The Gospel at Work: How the Gospel Gives New Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs

by Sebastian Traeger

5. Does this job take advantage of my gifts and talents?

It’s great to have a job that lines up with what you perceive to be your gifts and talents. By all means, do it if the opportunity arises! God may give you a job that aligns with your gifts, but he certainly hasn’t promised to do so. Practically, then, you shouldn’t make this a must-have in your decision making.

6. Is this job something I want to do? You

The world often tells us that finding a job you enjoy is the key aim in life. But the Bible says nothing of the sort; it simply states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23, emphasis added).

So above all else, trust in God as you choose a job. Jobs are temporary; God is eternal. If it looks like you may have to choose a job that isn’t perfect for you, praise God and do it with all your heart. One day that job will end. And if it looks like you’ve landed the job of your dreams, work at it with all your heart. Remember, one day it, too, will end! Either way, you work for Jesus. You can trust he has good reasons for the work he is giving you to do.

So here’s the guiding principle: pursue faithfulness, then fruitfulness, but not idolatry. You might want to memorize that! It’s a simple way to think about how to best manage the complex assignments God has given you.

Don’t try to define what faithful or fruitful means for you by comparing your family life to others’.

one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded

Work becomes an idol when our investment of resources runs out of “extra” and starts encroaching on our other areas of responsibility.

these things tend to come in pairs. Idleness in one area will often point to idolatry in another, and vice versa.

Maybe there’s no margin at all. As long as you’re being faithful in all your assignments, there’s no need to feel guilty. If life is full, then life is full. Live faithfully every day, and trust God to open up space in your life when he is ready!

All our assignments are really just parts of the one primary responsibility we have to follow and honor Jesus. Keep that in mind, and we will be able to avoid both idleness and idolatry.

One reason is that the aim of Jesus and the apostles was simply deeper than the reformation of a social system. They were focused on the root of the problem—the sinful state of the human heart. The fact is that the unjust system wasn’t the root of the sin of slavery, and simply changing the system wouldn’t have solved the problem in any long-term sense. The sinful human heart would just find another way to oppress others, even if the system of Roman slavery had been eliminated. So that’s what Jesus and the apostles take aim at—the human heart, whatever system it finds itself under.

One of the ways you are called to honor Jesus is to give yourself for the good of others. Your boss is one of those others. Paul urges us to obey those who are in authority over us “in everything.”

gospel-centered perspective on our work changes the way we think about our boss, as well as the way we think of our coworkers. We work ultimately for Jesus and should see our primary responsibility in our jobs as one of faith-fueled service. We work to love Jesus, and we work to serve others. Even if our bosses are difficult and our coworkers are mean, we are called to serve them because that brings honor to our King.

Mark #1: Determination Not to Complain

Mark #2: Happy Submission to Authority

It is easy to submit when your boss is a paragon of kindness, respect, and goodwill. But when your boss is a flat-out jerk who is arrogant and self-absorbed, how you respond reveals your heart—whether you really are working for Jesus.

If you’re struggling with a difficult situation with a boss or coworker, try this. Start praying for that person every day. Pray for their family, their relationships, their circumstances, and their challenges. Pray for their salvation. Pray, too, that you would be able to work for them (or with them), not just with resignation, but with sincerity of heart.

Mark #3: Unfeigned Humility

Faith-fueled service in the workplace means we will be marked by unfeigned humility that leads us to follow in the self-emptying footsteps of our King.

Mark #4: Godly Competitiveness

all at the same time. How do we do that? We compete by working at whatever we do with all our heart, not by undercutting and sabotaging the efforts of our coworkers. Compete, but compete with honor. Win by running faster, not by tripping all your competitors. Even more, encourage them to run faster too. Help them see where they can improve their work, and congratulate them when they advance.

Principle #1: Authority Is from God

Principle #2: Authority Should Serve and Bless Others

When you use authority to build up and not tear down, to right wrongs and not perpetrate them, to encourage and not crush, to work for others’ good and not just for your own, the result will be light and life in your workplace.

Principle #3: Authority Can Be Terribly Abused

Principle #4: Authority Should Imitate Jesus

Principle #5: Authority Should Be Sacrificial

Principle #6: Godly Use of Authority Is Gospel Motivated and Grace Empowered

That doesn’t mean we decide somehow that accomplishments don’t matter. It doesn’t mean we can’t spur one another on toward team goals and even correct and reprimand employees and coworkers when they’re not doing the job. But it does mean that when we spur our employees on and even when we correct them, we do so, not with thoughts of our own glory and reputation, but with graciousness and a genuine, loving concern for their good and the good of the team.

how can we faithfully share the gospel with people at work?

1. Just do good work as a Christian.

When you get a chance to speak the gospel to one of your coworkers, make sure you’ve already been backing it up by being a...

2. Learn to put God on the table.

When somebody asks you what you did over the weekend, for crying out loud, tell them you went to church! Mention the Bible study you attend on Tuesday nights. Don’t just mumble, “I’m sorry I can’t come to your birthday party; I’m busy.” Say, “I can’t come because I’m scheduled to work at my church’s clothes closet this weekend.” You don’t have to be obnoxious or irresponsible about it. Just make sure you identify yourself very publicly with Jesus.

3. Build relationships beyond the office.

4. Use the witness of the church.

One of the greatest witnesses to the gospel on the planet is the love that Christians have for one another. If you and some friends from church are going to be hanging out together, invite one of your coworkers to come along. The conversation doesn’t have to be explicitly spiritual. Sometimes, interactions between a group of normal, interesting, fun, intelligent Christians will change a person’s entire perspective about Christianity.

5. Have a “mission field” mind-set about your work.

among each day? Architects? Teachers? Auto salespeople? Thinking about it that way helps us to not get discouraged by the thought of millions of people who need to hear the gospel.

How do you figure out where God is deploying you? After all, it’s not as if a high-priority email shows up from heaven with the subject line “Your Next Job.” Sure, it may be simple to look down and say about the job you’re in right now, “This is where God has deployed me for this season.” The harder question is to look forward and ask, “Where is God deploying me for the next season?”—whether that season starts next decade or next year or tomorrow.

It’s simpler because discerning God’s will really comes down to what you want to do, multiplied by what you are gifted to do, multiplied by what opportunities are available to you right now.

On the other hand, thinking it through carefully can be more complicated than getting a “sign in the sky”! It requires you to think, pray, and seek godly counsel. It requires you to vet your desires and make sure they’re not sinful in some way, to be honest about your gifts and abilities, and to find contentment in that season when what you want to do simply isn’t available.