No Secular or Sacred Divide

Written by Greg Gifford | Associate Pastor of Counseling

Hi Faith Community,

What is worship? What do you count as worship-full activity? Many times we can associate worship with songs that we sing on a Sunday Morning at church. We may even call a leader of the band, a “worship leader.” While that’s not completely incorrect, it can communicate that worship is something that only happens with your corporate gathering on a Sunday Morning. Whereas, the Scripture says those who suppress the truth, “worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” (Rom. 1:25). That’s interesting, worship of the creation happens … but worship is still occurring regardless. We could say, “worship will always happen” it’s just what will be our object of worship?

Summer is winding down, unfortunately. For many, it is a slower time from work and an opportunity to be with family, take vacations/staycations, visit wonderful places, and catch your breath for a tad. We love summers! When we think of returning to work, and all that means, it brings a touch of sadness. For some, there is a sense in which we wish the ease of summer could continue. More vacations. More time with family. More cool trips. Yet, one thought helps me when I’m struggling with motivation to hop back in the saddle and it’s this: our work is a means of glorifying God. Seriously! We can worship him through our vo-cation (Col. 3:23) just as much as through our va-cation. (See what I did there!)

There is no divide between the spiritual time of Sunday morning worship, refreshing times of vacations, and then … work.

Rather, all of our life is a sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:2). Jesus died for us so that we might live for him (2 Cor. 5:15) and if we’re eating, drinking milk, or going to bed, our life is an act of worship to Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:31). All things are for Him, from Him, through Him, and to Him (Col. 1:15-18). Even—dare I say—especially my work. A reminder of the false dichotomy of the sacred and secular teaches me that I can schedule a meeting as an act of worship. I can respond to an email as an act of worship. If eating and drinking can glorify God, then even small things at work are a means of me making much of Christ.

What encourages you to enter back into the Fall schedule of work full-throttle? Not the heat, that’s for sure. It may not even be your paycheck (although a paycheck is still important). What encourages us to enter back into work is to see it as not just work, but worship. I want to see my time typing an email as an act of making much of Christ. You may recall that when Paul tells the Colossians to work heartily he then said, “You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23b). Let’s get back into the swing of things this Fall as an act of worship for Christ. Here are a few thoughts on how to do that well:

  1. Make your quiet time the first thing you do in the mornings. Aim for 30-minutes in the Bible as you start your day, spend 5-10+ minutes in prayer and seek to offer your day as an act of worship to Jesus.
  2. Next, consume God-honoring media on your way to work. Many of you have commutes, so what if you used that time to listen to podcasts, (Cough Cough, Faith Moments by Pastor Steve), audiobooks, sermons, or some other helpful media. Don’t squander precious time to renew your mind while driving!
  3. Place Scripture around your work space. Find a verse that has really been impactful to you and seek to renew your mind with it over the next few weeks to get you focused on the “why” behind your work.
  4. Take the difficulties of work to the Lord in prayer and ask the Scripture how you should respond to that issue. It may mean you say something like, “Lord, I feel overwhelmed today, so please help me to be faithful to the tasks you’ve entrusted to me.” What would the Scripture call me to do? Work hard and trust the results to God. If you get stuck, call a wiser friend to get their help. That’s why the church exists, quite literally!
  5. Lastly, seek to be a blessing to those at work. Some of us work with difficult people and we slip into an “us vs. them” mentality. However, see that you are called to be faithful at work and care for those who are in your circle of influence (Gal. 6:10). Don’t miss the ministry opportunities at work because someone is not easy to work with.

In the end, see that your work is an important part of your worship. Smash the secular and sacred divide and see that God is worshipped through my work, not in spite of my work.

Your Servant,