Worship While You Work

Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” NASB

Greetings Neighbor,

I want to tell you how much I appreciate you reading and sharing my blog each week; I pray for you and ask Jesus to guard and guide you as you continue to share His love and message in your neighborhood, on campuses, and everywhere the Lord takes you in this mission field of life.

For the next few weeks we turn our attention to the workplace. I appreciate that our LOVE2020 Workplace affinity sphere leaders insisted on calling their sphere “workplace” instead of “marketplace” or “business” because they wanted to make sure the message was received that people “work” in all sorts of fields, not just in an office or store. Your workplace may be a classroom, a barn or tractor, a military submarine or plane, in a home raising children and running a household, behind a camera or on a stage, and of course it might be behind a desk or a cash register.

Work is a part of life, but do you realize it is also a part of how we worship? It is a myth to think that we separate our lives into slivers of time and who owns it; it all belongs to God. There is no secular time, me time, and God time; it is LIFE, a gift we have been given to steward with love in a thankful response to Jesus for the time and opportunities we have been given. Life – from your first breath to your last – is an opportunity to worship, and that includes the hours you work.

What do you do on your way to work or as you prepare for work? I would like to suggest that you pray; pray over your day, your boss, your co-workers. If you own or manage a business, pray for your customers, employees and suppliers. Take a prayer-walk through your workplace from the parking lot to your office; pray for each person, floor or department you encounter along the way. If you have no idea how to pray for a person you work with, get to know them, stop and have a short conversation with them. If someone shares a personal struggle, tell them you will pray for them. Make sure that your reputation and conversations in the workplace (and out) do not conflict with your profession to be a Christian and your offer to pray.

Pray over decisions and deals that need to be made. Pray about partnerships and competitors; pray for transparency and honesty in the workplace and for any wrongdoing to be brought to light. Thank God for your job, thank Him for your paycheck and for the wisdom, knowledge and understanding the Spirit gives you to do your job well. Give God praise and thank Him for every opportunity and for the people who come alongside you to help make your workplace successful. Thank God throughout the day for His protection and provision; picture Him walking with you throughout the day and pray as if you are having a conversation with your most trusted friend. Whether you are in the boardroom or cleaning the bathroom, let all you do and say give glory to Jesus and add value to the people who work with you.

I challenge you to pray for every person connected with your workplace and to prompt other neighbors to pray for their workplace, so that every American is consistently prayed for by the end of the year 2020.

Love is a verb…let’s get moving!

Kathy B.

For more ideas on prayer-care-share for the Workplace, visit our Workplace action plan under the Strength Conditioning page at www.LOVE2020.com. Check out www.Iwork4Him.com and tune in to their radio show Monday through Friday to learn more about connecting with Christ in your workplace.

Thanks so much, Kathy! I love this verse as a theme for my workday. The book of Colossians has thankfulness as a repeated theme, so it's no surprise that Paul would include thankfulness as part of doing our work in Jesus' name. I find that thankfulness - if I can maintain that attitude (which is more of a goal than a 100% reality at this point), then I find that I'm much less likely to resort to grumbling or complaining.

Anyone can complain when things go wrong, but I think that a believer's attitude during the difficult times at work can be a great witness for Christ. An attitude of consistent thankfulness will surprise the non-believer and potentially open doors for sharing God's love. Combine that with praying for our co-workers and that can be a powerful combination!

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Comments

Andrew R. Wheeler October 14, 2016 20:37

Thanks so much, Kathy! I love this verse as a theme for my workday. The book of Colossians has thankfulness as a repeated theme, so it's no surprise that Paul would include thankfulness as part of doing our work in Jesus' name. I find that thankfulness - if I can maintain that attitude (which is more of a goal than a 100% reality at this point), then I find that I'm much less likely to resort to grumbling or complaining.

Anyone can complain when things go wrong, but I think that a believer's attitude during the difficult times at work can be a great witness for Christ. An attitude of consistent thankfulness will surprise the non-believer and potentially open doors for sharing God's love. Combine that with praying for our co-workers and that can be a powerful combination!

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