From the Principal - Secondary, South Plympton

The heart of the matter

I like lists. I have a Martha-like attraction to getting things done. I have been known to write a to-do list and add things I have already done, just so I can tick them off. Nothing provides a greater sense of satisfaction than getting things completed, organised or out of the way. 

Nothing wrong with being organised. Plenty is wrong with wearing organisation and ‘tasky’ achievements as a badge of honour.  

When my lists take priority over every aspect of my life, including my spiritual life, my family life, my health, and my ability to relax, I have to stop and ponder whether I am on the right track. 

Am I allowing time for reflection and contemplation of the holiness of God? 

Am I giving myself time to meditate on the glory of my salvation? 

Or time to hear the Lord’s voice? 

Or am I a victim of the Protestant work ethic in its worst form? 

Being both smug and proud about all I achieve and how organised I am, but missing the thing that matters most in this life is the problem here. My spiritual wellbeing - my relationship with God is often not on my list. Often not near the top of things ‘to do’. 

Like all things in life, there are the good parts and the not-so-good. How do we discern the difference?

An interesting place to start is to think about the Protestant work ethic, a concept often linked to Reformation theology, (especially Martin Luther and John Calvin), which reflects a biblical understanding of work as vocation, stewardship, and worship, rather than merely a means of earning money. We aim for this here at Emmaus when we declare "Jesus Christ is Lord".

A central Protestant idea is that all legitimate work is a calling from God, not just “religious” work. Early in the Bible, Genesis 2:15, the necessity of work and the need to be good stewards in our work is evident: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

Work existed before the Fall; it is part of God’s good design. And in Colossians 3:23 Paul reminds his readers that everyday work is done unto God, not merely for human approval:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

Teachers, tradespeople, carers, administrators, and parents serve God just as meaningfully as pastors or missionaries.

The question is what happens when work starts carrying what grace is meant to carry?

One of the quiet dangers of a proud work ethic is that work can begin to carry our sense of worth.

We may never say it out loud, but we start to believe:

• I am valuable because I am useful.
• I matter because I contribute.
• I am okay because I am coping.
• I am doing great because I have ticked off all the items on my to-do list

Scripture gently interrupts this, as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2: 8-9: “It is by grace you have been saved… not by works.” 

These things are important, but not the most important. Before we teach, plan, lead, care, administer or serve, we are already loved.

We are not saved by hard work. The Protestant work ethic flows from gratitude for grace, not from fear or the need to earn God’s favour. We are called to give our best to God. We work hard because we are loved, not because we want to be loved. 

Our work is a response to grace, not a requirement for it. God cares about our hearts above what we do. 

Selwyn Hughes, in his book Prayer: A Fresh Vision, highlighted this to me. He says:

‘Work for God, as I have said, is important but I stress again that the most effective work for God is accomplished by those who know him intimately.’

He explains ‘Love for him is to be our priority. Contemplation of God and nearness to Him enables Him to direct His willing servant to the tasks that he wants done.’ 

He goes on to summarise with a quote from Dr Lloyd Jones: ‘If we spent more of our time looking at God, we would spend less of our time thinking about ourselves.’

God is more interested in the posture of my heart than in my outward activity. My identity is in Christ before what I do. This challenges the idea that busyness, success, or output determines my worth. We know that by reframing diligence as a response to God’s love, motivation for what is really in our hearts is elevated over outcomes and income.  In doing so, it reflects the biblical conviction that right actions flow naturally from a heart rightly oriented toward God, who looks first at who we are, not simply at what we do.

Selwyn Hughes consistently taught that the heart is the true centre of spiritual life—the seat of our will, motives, attitudes, and affections. This is far more important to God than outward behaviour or religious activity. 

Many of us were formed—explicitly or implicitly—by the idea that hard work is good, that diligence matters, and that what we do with our time is important. At its best, this is deeply biblical. Work is a calling. It is meaningful. It serves others and honours God.

But even good things can become distorted.

This is not a call to work less faithfully—but to work more freely, more truthfully, and more from a heart that adores the Lord.

A faithful Protestant vision of work holds these truths together:

• We are loved before we are useful
• We work from grace, not for grace
• Rest is obedience, not indulgence
• People matter more than outcomes
• Our worth is anchored in Christ, not performance

We do not work to justify our existence.

We work because our existence is already secure in God.

Changed hearts naturally lead to changed actions—but God begins with the heart.

Andrea Grear

Principal - Secondary, South Plympton