To The Work

BY ELDER TAY BOON TEE

The Hymn – “TO THE WORK” is a familiar song sung by Glory Church over the decades. This hymn written by Fanny Crosby some 150 years ago still resonates with me whenever we sing it during our worship service.

The 1st Stanza aptly described how we should do God’s work – “Let us follow the path That our master has trod”. To do God’s works we need to emulate our Lord Jesus Christ’s walk on earth which in gist is humility and servanthood.  The second half of the stanza provides us instructions on how to prepare ourselves for God’s work - “With the balm of His counsel Our strength to renew, Let us do with our might What our hands find to do.” In the realms of God’s work and mission, there are boundless and onerous tasks to be done. But we must not run ahead of God, we must first seek His counsel, guidance and direction. Because by doing the preparatory work right “Our strength to renew, Let us do with our might What our hands find to do” we will not be weary but find the strength to focus and accomplish His purpose.  

The final stanza “And a robe and a crown Shall our labor reward, When the home of the faithful Our dwelling shall be” encourages and reminds us of the commendable welcome and reward from our Lord when we enter heaven – “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Over the past decades, a handful of missionaries that I have corresponded with exhibited an interesting trait. They all speak enthusiastically about their current ministries and what they plan to do next. The notion of retirement appears to be non-existent in their vocabulary when it comes to doing God’s work. 

Some of you may recall Dr Bruce Nicholls, the 88 years old missionary from New Zealand who last spoke at GPC pulpit in 2015. Upon the passing of his wife, he has been staying at a nursing home in Auckland. Neither age nor infirmity has stopped him from “taking leave” from the nursing home to travel to Nepal, India and Pakistan to do God’s work. “Toiling on, toiling on, Toiling on, toiling on, Let us hope and trust, Let us watch and pray, And labor till the Master comes.”