Trusting God With My Workplace.
This is a tough one, not because it is overly hard to trust God in one’s workplace as opposed to anywhere else, but because it encompasses so many aspects of the believing walk. The main place we express our love and trust of God is not at church. The first place is at home with our spouse, and the second is at work. That is where we spend the bulk of our time and that is where we can have great impact.
Why is trusting God at work so important? It is because at work the world sees the public you. This is the place where the believer can most effectively show the world what life submitted to Jesus is like. This is the place where the world is watching. Let’s be honest: the world is a dark place with values and ideals which are not Godly. The believer’s values are so opposed to the world that world assumes they are false. The world expects the believer to be a hypocrite and expects the believer’s behavior to be different than his spoken values. So the workplace is an important place to walk the talk.
What does God have to say to us about walking the talk? (All these verses are from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language).
1Corinthians 10:31-32 So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.
John 15:5-8 “I am the Vine; you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire.
1Peter 1:13-16 So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”
James 1:22-24 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
There are certain things which are common to every person in a workplace, and each of them is an opportunity to reflect God in that workplace. I often have trouble remembering lists of things, so here is an mnemonic device. ASSIIST (assist with two I’s)
Attitude. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men.” No one likes to work near a complainer. They drag down the soul, make the day slow to a crawl, and squelch ambition. A Spirit-filled believer is uplifting, encouraging, and pleasing to be around because he works with a positive attitude.
Skill. Wherever we are in our life’s journey each of us got there through the acquisition of certain attitudes, values, and skills. Using those skills for our employer is why we earn a paycheck, and we owe it to our God and our employer to be the absolute best we can be.
Share. Besides the actual work, jobs are also about relationships. This is often the place where people have the strongest interactions. Fellow workers should not have to guess whether or not we are believers. Our believing worldview should be expressed in all parts of our life, especially in the workplace. This is where the believer interacts with the widest assortment of fellow humans and has the widest opportunity to show the love of Jesus.
Integrity. The Eighth Commandment requires that we do not steal, and many of us would balk at taking money from the cash drawer or walking a TV out the back door. But much more is taken from business in the form of slacking off than in the form of lost assets. Integrity plays out just as much in what we do as it does in our stated ideals. In the workplace this is displayed by always working 60 minutes for an hour’s pay, by always being on time, by being completely honest and trustworthy on the job.
Impact. Some businesses/industries can be actively aggressive against sharing the Gospel. The public-school system comes to mind. But having an impact on a business is not limited to teaching or preaching the Gospel. There is an old cliché that says actions speak louder than words. Most of us are not the leaders of our businesses but all of us can be shapers of our little corner of the company. We can be in the forefront of a drive against public vulgarity. We can speak out against mistreatment or bullying of others.
Serve. When someone is struggling with a burden let them know you are available to help them through it. Be the one who gets the coffee, picks up the donuts, and organizes activities. Invest in the spiritual and emotional health of your workmates. Be the guy everyone goes to for help. Go the extra mile.
Thankfulness. As a believer we are grateful for what God has done for us. Our salvation is a free gift through Jesus for which we are completely undeserving. But often our job is filled with complainers. We must not be one of those people. Life is hard enough without having to listen to complaints about trivial matters. Believers have a lot to be grateful for. We should let it become known that we are one of those people who is hope-filled and thankful much of the time.
In other words ASSIIST.