No Days Off!

“Christianity is so hard because it forces me to live in two worlds!”

That is the complaint of many believers.

Do you feel that divide?

The divide between trying to be productive and prayerful.

The divide between trying to honor God and trying to get all your hours in.

The divide between handling the responsibilities of the spiritual world and the secular world.

I should be praying, reading Scripture, and attending church, but I also have to eat, sleep, work, mow the grass, and wash the dishes.

It can feel as though these two worlds are opposed to one another and that every choice we make with our time is a choice between the sacred and the secular.

“The sacred-secular [divide] has no foundation in the New Testament.”
—A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, 113

Colossians 3:17 says:

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

First Corinthians 10:31 says:

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

If even eating and drinking can be done for the glory of God, then nearly every part of our lives can be lived for His glory.

We must not separate our lives into secular moments and sacred moments. Your attitude at work, the compassion you show a coworker, the effort you give to a project, the responsibility you take for your tasks, and even your reliability can all become expressions of worship.

In your “secular” job, you can and should see a sacred opportunity to live for God and shine His light.

Certainly, some activities feel more purposeful or spiritual, but that does not mean they are the only things that can be done for God. Worship in church feels different from a Monday meeting, but our gaze can remain fixed on God in both places.

In fact, we may sometimes be more distracted during a worship service than during a workday, and God’s goodness may sometimes be especially visible in a boardroom.

The challenge today is not to divide your life, but to understand that God desires to be Lord of all of it, not merely part of it.

God has called you to Himself, but He has also called you to work the job you have, love the spouse He has given you, train the children entrusted to you, care for the yard around you, and serve the community where He has placed you.

We do not clock in and clock out of godly living.

Every moment can become an act of worship.

“Lord, I would trust Thee completely; I would be altogether Thine; I would exalt Thee above all. I desire that I may feel no sense of possessing anything outside of Thee. I want constantly to be aware of Thy overshadowing Presence and to hear Thy speaking Voice. I long to live in restful sincerity of heart. I want to live so fully in the Spirit that all my thought may be as sweet incense ascending to Thee and every act of my life may be an act of worship. Therefore I pray in the words of Thy great servant of old, "I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee." And all this I confidently believe Thou wilt grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son. Amen.”