Colossians 3:23 (DBY)

Passage

Whatsoever ye do, labour at it heartily, as [doing it] to the Lord, and not to men;

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not vex your children, to the end that they be not disheartened.

Colossians 3:22 Bondmen, obey in all things your masters according to flesh; not with eye-services, as men-pleasers, but in simplicity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Colossians 3:23 Whatsoever ye do, labour at it heartily, as [doing it] to the Lord, and not to men;

Colossians 3:24 knowing that of [the] Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance; ye serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:25 For he that does a wrong shall receive the wrong he has done, and there is no respect of persons.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whatsoever", "labour", "heartily", "doing", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whatsoever" and "labour", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Bondmen obey in all things your masters..." into verse 24's "knowing that of the Lord ye shall...", so "whatsoever" and "labour" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whatsoever" and "labour" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.