February 3, 2008
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Your Labor Has a Purpose
This morning Pastor Bruce preached on “Praying about Your Work.” I can’t help but share… He is preaching on John 17 for the next few weeks, but this sermon focused on Jesus praying about his work: “Glorify Me that I might glorify You.” What does that glorification look like? It begins with Jesus’ work on the cross, a messy, painful business.
This prayer of Jesus in John 17 is a model for our prayer about our work. (Pastor Bruce points out that even though it is recorded that Jesus prayed 19 times in the gospels, this is one of the few times that we know what he said. He wanted us to know how He prayed.)
Here are Pastor Bruce’s three points about work:
1–Gen. 2:15: The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
The Hebrew has the idea of man “serving” the garden. That is how we are to view our jobs. We are to serve the creation, whatever we do.
2–Zech. 14:20-21: On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the
horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD’s house will be like the
sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty…Inscription on the bells of horses? Is that like bumper stickers? LOL Pastor Bruce encouraged us to put stickies on our desk chairs, computers, thermometers, tools, dish tubs, trucks, text books, brooms (and even children) saying, “Holy to the Lord.” Everything we use in our work is set aside for the Lord’s purposes. Every person in our family is to be dedicated to the Lord. Of course, some kids in the service took out pens to try to write on their foreheads… At least they were listening.
3–1 Cor. 15: Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
When we do our work for the Lord, our toil is purposeful. I would guess this applies to cleaning my bathroom. That helps, since I have to do it OVER and OVER again.
The upshot is: No matter what work we do in our daily living, we can do it with holiness and meaningfulness. You do not have to be a cleric to do holy work. Simple, yet profound.
Pray that my work and yours will glorify Him. All of life redeemed. Yes.
|||||| lynard
Comments (4)
Thanks for this:)
Thanks for sharing, llllllynard! This reminds me of “Sacred” off of Caedmon’s Call’s album “Overdressed.” It’s a prayer of a mother as she goes about day-to-day things, and it’s beautiful.
And that Psalm 19 was amazing! Thanks for that!
Does this mean that Shell pumps are like sacred pots! Fill er Up!
I tried putting post it notes on the pumps but it did not work very well.
Wish I could hear the whole thing because obviously I need it. Thanks for sharing.
I would put them on the Shell pumps, and maybe that would help to get “the gunk” out. (ref Shell advertising for those who do not frequent these holy vessels.)