Day 15 – Work, Worship and Sleep: Live a Life Worthy of the Lord By Joe Henriques, MBC Tyson Campus Pastor And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God… (Colossians 1:10) “Mirror, mirror on the wall, which of these is the greatest of them all?” God ordained the triplets of work, worship and sleep. Is one greater than the others? Work, a mandate The first thing we know about God in the opening verse and chapter of the Bible is that He is a worker.[1] It makes sense, then, that He declares a “Creation Mandate” to His first workers, Adam and Eve[2], appointing them managers of all that He had made. Back then, that was the highest pay grade, the top rung of leadership. Are you aware that you have the same mandate? No matter your job, it’s an extension of God’s rule over the world. You’re a coworker with God. Imagine standing before God and hearing him say, “(your name), I am giving you dominion[3] over this part of my world. Every day you and I will work together.” Would you ever again call what you do boring, useless or menial? Going to work with God every day—whether at home, office or school—would be an extraordinary day. Worship, the equalizer Immediately following the completion of his work, God rests. Not that He needs it. After all, He’s always at work maintaining His universe.[4] No such thing as autopilot. This day of rest was for our sakes. We know that Sabbath is a word rooted in the idea of “cessation,” so it’s clear that God wants us to pause from our labor. Not just time off, but a dedication of time to worship him as the Creator, in community with others to “stir up love and good works, to exhort one another.”[5] Worship equalizes the strains and pressures of the workday. The millions who don’t worship go to work standing on one leg. Sleep, the energizer Millions of people also let go of sleep. They rise up early and stay up late just to get more work done. We get it that there are emergency times in life when sleep is scarce. But, to choose to sleep less means at least one thing: you’re not trusting God. The psalmist’s phrase, “He gives his beloved sleep,”[6] can be translated, “He gives to his beloved while he is sleeping.” In other words, your Coworker, who never needs sleep, is working on your behalf while you are resting. Furthermore, many studies conclude that deep sleep, “primes our brains to function at a higher level, letting us come up with better ideas, find solutions to puzzles more quickly, identify patterns faster and recall information more accurately.”[7] Sleep is the great energizer for work and worship. Work, worship and sleep. Which is the greatest of these? Like the body, soul and spirit, it’s impossible to have one without the others. Lord Jesus, help me live a life worthy of You. Teach me balance in my work, worship and sleep. Thank You for hearing my prayer and answering. Amen.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 09:24:17 +0000
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