Glorifying God in the Workplace

While there are a host of Bible verses that connect personal vocation to the gospel—a personal favorite is the simple connection between one’s hard work and the glory of God in 1 Cor 10:31—for many of us there is a practical “disconnect” between the daily grind of our responsibilities and the gospel we sing about on Sunday.  In a way, who can blame us?  How does this next sales call…this next line of code…or even this next diaper have any relevance to the gospel of grace?

Seeing a vivid connection between what I do and my service to the King can be elusive.  Sometimes it takes the kindness of God to produce moments that bump our everyday life and help us to see afresh how our work is not only connected to, but is itself and extension of the gospel.  I recently had a conversation with a friend in the church that proved to be one of those reminders for me (and him).

The news of the devastation produced by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is impossible to escape. Many are praying for the grace of God to visit those impacted directly.  While aware that my friend (who works as a programmer) supports a major insurance company in one of the regions affected, I failed to make the connection when I reached out just to see how he was doing.  In a brief text exchange, he explained that extra hours were needed to help his client develop digital technology to expedite the claims submission process for their suffering policyholders.  To illustrate, He sent me a news release outlining the challenge his client faced with overloaded phone line and the benefit their technology was delivering.

I admit, my first impulse was to think as a marketer, “How can my friend’s company leverage the news of their good work to gain more business in the future?”  This is not a wrong impulse, particularly if your vocation is as a marketer!  However, God used his simple response to grab my attention when he wrote,

“It’s nice to be able to help out storm victims, at least a little bit”

This thought brought amazing clarity that my friend’s extra hours invested were not in vain, nor were they disjointed from who he is, in Christ.  While he may not control his secular employer’s boardroom or influence their strategic direction, he most defintely was a laborer for the Lord, delivering something of the love of Jesus for those who are hurt and afflicted.  By the work of his hands, he and his co-workers were dispensing care to others in a difficult place.  For his small corner of life, he was faithfully bringing the gospel to life…and it is making a real difference!!!

Friends, I hope this brief story encourages you.  On those days when you are tempted to lose sight of the meaning of what you do, ask God to make the connection between what you believe and how you live (and work).  Expect that in the routine of life, God will give you a reminder you need to see clearly why you do what you…for the glory of His name!

Jim