As Christians, we are told by Jesus Christ to make people our priority. It is recorded in Scripture—to go out and witness and preach to them (Matt. 28:19), to treat others the way we want to be treated (Matt. 7:12), and to love others as much as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39). Working for the church, no matter the department, no matter the capacity, our mission is likewise. People are the priority. Reports, meetings and all sorts of things that are part of serving the members sometimes obscure the ultimate priority of caring for others. It is interesting that “reformed” tax collector Matthew wrote so much reminding us, and probably himself, to love the Lord and keep people first, last, and always.

Paul was worried about the care of church members. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, New International Version, he shares his burden: [READ FROM BIBLE]. No, he isn’t boasting, just putting things into perspective for the Corinthians. Despite all he has gone through, at the end of the day his focus is on the church—or rather, the people that comprise the church. Again, he says, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

Make no mistake, just as keeping our perspective and focus adjusted properly can be a challenge in our personal lives, it too can be a challenge to remember our priorities at work—why each one of us is here in this building.

We all have talents in various areas and we all have jobs to do but they all revolve in some way around relationships with people. Here’s what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, and verses 12, 13, and 25 [READ FROM BIBLE]. We are Christ’s body and as parts of the body we must work with and for each other.

It is my hope that we strive to keep our priorities straight—that we all remember that the people we are working with and for are more important than the work we do.