On a nice spring day a man decided to take his lunch break and go for a walk. As he was doing so he noticed a new construction project taking place, and being the curious sort, he stopped to find out what was being built. He approached the first construction worker he saw and asked, “What are you making?” “Fifteen dollars and hour,” the man said without even looking up.
Not satisfied, he approached the next worker and asked the same question. “I’m making a building.” The man was beginning to get frustrated but he asked one more person his question, “What are you making?” The third worker said, “I’m making a building, a grand sanctuary to house the glory of God. It will be the envy of all who pass it.”
That man was fired because he was supposed to be building a Dunkin’ Donuts, but I like his enthusiasm. We should view everything we do as an opportunity to make something grand for God. Each of the three construction workers answered the same question a different way, and their answer reflected their perspective. For the first man it was just about his salary, a means to pay his bills. For the second man it was a singular task, getting done what he was hired to do.
But for the third man he viewed his occupation as a way to bring glory to God. Paul famously wrote to the church at Corinth, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God ( I Corinthians 10:31).” Even if you are making a donut shop, view it as work done for God’s glory. Make everything as good as it can be. This work ethic seems to be a lost art in the business world these days, with people doing as little as possible to get by.
We need to realize that we are all making a church if we have been saved. The church, after all, is not the building but the people. When we live the way we are supposed to live we become like a church service in the eyes of other people. When you give your boss 110 percent, you are showing people Jesus through you. When you show patience and self-control, you are showing people Jesus. When you do volunteer work or put the needs of others ahead of yourself, you are showing people Jesus. We are building the church when we live the way we are supposed to live.
When that same idea carries over into what we do on Sundays, the church only grows that much stronger. Put your all into your attendance, your participation, your worship, your giving, and your service, and your local church will be one that thrives. Rather than just building a building, you can build a church.
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