Worship in Our Work

We can always be looking for ways to improve in the way we serve the Lord - we are called to grow in Him, and we can seek out how we can do better in the workplace and other endeavors in which we are involved. The Bible reminds us in Colossians 3:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

You could say that verse 16 deals with worship and verse 17 with work.  I would contend that our work - whatever God has called us to do - is an act of worship.  When we respond to the Lord, we offer ourselves, as Romans 12, as living sacrifices, being renewed in our minds by God's Word.  We know that none of us has arrived in the Christian life and we all have room to grow.  We can ask the Spirit to identify growth areas in which Jesus can be glorified through us.

+++++

We can depend on the Lord to provide proper direction as we humble ourselves before Him, to do our work for His glory. There's a section of Proverbs 16 that says:

2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits. 

3 Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established. 

4 The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. 

5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

Throughout our nation, there are those that display their displeasure for American systems and symbols.  The disrespect for authority that we are seeing is stunning and concerning, and public officials should be intent on making sure that an orderly society is restored.

There has been a tension that has been identified between citizens and law enforcement, witnessed by a poll that says, according to Forbes magazine: "The vast majority of Americans—an overwhelming 95%—are in favor of at least some criminal justice system and police reform..."

There are those cries of "defund the police," which seems to have different meaning for different people, with some activists saying something to the effect that, "well, we don't really want to defund the police, we just want to take money from them and give to social programs."  People have questioned if that means that a social worker will be sent out on a 911 call when a crime is in progress.  There are a lot of unanswered questions and uninformed suppositions.

In the Forbes article from last week, there is this summary:

29% of people surveyed think the system needs “a complete overhaul,” 40% say “major changes” must be made, 25% think the system requires “minor changes,” while only a meager 5% believe changes are unnecessary, according to a poll of 1,301 from Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center, or NORC, at the University of Chicago released Tuesday.

Some of the types of reforms that respondents support include, "...measures like clarifying standards for the use of force by officers, prosecution for officers who use excessive force, compulsory reporting of misconduct and requiring police officers to wear body cameras. "  And, the Forbes article notes: "Despite growing calls to defund police departments, the idea appears to not have gained a lot of traction with most Americans, the poll shows, with only 25% of respondents overall reporting support for the measure."

We certainly appreciate the dedication of those who desire to keep us safe, and while there may be some who have acted inappropriately, I would submit that the majority of our law enforcement officers are dedicated to doing their jobs the right way.  But there is enormous pressure on those who are called to "protect and serve," and we should show our appreciation.

And, just as in any profession, there is always room for improvement.  If an officer is equipped to do his or her job better, that can be beneficial to the entire population.  That goes for all of us - in the Christian life, the Lord offers us equipping and empowerment through His Word so that we might be better representatives of Him, wherever we go - and that includes in the workplace, doing our jobs as an act of worship to Him.

We can never be so prideful as to think that we no longer need training in order to do what we are called to do.  We have to maintain humble and teachable spirits, open to learn how we can function more effectively.  As part of that humility, in our jobs, we can also maintain an attitude of service, always looking to put others first.  As a Christian, we can follow our vocation with a desire to bring honor to the One in whose service we are.