What Does Colossians 3:23 Mean? Whatever You Do, Work for the Lord
Why do you do the things that you do?
That’s the question Pastor Keith Roberson opened with as New River closed out the SUPREME series in Colossians — a series about the supremacy, the beauty, the majesty of Jesus, and the supremacy of a life that is hidden in him. Some things in our lives we do with a ton of intentionality: the passions, the causes, the things we care about beyond a shadow of a doubt. But a surprising amount of life we just pick up without thinking. We do things a certain way because our parents did. Or because our parents did and we swore we never would. We absorb habits from friends. We operate, and we rarely stop to ask the core, fundamental question underneath it all: in everything we do, what are the motivations of the heart?
It happened to be Mother’s Day, which made the question land differently. Because Keith was quick to name what moms absolutely do not need on Mother’s Day: just another thing to do.
And that, it turns out, is exactly the trap most of us fall into when we read this passage.
What this sermon is about
The final text of the SUPREME series takes aim at motivation — why we do anything we do. And if we’re not careful, we’ll read it as a threat: do everything in the name of the Lord, or else. One more box to check. One more standard to fail.
Keith’s whole message is that these verses say the opposite. Before God asks anything of you, he invites you to receive from him first. The motivation isn’t ginned up from inside us. It overflows from what the Father lavishes on us. Receive first. Then give. That order changes everything — your Monday morning, your marriage, your parenting, your job, and yes, your 912th dinner.
Two bookends — and a checkbox you can finally put down
The message hangs on two bookend verses in Colossians 3.
Colossians 3:17 — “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:23-24 — “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.”
Read wrong, those verses become a religious performance review: better make sure every motivation is lined up right, every task done for God’s glory, heart inspected and approved. Just another thing to do. But look at the actual words. Giving thanks. Receive the inheritance. Thanksgiving only comes from one place — a heart of gratefulness for what has already been given. The what and the why of everything we do flows first from what we receive.
“The motivations of our heart are not set from a place of us performing one more task for God, but rather receiving the incredible, precious gift that God has for all of us today.” — Pastor Keith Roberson
God is not out to audit your heart for correctly checked boxes. He’s inviting you to receive something so fully that it overflows into the world around you.
The cup that overflows
To show what that receiving looks like, Keith went to one of the most familiar lines in the Bible.
Psalm 23:5 — “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
When you and I come to God, his heart and design toward us is overflow. Not a ration. Not a stipend. A prepared table, an anointed head, a cup that cannot contain what he keeps pouring. And here’s where Keith turned the warning light on, because the stakes of missing this are real:
“If you cannot receive the kindness of God over you, or the lavishness of God over you, or the merciful goodness of God over you, then inevitably our motivations will devolve into what I can do for God… and that is a surefire way in which you will burn out.” — Pastor Keith Roberson
There are only two directions for a heart that can’t receive: trying to be a hero who does great things for God in its own strength, or quietly serving its own needs no matter the cost to the people around it. Keith had no doubt, looking at the faces in the room, that New River will get to do amazing and beautiful things in the name of the Lord. The question is the fuel. Not superhero, fleshy ability — but gratefulness for a Father who has lavished his goodness over us. What we have in him is incalculable. We can’t see it, number it, or name it. And once we receive, we actually have life and energy to give.
And if you walked in feeling the opposite — taxed, even empty — Keith said that’s exactly why these scriptures matter. You can be filled again. Your boss may not do it. The people you live with may not do it. But there is a King with overflowing lavishness to give you today, so you’ve got something in the tank for Monday morning. And God knows we need it every Monday morning.
Make dinner for the Son of God
Then came the Mother’s Day section, and Keith didn’t soften the math. Is there any role on the planet that lives a life of service more than mamas? Their bosses are unrelenting from the moment they show up — 3:00 a.m., don’t care, I’m hungry, and I will scream until you do something about it. And moms can do it with genuine gladness, out of love for these little rascals. But somewhere around your 4,000th pound of laundry or your 912th dinner — “that’s just real numbers,” Keith deadpanned — the question rises: where’s the appreciation? So much of the work is never seen, never acknowledged.
And this is exactly where the text aims. Because the Father says: I see what you are doing. I see your life. I know you. You are valued.
“You can come up here with me so that everything you do, for what feels like the 10,000th time and no one sees — I see. I know, and I’m with you.” — Pastor Keith Roberson
So Keith put it as plainly as it can be put: don’t make dinner today for the kids. Make dinner for the Son of God — and then give it away to your husband and kids. It might sound cheesy, but it’s not a gimmick; it’s nearly a direct quote of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 10:31 — “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” God’s glory can be seen, experienced, and felt in the most menial task, done with a King who sees you and knows you.
(For the record, Keith also ruled that nobody should be asking mom to make dinner on Mother’s Day itself — anyone who does deserves an awkward side eye. But Monday’s coming.)
And this isn’t only for moms. It’s true for dads, kids, bosses, and employees. Mankind is fickle; flesh doesn’t always see and doesn’t always appreciate. But God always does. He always sees. He always dignifies. When gratitude for who he is and the way he sees us rises — now, church, we’ve got steam in the engine. Now there’s a reason to do homework, to go to work, to do the thousand unseen things of an ordinary day. Because we cannot give what we do not have.
