God's Grace in the Workplace (1019)

A lot of us have the wrong idea about working secular, everyday jobs, especially Christians. Whether we enjoy the work or not, there is a certain amount of guilt Christians carry into the workforce. We like to subconsciously separate aspects of our lives as secular and sacred, so we have this idea that we can only serve God when we are not working.

But we are where God has placed us for a specific purpose. We are to do every job with the belief that we are doing it for Jesus, because we are! Look at the example of Daniel in the Bible, who worked as a government bureaucrat in Babylon. By circumstances beyond his control, Daniel had a secular job in a place of wickedness. Yet even his enemies and the unsaved people of this world had to admit that his secular job was really a sacred job, because he was really serving God through his work.

You may want to opt out of your “Babylon”, and flee from the wicked world to which you give your better hours. But God’s plan for you is not to run away from the world. God’s plan for you is to confront, overcome, witness to the world.

John 17:15, “Jesus said, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” God's plan is not that you be taken out of that worldly environment, but that you would live a good Christian life within it.

Every job, if it is done in the power of the Holy Spirit, is a sacred job. Every job has dignity if it is an honorable work. And every Christian is a priest, and every Christian is a minister. Every Christian is doing full-time Christian service if they are devoting their work to the glory of God.

####Apply it to your life
Come Monday morning, there are four things to consider as you enter your workplace.

1. Don’t brag: there’s nothing more unappealing than self-righteous behavior.
2. Don’t nag: give some grace to your co-workers.
3. Don’t lag: do the work in front of you efficiently and completely.
4. Don’t sag: work joyfully, as unto the Lord.
Your character is crucial to your witness. You have been placed in this position for a reason. Honor God with your job.