I see this topic of “faith at work” floating around sometimes nowadays, much more often then I did ten years ago,\u00a0and I think it’s a wonderful topic. However,\u00a0it’s always interesting how this discussion actually goes after the title. I think far too often, people are confusing their vocabulary, so\u00a0let’s discuss some things it’s not.<\/p>\n
It’s not called\u00a0“Faith and Work”.<\/strong> <\/span>If your main premise of your discussion is that you have a job and a completely separate Christian life, you have completely missed the point. Faith at work should not make you look like two different people depending on what day and time of the week it is. Your vocabulary, your demeanor, your interests, and your focus should still be the same whether you are physically at work or not. Your\u00a0character as a Christian should not something to avoid at work, it’s something to aim for.<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s not “Faith for Work”.<\/span> <\/strong>This phrase does not mean that you\u00a0find a special, fake happy-face you put on in order to impress your coworkers with your spirituality. It does not mean you bring them cross ladened cupcakes as not so subtle reminders that you are better then them and have a secret truth they cannot understand. It does not mean every conversation you have will have religious works sprinkled within it to make sure they know who they are talking to.\u00a0Christianity is\u00a0not a persona you take on, it is a calling to love.<\/p>\n It’s not “Faith without Work”.<\/strong> <\/span>You are not called to preach, disciple, pray, and evangelize without actually putting in the time and energy to do your specific job requirements excellently.<\/strong> Faith at work does not mean your new job is to get everybody right with God to the detriment of the activities you were actually hired to do.<\/p>\n It’s not “Faith if Work.”<\/strong> <\/span>What you are able to do at your office does not exclude you from actually continuing to carry that faith to your neighbors, to your family, to serve at your church. You do not\u00a0win a get out of jail free card if you successfully followed biblical teaching one day last year. You do not get a pass to ignore your\u00a0opportunity if you hate your current job and are trying to\u00a0find work\u00a0in your passion. You do not get to leave behind your calling if you are currently unemployed. Just like you always grab your keys, or your wallet, or your phone before leaving home, faith at work is a constant badge that you carry with you everywhere, even when the circumstances don’t look like you hoped.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “One of the next great moves of God is going to be through believers in the workplace.” Billy Graham<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is called<\/strong> Faith at Work<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0That means that you have properly organized and set up your calling and responsibilities and successes as first to God, and second to your career. It means that you trust that\u00a0sometimes God\u00a0will ask you to do things differently then those around you, but that is never to the detriment of the\u00a0job you’ve been given to do. You are excellent at the job you do\u00a0because you were created\u00a0with the ability to\u00a0make and produce\u00a0and were anointed by God to be there; so even if just for a season you do your best.\u00a0You know you were appointed back in Genesis with the ability to create, produce, and improve upon the world and you look for opportunities to do this at your workplace every single day. It means that you see\u00a0the very work you do\u00a0as worship to God.<\/strong><\/p>\n It also means that not only the work you produce, but the testimony you carry has great power in your field. It means you look at your co-workers and co-students around you as people that God loves and\u00a0find opportunities to bless, encourage, and help them too.\u00a0You look for opportunities to share your faith with those around you and are not afraid to do so, knowing God has placed you in this position partially for that purpose. It’s not a hindrance\u00a0to your workplace success, not a fake persona, not a\u00a0hidden secret, and not a weight you must accommodate-\u00a0faith at work\u00a0an opportunity to change, encourage, redeem, and create that which the workplace has\u00a0rarely seen before<\/strong>– and create\u00a0products, disciples, and services anointed and\u00a0appointed by God.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What does faith at work look like for you?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I see this topic of “faith at work” floating around sometimes nowadays, much more often then I did ten years ago,\u00a0and I think it’s a wonderful topic. However,\u00a0it’s always interesting how this discussion actually goes after the title. I think far too often, people are confusing their vocabulary, so\u00a0let’s discuss some things it’s not. It’s not called\u00a0“Faith and Work”. If…<\/p>\n