My Sacrifice

But worthless is my sacrifice: I own it.

Yet, Lord, for love’s sake

Thou wilt not disown it.

Thou wilt accept my gift

in Thy great meekness,

nor shame my weakness.

“O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken?”

by Johann Heermann, 1585-1647

God loves you. He wants your best no matter how futile you think it is. Very few of us are brain surgeons saving lives, millionaires giving millions to the church, or Mother Teresas living amongst the wretched and starving. Some of us can't even work at all. If God wanted us all to be so outwardly spectacular, we would be. He is perfectly meek and, so very unlike the world, He loves His brain surgeons and super-nuns every bit as much as His grocery baggers. He died for us all, and He's never ashamed of what we are (or are not) able to do in terms of work so long as it is always done in His name. As usual, we could learn a lot from Him when it comes to how we treat each other.

No matter what great things we can do, we can never repay the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf. Thankfully, we don't have to, so that's not the point of the work we do. We work for God and for our neighbor. Whatever your job is or isn't, whatever your calling, give it your best. Remember what Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me,” (Matthew 25:40b). Nothing you can do is meaningless in the eyes of the Son of God who loves you enough to die for you.

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service,
but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God 
who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation
of the Spirit for the common good.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

For more on work, click here.