Living a Christian life with purpose and intention
3 MINUTE READ
From Luke’s Journal Jan 2023 | Vol.28 No.1 | Evolving Professionals
I was blessed to first hear of Workship: How to Use Your Work to Worship God directly from the author, Kara Martin, at the Nurses Christian Fellowship Australia Conference in 2019.
Kara is both an articulate speaker and writer. In Workship, she integrates theological reflections and the application of spiritual disciplines to the practical realities of work carried out by faithful disciples, who are responding to their Biblical call (i.e. not being only ‘Sunday Christians’). Kara invites the reader to rethink how they see their workplace – not just a place for evangelising or a means to raising funds for ministry. We spend many hours of our lives in the workplace, and ‘workship’ is required as we worship God through our various endeavours.
Kara reminds us that worship is not merely relegated to church-going hours. Furthermore, our work is not “just secular” and ministry (church work) is no longer just carried out by trained pastors, missionaries and priests. The Bible does not make this distinction and the spiritual value of our work is often underestimated. This book is Biblically based and sound. The works of other respected authors and theologians are drawn upon and summarised, together with real-life stories to encourage people to be creative and faithful followers of Jesus Christ at their places of work.
Workship is both weighty and an easy read. Kara commences by presenting work as daily worship and explains this with a Biblical view. We do not always see work as a gift or a good thing. Some even see it as a curse. However, Kara takes us through redemptive, righteous and eternal work, thus leading us to consider the spiritual disciplines for work.
Seeing work as holy, as a means to present the gospel prayerfully, leads us to understand how work can be experienced as incarnational, spirit-empowered and an avenue for social justice. The prayers printed throughout the book encourage the reader to stay focussed on the messages imparted with God’s help.
The book’s final chapters deal with work as a vocation, which many Christian healthcare workers already understand. Most of us recognise our identities through our paid work and working relationships. The bottom line is that work is ultimately ‘kingdom business’ since it has a ‘heavenly value’.
Workship will assist the layperson to understand, embrace and live out their faith and an individual’s role in the workplace. The language used is not complicated and the book provides ample examples of how to implement the principles explained so effectively by Kara.
As a person who is no longer in paid employment, I recommend this book to be read also by those who have other responsibilities within their communities and families. The best work we can do is that of living a Christian life with purpose and intention and that of being of Christ-like character, representing Him in everything we do.
WORKSHIP How to use your work to worship God by Kara Martin
ISBN 978-981-11-2813-4
2017 Graceworks Private Ltd, Singapore
Georgie Hoddle
Georgie Hoddle RN, is a recently-retired RN, with an interest in reading and sharing Christian writings with the healthcare community. She is a member of the Board of Nurses Christian Fellowship Australia and spends much of her free time as a volunteer, supporting and encouraging people in aged care to see Jesus in their final life career.
