Are You Holding a Microphone or a Broom?

I've been reading about the temple lately and the sacrifices that took place there on a daily basis. The temple was an incredibly beautiful place and full of splendor. I can hardly imagine all of the gold and ornate objects used for temple worship. However, the temple wasn't like a museum that you file through and gawk at how pretty everything is. It was a very busy place with many workers as constant sacrifices were going on day and night. Think about the day to day activities: killing animals, tons of blood, chopping up huge pieces of meat, hauling wood to start endless fires, breathing smoke in the air, weird smells, constant clean up, attention to safety issues (think of all the grease and blood you could slip on), and maintaining order while attending to all the people's sacrifices.

In all the busyness, everyone had to abide by the Levitical laws in the sacrifices. This was a serious matter and believe me, they weren't having round table discussions on how to cut corners for speedier sacrificial processes! These temple positions were sacred but they came with an incredible amount of responsibilities. Most of the responsibilities were very non-glorious and bottom line, were a bunch of work! Yet in God's eyes, these tasks were holy, set apart, and absolutely necessary to cover the sins of those who came to worship.

Most Kingdom jobs can seem somewhat mundane and routine. I've been in ministry since I was 15 years old, and it is always interesting to see enthusiastic new Christians who want to get involved in helping at the church. Sometimes their zeal wanes when you ask them to fold bulletins an hour before church starts. They are surprised to see that there are a lot of "regular tasks" that have to be done in order for the ministry to effectively operate. Ezekiel 44:23 says "there is a difference between what is holy and what is common." Many times we get off track thinking that the seemingly common things we are doing for God don't mean much but in reality, they are HOLY. Making those calls to ask for Fall Festival volunteers is holy. Making those copies for Children's Church is holy. Creating that phone list in Excel or sending that mass email for an upcoming event is holy. When you empty that trash can, replenish the paper towels in the bathroom, or make that pot of coffee for the ladies meeting, that's holy. Making a meal for that couple with the new baby is holy. Changing that diaper in the nursery is stinky but it is HOLY.

Ministry is a whole lot more than standing up on stage and sharing the Word of God. That is just the tip of the iceberg. In ministry, there's a whole lot more brooms to hold than microphones. As a Bible student, Pastor Kenneth Hagin used to tell us that ministry is spelled W-O-R-K and I have found that to be true. So if you get the honor to hold a broom or a microphone for God, just know that what you're doing is absolutely necessary in the process of seeing people come to Christ. What you do really counts in God's eyes!