Nearly 40 years ago, when I first started work, I assumed that my work life and spiritual life existed in two separate compartments: work life on weekdays and time for God on Sundays and some weekday nights. It was only many years later that God revealed to me the error of my thoughts. In fact, my life should be one integrated, spiritual whole. This was not an overnight realisation, but a gradual one as I invited God into every space of my life, including my work life.
My biggest challenge then was not having a proper appreciation of the theology of work, and therefore not being able to see how my vocation had anything to do with my Christian faith. I wrongly thought that my secular job, serving secular masters (e.g. the government, shareholders of the company, etc.), was somehow not part of my Christian mandate in fulfilling the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
My priority at that time was to earn enough to feed and take care of my family. I had thought that maybe, in the future, when I was in a better financial position, I would be able to think about serving God more fully.
Now, being much older, and hopefully a bit wiser, I realise that God wants to use me throughout all stages of my life, including now, in my current vocation, and not necessarily wait for a future opportunity.
The apostle Paul, in Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV), gave me the correct perspective: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” So, whether I am a student, engineer, doctor, nurse, lawyer, administrative staff, homemaker, church staff, retiree, etc., I serve Christ!
Exhibiting Godly Values in the Workplace
In the 1967 movie How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a window washer picks up a book that gives him tips on how to climb the corporate ladder simply and quickly, by faking and appearing hardworking to his bosses.
Recognising that Christ is my boss has serious implications. Christ is not like any ordinary human boss who is limited by time and space, and who can be bluffed. Christ sees into our hearts and knows our true motives. He knows when we slack off as well as when we work overtime, even when no human eyes are looking. And He wants us to enjoy our work and do well at our jobs so that others are blessed and His name is glorified.
God’s Word helps to guide us to be good workers who serve Him faithfully. It is imperative that we know His Word well so that our identity in Christ can be evidenced when we exhibit godly values in our workplace.
We cannot do this by our own strength. But we can pray and ask God to fill us and our workplace with His Spirit.
Allow me then to share three godly values that can differentiate us from others.
a. Humility
In Exodus 31:3-6, we read of how God filled Bezalel, Oholiab and all the skilled workers: “I have filled [Bezalel] with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also, I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you.”
Here, God is the one who gives Bezalel, Oholiab and the other workers the special skills needed to do His work. In a similar vein, we need to realise that it is actually God who helps us become proficient in our job. So, every time someone praises me for a good work done, I need to ascribe glory to God, lest I become proud and think it is of my own merit. It is His name, and not mine, that should be glorified every time others see me doing my work well.
Have there been instances when others take credit for your ideas and work? What should you do then? If you recognise that the idea came from God through you, and the team or company benefitted from it, then perhaps you would be content to know that while your human bosses may praise another, God, your ultimate boss, knows—and that is enough. Yet, I am aware that, because of my sinful nature, I sometimes unconsciously desire credit and glory for myself. It is a struggle, and I need to always seek the Holy Spirit’s help to do the right thing.
Paul, in Philippians 2:3 (ESV), reminds me to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” This also means that when I am praised for my work, I should share the credit with my team, thereby considering them more important than me. We need to ask God to keep us humble.
b. Excellence
2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Whatever the vocation God has placed me in, I need to do my best for God, who is my boss. This may mean doing more than my peers and going beyond my job scope.
Many years ago, when I was working for a property developer, my company would fly in a renowned British expert in construction contracts. He would sit in one of the meeting rooms to review the contracts and then write down his legal opinion on some of the more difficult disputes. At that time, I realised that a fair amount of my time as a project manager was spent trying to resolve disputes with contractors, and thus felt that understanding contract law would help me do my job better. My colleagues told me that it was not my responsibility and that I should just leave it to the quantity surveyor or lawyers. But I wanted to be more efficient in my work and decided to spend time learning from this British expert. Otherwise left mostly on his own, he was quite happy to share his knowledge with me. Over time, that helped me pre-empt common disputes and become more confident in managing my projects.
