Bible Strands
Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Colossian church, addressing slaves within a household code (v. 22), positioning their labor as service to Christ rather than to a human master.
The words — ἐκ ψυχῆς (ek psuchēs), literally "from the soul," carries the weight of the verse: not a portion of effort but the whole self issuing out of its source.
The thread — Colossians 3:17 extends the same principle to all word and deed; Ephesians 6:6 pairs it with "doing the will of God from the heart"; Romans 14:8 grounds it in the claim that life and death both belong to the Lord.
Why it lands — It strips away human audience as the reason for effort. The standard is not whether the master watches but whether the worker's orientation is toward Christ, which makes the quality of the work a matter of identity, not strategy.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Cross-references
- Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
- Ephesians 6:6 And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
- Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
- 2 Chronicles 31:21 He acted with all his heart in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law and the commandments, in order to seek his God. And so he prospered.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
- 1 Peter 2:15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.
- 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority,
- Psalms 119:10 With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
- Romans 14:6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
- 1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.