Work and Worship

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10)

To understand the relative importance of work and worship it is necessary to know the answer to the familiar question, "What is the chief end of man?" The answer given in the catechism, "To glory God and to enjoy Him forever," can scarcely be improved upon, though of course it is an outline only and needs to be enlarged somewhat if it is to be a full and satisfying answer.

The primary purpose of God in creation was to prepare moral beings spiritually and intellectually capable of worshiping Him.

Without doubt the emphasis in Christian teaching today should be on worship. There is little danger that we shall become merely worshipers and neglect the practical implications of the gospel. No one can long worship God in spirit and in truth before the obligation to holy service becomes too strong to resist. Fellowship with God leads straight to obedience and goo works. That is the divine order and it can never be reversed.

Draw me deeper into fellowship with You, Father. Lead me to focus on worship so that I an then, as a result, be useful in service. Amen

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Designed for a Single Purpose

"And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations" (Genesis 17:9)

We are surrounded throughout our lifetime by a multitude of things designed for specific purposes. Without argument, most things are at their best when they are fulfilling their purpose and design.

For instance, a piano is made with a specific purpose: to produce music. However, I happen to know that someone once stood on a piano in order to put a fastener of some kind in the ceiling. I have seen piano tops that were cluttered filing cabinets or wide library shelves.

There is an intelligent design in the creation of a piano. The manufacturer did not announce: "This is a good piano. It has at least nineteen uses?! No, the designer had only one though in mind: "This piano will have the purpose and potential of sounding forth beautiful music!"

Do not miss the application of truth here. God was saying to Abraham, "You may have some other idea about the design and purpose for you life, but you are wrong! You were created in My image to worship Me and to glory Me. If you do not honor this purpose, your life will degenerate into shallow, selfish, humanistic pursuits."

May I be faithful, Lord, to the purpose or which You have created me. Life is too short and too futile to waste on anything other than worship of my Creator. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~