1 Corinthians 7.35 encourages, without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord.

This expectation seems opposed to Jesus’ commendation of Mary who sat with Jesus instead of Martha who was busy making lunch for Jesus. Jesus’ caveat was that He would not always be with us in the flesh so Mary had indeed chosen the better activity.

From the beginning however God has been at work. So too the Son came to work by seeking and saving the lost.

Those who claim to know God and love God have been commissioned by God to work: to make disciples in all nations teaching people to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. Paul reminds us that this work must be notable, constant and without distraction.

A notable work gets the attention of people. It goes beyond lip service, an occasional check or an applause at someone else’s efforts. Notable work requires our best, a personal sacrifice and a dedication of our time and talent. We are to make notable effort in sharing Jesus with people.

Our work is also to be constant. That is continuous. We know what it is to show up to work everyday for pay but do we show up every day for God’s holy service? While we work for pay we are to engage people in love encouraging them to know Him better and to also serve Him more. We can pray, we can teach and we can serve throughout the day if we will keep our eyes and ears open to the people around us. Constant means serving God daily by daily moving people toward Jesus even as we ourselves are moving forward.

Finally this work is to be without distraction. The words of Jesus to Martha should be ringing in our ears, ‘you are concerned about so many things, but really only one thing matters.’ God will reward each of us for the work we have done for His kingdom. This reward will pay eternal dividends. Work for pay, our desire to play and even our time with family must not interfere with our assignment to see His kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven.

We must show ourselves workmen who need not be ashamed on that day when we meet our God and Judge to receive our redemption. The work of God is not hard or complicated but it will take us making it first priority, keeping our focus and giving our best effort to be successful.