does the Lord’s work, the work of the Lord, with slackness, with laziness, or with a casual approach to it”. And you think about it, this is like the exact opposite of what we’re commanded to do in the New Testament.
Jeremiah 48:10 teaches the seriousness of doing every task as service to the Lord.
Remember Colossians 3:23, “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”. So when you hear the work of the Lord, don’t think, “Oh, okay, yeah, that’s what pastors do, or that’s what certain people do at certain times”.
No, the work of the Lord is all work. “Whatever you do”, Colossians 3:23 says, “work with all your heart because you’re working for the Lord”. You’re not working for men. The reality is, yes, you may have an employer, you may have a boss, you may have a teacher, but the reality is you’re not working ultimately for them. You are ultimately working for the Lord. That’s who you’re working for.
So work with all your heart in a 1 Corinthians 10:31 kind of way. Whatever you do, work for the glory of God in the work that you do. So let that transform the way you view whatever work you do today, whatever work you do this week, from a job to work around the house, to school, to whatever it might be, work heartily because you know you’re ultimately working for the Lord, like your eyes are fixed on him.
Jeremiah 48:10 urges us to labor with excellence for God’s glory.
And not–– to be clear–– working to earn God’s favor or earn God’s acceptance, working because you want to honor and please and glorify Him. Knowing that, remember Colossians 3:24, “From the Lord, you will receive the inheritance as your reward”. So yes, there’s reward, by God’s grace, that’s found in working with all your heart for his glory.
So God, may it be so in our lives today in whatever work we do. And God, we pray that we would do work as you’ve called us to. We know you’ve not called us just to play or to rest. Yes, there’s a time and place for rest, but you’ve called us to reflect your work in the way we work. And God, we pray that you’d help us to do so. Whatever work we’re doing, help us keep our eyes fixed on you in our work, as the One we’re working ultimately for. For your glory, for others’ good, that they might see our good works and give you glory.
And God, we pray that you would keep us from slack work. Help us to work heartily for you, knowing that there’s reward that’s found in working for your glory. We praise you for the privilege of serving you, living to your glory. Help us to do it to the full today. And God, as we work in different places, help us to spread your glory in those places, in those workplaces, in the schools where we are, right, where we live, and wherever you might lead us around the world. I think about people whose jobs are taking them to so many different places in the world. Help them to work for your glory in those places.
Prayer for the Andh People
God, we pray for the Andh people of India. We pray for Andh men, women, children, to interact with followers of Jesus who are working for your glory. We pray for the spread of the gospel among the Andh people, through workers in India, people whose work takes them to India. God, we pray that your gospel would spread among all the nations on the wings of workers who are glorifying you in all the nations where they work. Please, God, may it be so. We pray all according to your Word in Jeremiah 48:10. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