Covering for every relationship in the house
From there, Keith read the whole instruction in Colossians 3:16-24 — the word of Christ dwelling richly, singing with thankfulness, and then the household relationships: wives and husbands, children and fathers, workers and masters. And yes, he acknowledged the elephant in the room: “I know what you’re thinking: Pastor, did you just read ‘Wives, submit to your husbands’ on Mother’s Day? What is wrong with you?”
His answer reframed the entire passage as covering, not hierarchy of worth. Submission has never meant second-rate — and Keith’s proof is unanswerable: Jesus himself submitted to the Father, “and I can promise you this, Jesus ain’t second rate.” God created an order in which everyone comes up under his covering. Husbands are called to give covering to their wives and families — to lay their lives down as Christ loved the church. Wives deserve godly covering, and the encouragement is not to take over what God has asked a husband to carry, even when he falls short. And he will fall short, Keith said, because he’s not Jesus. He’s human. He might pretend like he’s all that, but he’s human.
The hard words got pastoral fast. If you are harsh in your home, or you wrestle with rage, the scripture is imploring you to stop, go home, confess, repent, and receive healing from the heart of God. If it’s ongoing, get help — go to counseling, open your life up to other men. Fathers and mothers who have been harsh with their children: get on your knees, eye to eye with those kiddos, and ask them to forgive you. Keith said he has had to do exactly that with his own children on many, many occasions. We don’t do this to prove we’re good people. We do it because we’ve been forgiven, cared for, and covered — so we have it to give away.
Even the “bondservants” verses fit the pattern. This is not the slavery of the 18th century, which Keith was explicit Scripture condemns as vile man-stealing (Exodus 21, Deuteronomy 24, 1 Timothy 1) — these were workers paying off debts, often treated as second-class. The instruction lands on every boss: when you receive your inheritance, you give covering, and you don’t treat anyone under your care as second-rate. And on every employee: honor your boss, not as a people-pleaser, but because you work unto the Lord.
“We cannot give what we do not have. You can’t give what you don’t have. So let’s receive what the Father has for you and with you.” — Pastor Keith Roberson
The message ended with the whole room standing, eyes closed, hands open, while Keith prayed Psalm 23 over them — asking God to show each person the table he has prepared, and asking what fear, hurt, or place of pain the Father wants taken in exchange.
What this means for your week in Franklin
If you take this sermon seriously, four things change about this week.
- Start at the table, not the to-do list. Before you plan the week, sit with Psalm 23:5 and actually ask: “God, can I see the table you have prepared for me?” Receiving comes first. Everything else in this passage only works in that order.
- Re-aim one menial task a day. The laundry, the commute, the dishes, the spreadsheet — pick one each day and do it consciously unto the Lord, who sees what nobody else sees. That’s not a coping trick; it’s 1 Corinthians 10:31.
- If you’ve been harsh at home, do the brave thing. Confess and repent — eye to eye, on your knees if it’s your kids. And if rage is a pattern, get help and get honest with other men or women. Covering starts with being covered.
- Check your fuel gauge before you serve. If you’re running on appreciation, you’ll run out — mankind is fickle. If you’re running on what the Father has lavished on you, your cup overflows. You can’t give what you don’t have, so get filled first.
Watch the full message
The full sermon — “A Supreme Motivation,” the closing message of the SUPREME series in Colossians — is in the video above. We post a new message every Sunday from New River Church in Franklin, TN. Browse our message library for more from the SUPREME series and other recent teaching.
Coming Sunday at New River Church in Franklin, TN
If this message resonated and you’d like to experience worship and community in person, we’d love to have you with us. New River Church meets Sundays at 9:00 AM and 10:45 AM at 1153 Lewisburg Pike in Franklin, TN 37064 — just minutes from downtown Franklin and easy to reach from across Williamson County, Brentwood, and Spring Hill.
You don’t need to dress up. You don’t need a good voice. You don’t need to know much about church or the Bible to come. We’re a community of ordinary people walking through ordinary life, trying to do it together with Jesus at the center. Whether you’ve been a Christian for forty years or you’ve never set foot in a church, you are welcome here.
If you’re new to the area or new to faith, our First Time Guest page walks through everything you need to know before your first visit: parking, what to expect on Sunday morning, what your kids will experience in River Kids, and how to find us when you arrive.
If you’re looking for deeper community beyond Sunday morning, our Community Groups meet across Franklin and the surrounding area throughout the week. Groups are where Sunday morning faith becomes Tuesday afternoon real life.
Whatever you’re carrying right now, you don’t have to carry it alone. There’s a place for you at New River Church in Franklin, Tennessee. Come as you are.
Watch more sermons: newriverfranklin.com/messages Plan your visit: newriverfranklin.com/firsttimeguest Find a group: newriverfranklin.com/groups
📍 New River Church | 1153 Lewisburg Pike, Franklin, TN 37064 | Sundays 9:00 AM & 10:45 AM
