Good morning. Today is Thursday, August 13th.

🥳 Congratulations on starting today with God, and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

📖 Verse Of The Day

— Colossians 3:23

🧠 Devotional

There is a saying often attributed to Martin Luther: “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes.”

Interestingly, scholars have not been able to trace those exact words back to Luther, even though the idea fits closely with his teaching about everyday work. (Christianity Today)

And the idea gives us a great picture of something the Bible teaches.

Imagine a Christian shoemaker. What makes his work Christian? Does every shoe need a cross stamped onto it? Does he need to write a Bible verse on the box?

No. He can honor God by making really good shoes.

Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). Then he explains why: “It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (verse 24).

The original context makes this even more interesting. Paul was speaking to Christians about their ordinary daily work. He did not tell them that serving Jesus required turning their work into something religious. He told them to change who they were ultimately working for.

First Corinthians 10:31 gives us the same idea: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Eating is not a “Christian activity.” Yet even eating can be done in a way that honors God. The point is simple: something does not have to have a Christian label to be done for God.

Not everyone is called to preach either. Paul asks, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?” (1 Corinthians 12:29). The expected answer is no. Following Jesus does not mean everyone must do what we normally call “Christian work.”

A Christian filmmaker can make a great movie. A Christian singer can make great music. A Christian carpenter can build a great table. Their faith should shape their honesty, character, choices, and how they treat people. They should never use “excellence” as an excuse to compromise what Scripture teaches.

But their work does not need a cross stamped onto it to honor Christ.

Sometimes a Christian singer will glorify God by singing a worship song. Other times, they may glorify God by simply singing incredibly well.

Whatever your version of shoemaking is, remember Colossians 3:23.

You do not always need to put a cross on the shoe.

Sometimes you need to make a really good shoe.