Delighting Our Father

1 John 3:1a (NIV)
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

                I have three children who are all now young adults. I have in my possession a number of items that have been given to me by my children over the years. These items were not purchased in a store or mass-produced in a factory. Each of these items was lovingly made by the hands of my children. Each of these items is of great value, not because of what they are, but because of who made them and what they represent.

                I have been reading a book by Paul Rude entitled Significant Work. He has hit a chord that resonates with my very soul. The premise of the book is that we have falsely divided our lives into sacred and secular activities. We see the sacred activities as significant and the secular activities as ultimately meaningless. Unfortunately, we spend the majority of our lives engaged in secular activities. Therefore, the majority of our life is meaningless, or so we have been led to believe. Paul points out that this idea is a lie from Satan to rob us of the joy that God intends for us to experience.

                I have long fought this battle in my own life. I grew up believing that, if I was a really committed Christian, I would become a missionary and serve the Lord in some unreached corner of the earth. Anything else would be settling for second best. I have come to realize that I had a major misunderstanding of God’s design for life. I have come to understand that there are some basic principles that God has designed into life that completely obliterate the artificial sacred/secular divide.

Principle #1: We were created to live in a loving relationship with God as our heavenly Father.

                We all know that the one thing, above everything else, that adds value to life is having loving relationships. We can have all the money, power, and influence in the world, yet without loving relationships it will all be meaningless and hollow. The great baseball player Ty Cobb ended his life with these words. “If I could do it all over again, I would have friends.” He made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame and ended life as a lonely, dejected man.

                The one thing that will give meaning and purpose to life is being in a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. There is nothing more empowering than to know that we are loved by God with an everlasting love. As John writes, we are his children!

Principle #2: Our Heavenly Father is delighted with us when we use our talents to their fullest.

                Every parent is delighted when they see their children growing and learning. As a child matures, a pattern begins to emerge that gives clues to the way that child is hard-wired by God. Some children are musical, some are analytical, some are mechanical and some are artistic. Parents take delight in watching a child develop and use their talents to the fullest.

                God has given each of us talents and skills. He delights when we use these talents and skills to their fullest. In Colossians 3:17 Paul writes this.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Paul does not draw a line between sacred activities and secular activities. He says whatever you do. I have come to embrace this as foundational to living a life pleasing to God.

                I am an amateur woodworker. I enjoy creating things out of wood. I have made small trinket boxes and large pieces of furniture. I could go to the store and buy these items, but it would not be the same. I see woodworking as a gift from God, and so I try to do it for His glory. What I mean by that is I try to do my very best on every project. I have yet to create the perfect piece, but as my skill grows the end product gets better and better. I believe God is delighted by this.

                Paul tells us that, whatever we do; we are to do it in the name of Jesus. This means that we are to intentionally submit our actions to His authority. In its purest form, I think this means actually thinking about how I can delight God with what I am doing. This is not limited to “sacred” activities. I worship God by using the talents He gave me to honor Him. Every time I finish a project I feel like a child giving his school artwork to his parents.

                Paul also tells us to do it with thankfulness. The trend in life is to approach our work with dread. We see work as a necessary evil that must be endured. We need to see that work is actually a gift from God. Our strength, physically, emotionally and intellectually, comes from Him. Whatever it is that we spend the majority of our lives doing, we can do it with a thankful heart.

Principle #3: If we live our lives to delight our Heavenly Father, whatever we do will not be wasted.

                Someone once said that our life is God’s gift to us. What we do with our life is our gift to God. We can live every day as a gift to God, no matter what we spend it doing. When I was a young man, just beginning to venture out on my own, someone gave me this piece of advice. Whatever you do along the way, always give your best and view every activity as God’s training ground for your life. I can honestly say that I have tried to put this into practice. It has made an enormous difference in my work experience. I have worked at a fast food restaurant, a couple of retail stores, a couple of hospitals and in the church. The attitude that I brought to my work environment had a profound effect on each situation.

                Paul challenged the blue-collar workers of his day to do their work for the glory of God. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Ephesians 6:5-8 (NIV) I know that sometimes we can feel like slaves at work. We feel abused and taken advantage of by those in authority over us. We can let this sour our attitude, but Paul tells us to lift our gaze a little higher. We are not serving a company or a boss, but Christ. Our work should always reflect that.

                When we work for the glory of God, he will prosper us. Not necessarily materially, but definitely spiritually. He will make us aware of his delight in us. We can serve the Lord in whatever occupation we may find ourselves. So Paul challenges us to not give in to the lie that our efforts are meaningless. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)