In Malachi 1:6-14, something that struck me was the mindset of the priests of Malachi’s day concerning their everyday work. As I said on Sunday, they hadn’t chosen this work. It was theirs by virtue of being born in the tribe of Levi. However, it was an incredible privilege to serve as mediators between God and the people, to be entrusted with offering sacrifices and communicating God’s will to the people. However, the priests had regarded this work as a contemptible burden (1:13). They resented the service God had given them to do and treated it with disdain.

Have you ever felt this way about work that you’ve been given to do by God? I’m not just thinking here about “religious” work like preaching, teaching, praying, etc. I’m thinking about any good work, work that contributes positively to the world God has made, work that can be done in a way that honours God. Have you ever come to a place where you regard this work as an undesirable burden? Maybe it’s because your work conditions are less than ideal. Maybe you’ve got the worst boss or really unpleasant co-workers (maybe they habitually stick your office supplies in jello). Maybe you feel like you’re being under-utilized. Maybe you feel that your work is below you. Maybe you’re just tired of it. There are all kinds of reasons we might find ourselves in this place.

I felt a little bit that way when I surveyed the church job field after graduating with my master’s degree. What was available, and the position I ended up taking, felt “below” my newfound credentials and education. I struggled with that. Looking back now, I’m embarrassed that I thought that way and that I didn’t treat that position with higher regard. It was good work. Really good work. But, like these priests in Malachi 1, I saw it as a kind of a “burden”, even though it was from God!

However, in the midst of this, Brother Lawrence learned how every bit of his work could be an expression of worship and love for God. One of the leaders of the monastery eventually figured out what a gem he had in Lawrence and sat down with him to hear how Lawrence saw the world. This abbot then collected these conversations and some letters Lawrence had written and edited them into a book that has become a Christian classic called “The Practice of the Presence of God”.  Here’s an excerpt from Lawrence:

Isn’t that good? But Brother Lawrence wasn’t unique or original in this. It is essentially what Paul tells servants to keep in mind in Ephesians 6 (keeping in mind that a “slave” in this context was more like a household servant than what we might think of in more recent memory): “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 as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8)

Serve the Lord in all your work, not to please people or exalt your status or to find satisfaction, but as a sacrificial offering to the Lord who loves you and has redeemed you. As Paul says in Colossians, “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.” (Colossians 3:17)

What would it look like for you to view your everyday work (assuming it can be seen as good work) as a sacrificial offering to the Lord who loves you?