One of the first questions I dealt with as a new Christian was how to integrate my faith into the workplace. It seemed that my faith shouldn’t exist just on the weekend, but it should also carry over into my work life. Listening to lots of sermons, I wondered, how do I take what I hear from a pastor on Sunday and apply it to my work life on Monday?
Most of the older, more mature Christians I asked about integrating faith into the workplace didn’t have helpful answers. So, I turned to books looking for answers. I found libraries full of books on being a good leader or exemplary worker. On the other side of the library, there are many books about deep theological topics, which were interesting but didn’t address my question.
Eventually, I turned to the Bible, God’s owner’s manual for life, to see if the answer lay within the pages of scripture. As I read and studied the characters in the Bible, an answer gelled in my mind. People in the Bible were blessed and could bless others as long as they were faithful and dependent on God. As soon as they stepped away from God, they failed.
It was clear that the answer to my question of how to integrate my faith into the workplace was simple. The answer is to take God to work with me every day. One of my favorite characters that illustrate the power of the presence of God in our work is Joseph.
Joseph took God to work with him every day. His story of God’s power and presence in his life is compelling and worth replicating in our own lives!
God is With Joseph
God’s presence with Joseph is readily apparent throughout Joseph’s life but especially while Joseph was in Egypt. As a young man, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was taken to Egypt and sold again as a household slave to Potiphar, his Egyptian master (Genesis 39).
Joseph, the Household Manager
Right away, we see that “the Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered” in the house of his Egyptian master (Genesis 39:2). Potiphar recognized the Lord was with Joseph and promoted him to oversee his entire household and all his property. Because of Joseph, the Lord blessed everything Potiphar owned (Genesis 39:5).
Joseph, the Prison Caretaker
Potiphar’s wife made false accusations of rape, resulting in Joseph being imprisoned. Even though Joseph was in prison on trumped-up charges, “the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and favor in the eyes of the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21). The warden put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners and didn’t worry about them because “the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did” (Genesis 39:23).
Joseph, the Government Administrator
Two years later, Pharoah had a dream that frightened him, and no one in his court could interpret the dream for him. Finally, the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph in prison and his ability to interpret dreams. Pharoah sent for Joseph, who interpreted Pharoah’s dream and even told him what course of action he needed to take to save the people of Egypt from starvation. Pharoah recognized that the Spirit of God was with Joseph, and there was no one as discerning and wise in all the land. So, Pharoah promoted Joseph to second in command over the entire land and put Joseph in charge of everything in Egypt (Genesis 41:37-39).
God was with Joseph as a slave in Potiphar’s household. God blessed Joseph’s work and his master because of Joseph. God was with Joseph in prison and blessed his work. The prison warden was also blessed because of Joseph. Finally, God was with Joseph giving him the interpretation of Pharoah’s dreams and a plan for saving the people. Even Pharoah recognized God’s presence in Joseph’s life.
Joseph was in three secular jobs: a household manager, a prison caretaker, and a government administrator. God was with Joseph in each one. He blessed Joseph in each one and blessed his masters, so they ultimately recognized God’s presence and glorified Him!
Take God to Work with You!
God blessed Joseph so consistently in his work because Joseph remained faithful and dependent on God throughout his life. God was with Joseph protecting and blessing him, so he was a blessing to his masters. The result was that the unbelieving masters all recognized God’s presence in Joseph’s life.
If we take God to work with us and He remains with us in all our work, we will enjoy the same blessings. God will protect us and bless us. As we are blessed, we will be a blessing to unbelieving coworkers and bosses, and they will be drawn to the Father.
How To Work
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul told us exactly how we should work to receive God’s blessing. He wrote,
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Do you want to receive God’s blessing in your work? If so, take God to work with you. Work with all your heart as though working for the Lord because, in our work, we are not just serving our human masters but also the Lord Himself!
The Result Taking God to Work
The result of taking God to work and working as for the Lord is further illustrated by Jesus Himself. Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
The result of taking God to work and working as for the Lord is that we will be a light to the world so that others will see, drawing them to the Father and glorifying Him.
Can you think of a more significant impact in your life than to work, so the presence of God is evident to everyone, that people are blessed because of God’s presence in your work, and that people realize those blessings are coming from the Father?
More Articles
I have written several articles about our dependence on God. You can find them by typing “Dependence on God” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #490: Do You Know How to Handle a Disheartening Trial in Life?
- #489: Are You Listening to A Shouting Crowd or Jesus?
- #462: 7 Reasons to Have Hope in The Face of Uncertainty!
- #434: Will God Use Me Even If I’m Not Perfect?
- #421: Have You Ever Felt Hopelessly Lost Following God?
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How do you integrate your faith from the weekend to the workplace?
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Category: Personal Development | Dependence on God
“Let your light shine before others…” Seems to me if we heed the words of Jesus, if we channel faith via our actions and example, then we uplift our workplace, and those we work with.
I couldn’t agree more, John. If we could just heed the words of Jesus and let His light shine through us the world would certainly be a different place!