Work is Worship

Romans 12: 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Back in 2005, our motto was “our work is our worship.” While we have changed our theme from year to year, that particular motto is still lived out in our daily lives at the mission. The success of the ministry is and has always been dependent on God and His Spirit. We do what we do out of devotion of Him. Sure, we get paid but we could get paid to do other things. In fact, we would probably get paid much more to do other things, but that is not why we work here. We work here because we place high value on God, His mission and purposes. By working here we are demonstrating that high value to Him and to the community here, as well as to the communities that sent us here.

Recently, we spent a couple hours reading and discussing the book of Malachi. Malachi only has four chapters but it is packed with some really good stuff. One of those things is that God demands, expects and deserves our best. In the first chapter the priests are rebuked for offering lame, blind, and defective animals as sacrifices to God. These worthless sacrifices dishonored and profaned the name of God. If our service and our work is our worship, then our work needs to be excellent. As missionaries we need to be constantly challenged to raise the bar, to sacrifice more, and to offer our best. This emphasis on excellence is not out of discipline or duty but out of devotion. To perform out of discipline or duty is cheap religion. Rather, we are compelled to serve out of devotion that is fueled by love, passion and desire for God.

1 Cor 3:10-13

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.