Bringing God to Your Work
The average person usually spends over 40 hours of their waking hours in a week at work. That is the equivalent of over 160 hours in a month. Compare that to the fewer than two hours we spend in a week in worship.
The hours we spend at work entail meeting different kinds of people as well as acquiring different kinds of life experiences, both positive and negative. Yet, many of us are unsatisfied and are having a hard time finding joy in our work. We tend to wonder if it is even possible for our daily work to have a deeper purpose, or if it is all just meaningless.
Union Church of Manila, an international Christian Church in Makati, reminds fellow Christian workers that even though their day job may not be their favorite kind of work, it is possible to find joy even in the most menial tasks by bringing God’s presence with them into their work and interactions.
1. Start every workday with a prayer
It may help to begin each workday with a prayer. Upon reaching the workplace and even before turning to your computer, utter a silent prayer to God. Free your mind of worries, ask for His guidance and believe that you can complete your tasks for the day through Him who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13). As Nehemiah told his listeners, “ This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, emphasis added). Each day is created by God and therefore, is holy. Let us choose to rejoice in that fact and receive the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit as we approach our day of work.
2. Make good use of your skills
God gave each of us our own gifts (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Ephesian 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:8-11). Whatever gift(s) we’ve been given we are called to steward them. That means we use them where we are placed to build up those around us and bring glory to our father in heaven. What gift do you have that you can use to bless others in your workplace?
3. Work not only for yourself but also for others
There surely will come a time when you become tired because of your work and ask yourself if what you are doing even matters at all. In these times it may help to turn our attention away from ourselves and towards our ‘neighbors’ – our workers or colleagues. Jesus tells us to love Him with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). We can practice this right where we are. Again, we can use the gifts we have received to serve others with the strength that He provides so that in all things, He may be praised through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:10-11).
4. Be a person of integrity
We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), so wherever we are and whatever we do, we are called to reflect the life, love, and character of Christ. This means we can ask each day for a fresh filling of His Spirit, that the fruit would be evident in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
5. End every workday with a prayer
After we complete our work for the day, we can close with another prayer. This time, give thanks to Him. Whether you end your day with a smile or not, we can be thankful to God that His presence is with us and His purposes are at work even when we can’t seem to know or see them.
Our work lives will at times be challenging. Jesus even tells us that we will experience all kinds of trouble in our lives (John 16:33). But also he says to “take heart! I have overcome the world” (v 33). We can choose to persevere in our work trusting that God will be with us in all we do. We can cling to His promise that He will never leave or forsake us. As we involve God and His active Holy Spirit in our lives, we may soon discover that even though our circumstances haven’t changed, we are whistling while we work.
The hours we spend at work entail meeting different kinds of people as well as acquiring different kinds of life experiences, both positive and negative. Yet, many of us are unsatisfied and are having a hard time finding joy in our work. We tend to wonder if it is even possible for our daily work to have a deeper purpose, or if it is all just meaningless.
Union Church of Manila, an international Christian Church in Makati, reminds fellow Christian workers that even though their day job may not be their favorite kind of work, it is possible to find joy even in the most menial tasks by bringing God’s presence with them into their work and interactions.
1. Start every workday with a prayer
It may help to begin each workday with a prayer. Upon reaching the workplace and even before turning to your computer, utter a silent prayer to God. Free your mind of worries, ask for His guidance and believe that you can complete your tasks for the day through Him who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13). As Nehemiah told his listeners, “ This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, emphasis added). Each day is created by God and therefore, is holy. Let us choose to rejoice in that fact and receive the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit as we approach our day of work.
2. Make good use of your skills
God gave each of us our own gifts (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Ephesian 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:8-11). Whatever gift(s) we’ve been given we are called to steward them. That means we use them where we are placed to build up those around us and bring glory to our father in heaven. What gift do you have that you can use to bless others in your workplace?
3. Work not only for yourself but also for others
There surely will come a time when you become tired because of your work and ask yourself if what you are doing even matters at all. In these times it may help to turn our attention away from ourselves and towards our ‘neighbors’ – our workers or colleagues. Jesus tells us to love Him with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). We can practice this right where we are. Again, we can use the gifts we have received to serve others with the strength that He provides so that in all things, He may be praised through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:10-11).
4. Be a person of integrity
We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), so wherever we are and whatever we do, we are called to reflect the life, love, and character of Christ. This means we can ask each day for a fresh filling of His Spirit, that the fruit would be evident in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
5. End every workday with a prayer
After we complete our work for the day, we can close with another prayer. This time, give thanks to Him. Whether you end your day with a smile or not, we can be thankful to God that His presence is with us and His purposes are at work even when we can’t seem to know or see them.
Our work lives will at times be challenging. Jesus even tells us that we will experience all kinds of trouble in our lives (John 16:33). But also he says to “take heart! I have overcome the world” (v 33). We can choose to persevere in our work trusting that God will be with us in all we do. We can cling to His promise that He will never leave or forsake us. As we involve God and His active Holy Spirit in our lives, we may soon discover that even though our circumstances haven’t changed, we are whistling while we work.