Avad

In one of the apostle Paul’s letters, as a tent maker, he writes: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:23-24). We can gain many fascinating insights by looking at the Hebrew word avad. I won’t go in to a thorough study here, but in short, the term avad means “to work,” as well as “to serve” and even “to worship!” For to the spiritual, nothing is secular; and to the secular, nothing is spiritual. For the apostle Paul it was work night and day, and then as his rest, joy, and reward, to preach in public and in private, the unsearchable riches of Christ, Who had redeemed him with His precious blood (1Thes 2:9). Therefore it should be considered for our work to be equivalent with our study of, or service to God, which is the way we worship Him. I think Jesus did the same.