God’s Work Starts at Home

Doing church work is by no means a walk in the park. As servants of God, we are automatically required to attend numerous group meetings, do our appointed duties every Sabbath, or spend hours organizing and delegating works that we are responsible for. We are constantly busy making sure that we can resolve issues that arise in church and can assist others where possible as we are all one family in Christ.

While all this is admirable, has our calling to be a living sacrifice for God in Christ’s family compromised our time and energy we spend with our own earthly family? Have we been able to strike the right balance between our family commitments and serving God and His church?

Our zeal for God in doing church work should not cause us to overlook our family commitments. In fact, providing for our family is part and parcel of doing God’s work. It is the starting point and the basis of godly service in the church: “[F]or if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim 3:5).

Caring for our small family unit should not be seen as a burden but should naturally stem from our concern and appreciation. Start from the small things: a simple greeting can brighten up your mom’s day before she goes to work; making a delicious breakfast for your kids can fuel their attention at school; praying together as a family at the end of the day can bring the whole family together to God. In doing this, do you not know that you are also doing God’s work?

Doing God’s work is not merely faithfully fulfilling our responsibilities as group coordinators, leaders, or members. It is also about using our time and energy to make a better spiritual, emotional, and physical environment for the whole family, just as we do for the larger community of faith in the church. God’s work really starts at home.

            Question for Reflection:

Is there any work at home that you’ve neglected?