Colossians 3:23 (DRB)

Passage

Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to indignation, lest they be discouraged.

Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh: not serving to the eye, as pleasing men: but in simplicity of heart, fearing God.

Colossians 3:23 Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Colossians 3:24 Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve ye the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:25 For he that doth wrong shall receive for that which he hath done wrongfully. And there is no respect of persons with God.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Servants obey in all things your masters..." into verse 24's "Knowing that you shall receive of the...", so "whatsoever" and "heart" 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 "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.