One common misconception in the church today is the idea that worship is only catered for the music portion during a Sunday service. Playing instruments and singing are certainly forms of worship, but it is not what most of us will spend our life doing. The reality is we primarily worship God through both our work and our rest. Your everyday vocation is more than just a 9 to 5. Being a minister or pastor is not the only sacred vocation. Whatever work you do is a sacred expression of your devotion to the Lord. Punching the clock praises God and sings of His glory. Not only is your vocation a sacred duty, how you carry out your role as a father, husband, or son is also a holy occupation. Everything you do is a form of worship; even how you rest.
So, you might ask: how do I honor the Lord through work and rest, and why is it important?
-
Every Aspect of Our Life Is Worship
As Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” We aren’t just called to worship God in a pew or a sanctuary on Sunday. We are called to worship Him with every breath, thought, and word. If most of your day consists of making spreadsheets, you worship God by making those spreadsheets heartily. If most of your weekend consists of teaching your son how to throw a baseball or ride a bike, you worship God by teaching and training him joyfully. Everything we do in our lives is wrapped in the idea of worshipping our Creator.
-
Taking Dominion and Seeing Work as our Divine Purpose
The original mandate in Genesis 2 was for man to take dominion over the Earth. That mandate has not changed, but it is now distorted by the problem of sin. Because of sin, the effects of work were left painful and toiling. The good news: the gospel redeems it. The gospel helps us come back to the reality that we were made to work and maintain what God has left us with. God placed Adam and Eve in a garden and not a playground for a reason. Work is a part of our design as God’s creation. Work is our divine purpose
-
Working Hard Regardless of Circumstances
When Paul wrote his letters to the Colossians and Ephesians, some of them were enslaved to human masters. Yet, even in their role, Paul exhorted them to work with all their heart and unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23, Ephesians 6:7). Because our inheritance awaits us in heaven (Colossians 3:24), we are to even work hard for a boss we may not agree with or in difficult circumstances. We can do this by setting our minds on the things of God and not of Earth in front of our eyes (Colossians 3:2).
-
Rest Like You Work
Just like we are to be intentional with our work, we should also be intentional with our rest. While work is important, it is also easy to make it an idol. We have to remember: “we are but dust. (Psalm 103:14)” We are human and our bodies require rest. Although because of Christ the Sabbath is no longer binding, it is still a great practice to set aside a day during the week to reflect on the work we’ve done and recenter our hearts on what our work should be. Doom scrolling and spending hours neglecting responsibility is not rest. Reading the Word, spending time in prayer, establishing a solid sleep schedule, spending time and worshipping together with family, and exercising your body are all great examples of rest that honor our Lord. We need to work hard and rest hard.
-
God is Your Boss
Working hard can be driven by different motivations. People are constantly seeking promotions, hitting goals for annual reviews, or they may have extra vacation up for grabs. In the kingdom of God, these should never be our chief motivation. Our one audience should be Christ and Christ alone. Even when no human is watching, we should remember we serve a God who sees all, and He is the one who gave us the roles we have. Because our reason for excellence exceeds human standards, we are to always work faithfully, even if we never receive a promotion or extra benefits. All fields of work are offered by God, so we are to serve Him diligently in every field.
-
Your Work and Attitude Towards Work Bear Witness
If you claim to be a Christian, but you are lazy, bitter, and dishonest at work, what kind of witness does this bear to who Christ is? If we are not set apart in our work, how do we expect someone to ever believe the gospel we claim to have saved us? As a man, your work will bear witness not only to those in your workplace, but to your wife and children at home as well. Jesus didn’t die so we didn’t have to work anymore. Jesus died so we could work from His approval, instead of working for His approval. We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), so we should work like it.
We do not need a special job, higher title, or a special place to glorify and worship God. We can do it every day wherever God has placed our feet. There is no such thing as secular in the kingdom of God. Whether we are resting or working, everything is sacred. Whatever your assignments you have been given today: do them well, finish them well, and remember who you are doing it for!