Avodah
Reclaiming Work as Worship and Service
When I started TN Business Coaching I knew I was to lead with my faith but I wanted to go deeper. As such, God directed me to the word "Avodah", which does in fact mean "work" in Hebrew. I thought that was it...but about 9 months later I felt like I was still missing something when promoting myself as a "faith-based" business coach. That's when God took me on this journey to truely understand how He sees work.
The beauty of the Hebrew language is many of the words can have multiple meanings depending on the context and usage. It's important to remember that Christianity comes through Judiasm, as such God's words are just as important to us, as they are to our Jewish brothers and sisters. To be clear, I don't take this responsibility lightly - the word Avodah holds great reverence in the Jewish traditions such as Yom Kippur and I want to respect that.
Read below and discover how God sees work much more than just labor...he sees it as Worship and Service. This perspective is how we as Christian leaders in the marketplace should also view our work. My work is in a constant state of discovery and revelation. Join me as I help leaders embrace an Avodah Mindset in how they lead their organizations.
Be blessed - Christian Staller
Download either our White Paper on Avodah or
our Slide Presentation.
The Three Dimensions of Avodah
Work: Created to
Create/Work
Kingdom-minded leaders grasp that all honorable labor —from the trades to the boardroom—is inherently dignified, reflecting the creative (work) nature of God Himself.
Worship: Leading
Beyond Sunday
Avodah redefines worship, extending it beyond songs sung on Sunday mornings to every aspect of leadership, including how you care and celebrate your employees, vendors, customers and the community in which you are planted.
Service: Leadership as
a Calling
Avodah signifies service, where leaders prioritize the needs of others above mere profitability and accept
servant leadership as foundational to their roles.
The Biblical Foundation of Avodah
Work as Good, Purposeful, and Divine
Work predates the fall, with God Himself working in creation and commissioning humans to work in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:2 (NIV) "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work”
Genesis 2:15 (NIV) “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
Avodah: Work, Worship and Service
The Hebrew word Avodah demonstrates how labor, devotion to God (Worship), and sacrificial Service are inseparable in the biblical worldview.
Exodus 8:1 (NIV) "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
Joshua 24:15 (NIV) "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD"
Rejecting the Sacred-Secular Divide
The artificial separation of work into sacred and secular categories is a modern misconception, not rooted in Scripture.
Colossians 3:23–24 (ESV) “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are Serving the Lord Christ.”