Holy Work

Did you know that your work is special?

Have you ever thought of your work as being sacred?

Now you're reading this and thinking "where in the world are you taking this?"

Your work, I mean EVERY TASK in your schedule is holy.  It is holy unto God.

Now you're thinking, or saying out loud "what is holy?? Like when Robin says to the Caped Crusader "Holy Ice Cream Cones, Batman!"




The word HOLY means set apart.  It can mean set apart from the normal, from the familiar.  

The word HOLY also means set apart for something special, something selected above everything else.  

In the Bible, it says that the Angels in Heaven sing a song to God perpetually that has one word as the stand-alone lyric:

"Holy, Holy, Holy"

The Angels are in the literal presence of God in all of His majesty and splendor; and when they look upon God sitting on His throne, their description of Him, their response is to call him Holy.  Set apart from the normal and usual, and set apart for specific and sacred place from all other beings.  God created all things in heaven and in earth; but God, Himself was not creatED. He is the CreatOR.  There is none like Him.

So consider now your work.  I'm talking about your profession, whether it be a business you run, a class you teach, a company you work for.  I'm also talking about the tasks you have to manage, like doing dishes, washing clothes.  If you have children you care for, you understand the word "work" very well.  Making dinner, then checking that everyone is doing their homework.  You have a spouse that forgets some of their responsibilities, so you have to now do their tasks, like paying the bills, or taking out the trash.   You get it.  

All of this is holy unto the Lord in Heaven.  And here's why:

When you do it for God, you acknowledge that you are really working for Him.  And you are really acknowledging that He is real, and that He has first place in your life.  

And if you have ever read much of the Bible, you read stories of people just like you who had problems and stresses and fears.  They had tough work on their plate, and were in difficult places in their lives.  But they acknowledged that God was true and faithful.  They listened to God promise them that if they worked for Him, and put God first in every task, that God would make good on His promises to bless them.  These people understood that doing their work well was an act of acknowledgement, of WORSHIP of God.  

As a pastor at Christ Fellowship in South Florida, I have the privilege to lead a church in Stuart.  I love working with people and helping them learn about God's love for them and His plan for their life.  I love to get to lead teams of people to go out in to our community and serve people.  I love the Sunday services that we produce with the message taught from the Bible, and the music, and all of the activities we offer.  That's the fun part.

The part that I struggle with doing honestly is the physical labor in the set up of the church - and there's a lot of it.  For the first years of our Christ Fellowship Campus in Stuart, we met in High Schools, as we did not yet have a permanent location.  We had 50 road cases that we stored all of our equipment in.  We literally found a way to pack an entire church in to road cases.  It was kind of like being a traveling salesman who constantly lives out of his suit case in hotels.  Every Sunday after our 3 morning services, I would have to rally people to stay to help me tear down the church, pack up the fifty road cases and wheel them back in to the storage containers across the school property; then, start sweep and straighten the school for Monday's classes.  Let me tell you, getting tired volunteers after 3 services to stay and skip Sunday lunch with their family to tear down was tough.  Doing it EVERY WEEK for seven years was nothing short of a Biblical miracle, right below Jesus raising a guy from the dead!

I was at my most tired at that time on Sunday, yet I knew as the leader, I needed to roll up my sleeves and work hard so that others would follow my lead.  And I have to admit to you, there were times that I was so frustrated that I had to pull road cases and tear down heavy speakers.  I had to plead with  people to please stay, and then give them all assignments to do.  My stomach was grumbling and I could visualize my wife and kids sitting at a restaurant with church friends laughing and chowing down on a plate of food.  My favorite thing in the world is sitting in a restaurant with my family and friends eating great food.  

OK - enough whining :)

I remember one Sunday as I was pulling two heavy road cases down the hall by myself, I thought about Jesus carrying the cross down the road in Jerusalem up to the hill where He was soon to be killed.  I thought "what Jesus had to do was so difficult and so painful.  Yet his pain was accomplishing a Holy purpose.  Jesus did not complain one moment when He did His assignment.  Jesus understood that He was holy, and His work was holy -  Set a part for a holy purpose.  

He understood that He had to pay a higher price, because He was not doing His will, He was doing the will of God in Heaven - and that was that God was saving all people from death, through the sacrifice of His Holy Son Jesus.  Jesus willingly suffered so we could not suffer.  Jesus willingly sacrificed so we could have life.  WOW! That is a sobering thought.  

Suddenly, my stomach stopped growling.  Suddenly, I pulled harder.  And when I finished with those road cases, I went back and pulled more.  It somehow motivated me.  I had a gratefulness in my heart that I could identify with Jesus in working for God for a holy purpose.  I knew that me tearing down our equipment that we were able to have a church in a school, where many people were coming and experiencing the love of God, some for the very first time.  Suddenly, it didn't bother me that only a few faithful volunteers stayed with me to do the work of the church.  It was an HONOR and PRIVILEGE to serve Jesus.  It was my act of worship.  I felt God's face smiling down on me saying "thank you Matt for doing this work.  Thank you for caring about what I care about.  Thank you for making a church in a school where people can come meet with me and learn about my plan for them."

You might be tired of serving in your church.  You might be worn out and spent in your job.  Nobody appreciates you.  Nobody notices your long hours.  No one has offered to help carry your load. Maybe at home you feel alone and forgotten and feel like giving up.  

I just want to remind you that every task you do, every menial task, every difficult project - it all is holy unto God.  It is special to Him.  Your work has a purpose, it has meaning.  And if it is hard to do,  if it is painful, that is sometimes alright.  God appreciates what you are doing.  And He will bless you.  I have been SO BLESSED with my work at our church.  I love what I get to do.  

See your work as Holy