Worship through Work

During the Middle Ages, many people believed that God was concerned only with works of a religious nature - such as saying a prayer, giving alms, or doing a good deed. Then Martin Luther came along and taught that we are all priests before God, meaning that everything we do can be pleasing to God if done for His glory. Thus, a scrubwoman could glorify God by washing a floor (if she did her work as unto the Lord), whereas a pompous priest with a heart far from God would not be pleasing to God, even if dispensing the sacraments.

Luther said it isn't the act, but it's the attitude of worship with which we do our work that makes the difference. Did you know that three-quarters of the people who get the most attention in the Bible never held a religious job but served God in the ordinary things of life? For example, Abraham was a shepherd, Joseph was an administrator, and Luke was a doctor. God turned their day-to-day jobs into a calling.

Meditate on this: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV). When applied, this principle can brush away whatever stands in the way of finding satisfaction in our jobs and in life itself. Notice that we should glorify God in the ordinary things of life, like simply eating and drinking; indeed everything we do should be done for His glory.

Jesus demonstrated this when He washed the disciples' feet. When He stooped to do the work of a servant or slave on behalf of His heavenly Father, He was content, satisfied that He had glorified the One He loved. There is nothing shameful about a man with a PhD flipping burgers to earn a living. Even there, working a job that seems far beneath His aptitude and training, He can still bring glory to God by a job well done.

The late Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, disliked washing dishes; but she put a sign above her sink that said, "Divine Service Done Here Three Times Daily." Work can give us a platform from which to witness; but more important, work itself is the witness. We witness to God of our devotion and love...

Elisabeth Elliot, whose husband was killed along with four other missionaries in Ecuador, worked laboriously to break down the local language into writing during a time when there were no computers or photocopiers. Then a suitcase containing two years of work was stolen and she had to start all over from the beginning. When asked if she was angry about the theft, she said, "No, it was my worship to God, and what I did for Him was lost to us, but not to God." She refused to be drawn in by the prevailing belief that you have to be rewarded in this life for all you do; she was not about to trade fleeting success for true significance.

What if God personally appeared to you from heaven and asked you to do for Him what you are required to do when you go to work tomorrow? Would that change your attitude about your present employment? We should not see our jobs as a means of earning a living, but rather as a means to serve the God who has redeemed us.

- Erwin W. Lutzer, Making the Best of a Bad Decision

Given that we spend on average a quarter of our time at work (40+ out of 168 hours a week), it would be a waste - sinful even - if we don't see our jobs as opportunities for the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)