I often write about the importance of work, the last time being to give thanks for the installation of our replacement dishwasher. Today I ran across an old quote too good not to share.

(Repeating for those who may not see the picture)

The church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours and to come to church on Sundays. What the church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables. – Dorothy Sayers, Why Work?, 1942, shared in Fruitfulness on the Frontline Discussion Guide by Sarah-Jane Marshall and Joe Warton.

It’s hard to improve on that. The job of churches is to equip their members for life outside the walls.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work… (Ephesians 4.11, 12, NLT, and “his work” includes, well, work!)

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. (Colossians 3.23, 24, NLT)