Push From God

Bible verses for work

Colossians 3:23 is the anchor: whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Written, uncomfortably, to household slaves — which means it was never a productivity slogan. It was addressed to people whose work was genuinely unfair, and it relocated who they were actually answering to. That's what makes it survive a bad manager.

12 passages · World English Bible & King James · public domain

  1. And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,Colossians 3:23 · World English Bible

    Written to household slaves, not to ambitious professionals. It relocates who you're answering to, which is why it survives a bad manager.

    King James

    And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

  2. Commit your deeds to the LORD, and your plans shall succeed.Proverbs 16:3 · World English Bible

    Commit the works to the LORD and the plans are established. The committing comes first, which is the part people skip.

    King James

    Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

  3. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.Ecclesiastes 9:10 · World English Bible

    Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. From the least sentimental book in the Bible, which gives it weight.

    King James

    Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

  4. “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”Matthew 11:28-30 · World English Bible

    For when work has gone past tired. The offer is rest and a lighter load — not a better attitude.

    King James

    Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

  5. In all hard work there is profit, but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty.Proverbs 14:23 · World English Bible

    Blunt: in all hard work there is profit, but talk leads only to poverty. A verse for meetings about meetings.

    King James

    In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

  6. Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.Galatians 6:9 · World English Bible

    The load-bearing phrase is 'in due season'. It concedes the reaping isn't happening yet, which is usually the actual complaint.

    King James

    And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

  7. Let the favour of the Lord our God be on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.Psalms 90:17 · World English Bible

    Asks God to establish the work of our hands — and then asks again in the same verse. Someone meant it.

    King James

    And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

  8. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.1 Corinthians 15:58 · World English Bible

    For the fear that it all evaporates. Your labour is not in vain, said to people who couldn't yet see the result.

    King James

    Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

  9. Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings. He won’t serve obscure men.Proverbs 22:29 · World English Bible

    A man skilled at his work will stand before kings. One of the few verses that simply commends being good at your job.

    King James

    Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

  10. You shall labour six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;Exodus 20:9-10 · World English Bible

    The commandment people skip. The stopping applies to your staff too, so it was never a productivity hack.

    King James

    Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

  11. But you, brothers, don’t be weary in doing what is right.2 Thessalonians 3:13 · World English Bible

    Nine words for the end of a long week: don't be weary in doing what is right.

    King James

    But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

  12. Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.Colossians 3:17 · World English Bible

    Whatever you do, in word or deed — which quietly includes the admin, the emails and the parts nobody thanks you for.

    King James

    And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

For the week you want to quit

Galatians 6:9 — let's not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don't give up. The clause that does the work is in due season. It concedes that the reaping is not happening yet, which is the actual complaint.

For work nobody notices

1 Corinthians 15:58 and Psalm 90:17 both address the fear that the effort evaporates. Psalm 90 is a prayer asking God to establish the work of our hands — it's asked twice in one verse, which reads like someone who really meant it.

For working too much

Exodus 20:9-10 is the commandment people skip. Six days you shall labour — and then stop, and the stopping applies to your staff and your animals too, so it isn't a productivity hack for high performers. Matthew 11:28-30 is the one for when it's gone past tired. If your job has taken your sleep and your weekends, the Bible's position is more radical than your employer's.

The Sabbath commandment is given twice, with two different reasons

This is worth a minute, because the second reason is the one that belongs on a page about work and almost nobody quotes it. The Ten Commandments appear in full in two books. Here is Exodus:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You shall labour six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.Exodus 20:8-11 · World English Bible

The reason given is creation: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth … and rested the seventh day. Now the same commandment in Deuteronomy:

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. You shall labour six days, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, in which you shall not do any work— neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.Deuteronomy 5:12-15 · World English Bible

Different reason entirely. Not creation — that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you, and you shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt. One version grounds the day off in how the world was made. The other grounds it in having been the people who were not allowed one.

You can check the two side by side; both are quoted in full above and the difference is in the last sentence of each. It is not a contradiction and this site does not treat it as one. It is two reasons for the same instruction, and the Deuteronomy version makes rest an obligation you owe other people rather than a reward you earn.

It was written to people who could not resign

The page's anchor verse comes with an address on it, one verse earlier:

Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.Colossians 3:22 · World English Bible

The word rendered servants is douloi, which the lexicons define as a bond-slave — someone who belongs to another, without ownership rights of their own. Whatever else is true of the people first addressed here, they could not hand in their notice.

Which is the reason Colossians 3:23 survives a bad job. It was not written for people with options, so it does not depend on having any. It relocates the question of who you are actually working for, and it does that without ever telling the reader their situation is fine.

If it has gone past tired

Burnout is not a mood and it is not a character flaw. The World Health Organization includes it in the international classification of diseases as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition — a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with three named features: exhaustion, mental distance from the job, and reduced professional efficacy. Note where the WHO puts the cause. It is in the workplace, not in you.

In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive treats work-related stress as an employer duty and publishes what the law requires and what to do about it. That is worth reading alongside Matthew 11:28-30 rather than instead of it. A verse is not a risk assessment, and Scripture has never asked to be one.

What this looks like on a phone

Push From God sends one of these when it fits what you've told it about your week — not on a schedule you have to keep up with.

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For the middle of a long shift

Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.

Galatians 6:9

Nine days into the new job. This one is about not quitting on day ten.

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Questions

What is the best Bible verse for work?

Colossians 3:23 — whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. It was written to household slaves, which is why it holds up in genuinely unfair workplaces: it changes who you are ultimately answering to rather than pretending the job is fine.

What does the Bible say about burnout and overwork?

Exodus 20:9-10 commands rest one day in seven and extends it to employees and animals, ruling out treating rest as a reward for productivity. Psalm 127:2 calls it vain to rise early and stay up late in anxious toil. Matthew 11:28-30 offers rest to those already worn out.

Is there a Bible verse about wanting to quit your job?

Galatians 6:9 — let's not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don't give up — and 2 Thessalonians 3:13. Neither promises the situation improves quickly; both address the weariness directly.

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