I believe that God wants us to become good at our jobs so that we can be an effective witness for Him. We should thus be on the lookout for opportunities to hone our skills and become master craftsmen like Bezalel in the Old Testament. At times, this would require some sacrifice of time and money as we learn new skills or new knowledge in unfamiliar subject areas. At other times, we may need to step out of our comfort zones, and even beyond our usual work scopes, to become better at our jobs.
“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” (Prov 22:29, ESV)
Be so good that others can’t ignore you. As someone once said: “Mediocrity doesn’t win the respect of outsiders. Mastery does.” When you are good at your work, it draws the attention of others, and sometimes God provides opportunities for you to be a positive influence and witness. Not too long ago, I was asked to present my views on a certain financial topic at a TV interview. It was an unexpected opportunity that I felt led to accept despite feeling inadequate. I was truly terrified, but I felt that maybe God would be able to use me to somehow bless others.
When we work hard to be good in our work, it is harder for others to criticise us and discredit our Christian beliefs. But being slipshod in our work may stumble others and make them less receptive to knowing the Christ that we profess to love.
c. Gentleness
I remember one Christian senior manager whom I worked under whose voice grew softer, but remained firm, whenever he was engaged in a quarrel with consultants or contractors. I was quite puzzled at first because I thought that the natural reaction would be to match the volume of your voice with the party whom you are arguing with, and to get louder. But I realised later that, for some reason, what my senior manager had done had a calming effect on the other party. It was difficult for the other party to keep raising his or her voice when my senior manager’s voice was getting softer. This helped both parties remain calm and rational, and thereby seek a solution rather than escalate into a shouting match. It showed me how it was possible to be gentle in the midst of hostility.
1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, albeit a difficult one to practise in a world ruled by self-interests. When given the opportunity to share our faith, let us do so with gentleness and respect for the other person, remembering that it is the Holy Spirit—not us—who convicts hearts.
Is Being Ethical a Choice?
What is the big deal about being ethical in our workplace? Shouldn’t it just be a natural part of us who follow God? But for those of us who have worked long enough, we know that being ethical is sometimes a complex issue and not always so black-and-white.
A friend of mine once shared that bank relationship managers (RMs) in his bank simply hate their Friday evening sales meetings. The sales manager would pick on those who had failed to meet their sales quota for that week, and those who had not met their quotas for consecutive weeks could be given marching orders. Many times, my friend has had to offer comforting words to his colleagues who were crying after being fired. Under such intense pressure, the RMs were sometimes tempted to not disclose all their product risks to their customers, in order to close the sale and thereby keep their jobs and feed their families.
All of us will face different ethical and moral dilemmas sooner or later in our work. As an inherently sinful person in a fallen world, I know that I instinctively seek choices that will benefit me most. We need to recognise that our moral compass is broken and faulty. Hence, it is imperative that we know God’s Word well so that, together with the help of the Holy Spirit, we have a true compass for all our decisions. May integrity be our hallmark as we reflect Christ in our workplace.
What If Our Work Environment is Toxic?
Some of us may find ourselves working for difficult bosses or being in an environment that is unduly competitive and toxic. In these situations, it may seem like you need to play by their rules just to survive, and adopting godly values may appear tantamount to career suicide.
Upholding godly values at such times may be tough. It may seem easier to be an undercover Christian at work than to boldly proclaim that you are a Christian. Being a disciple—and putting Christ’s standard above what the workplace defines as the norm—can bring ridicule, or it may mean forgoing a promotion or monetary rewards.
In an earlier job, I had a new boss after my company had merged with another company. We were encouraged to report any missteps by others in their work and report any complaints made in private. It was a stressful environment where we had to be very careful in our speech and where everyone was wary and suspicious of one another, not knowing who was listening and reporting to the boss what was being said. How does one serve Christ in such an environment?
Standing up to your beliefs and doing what is right may cost you your job, which was what happened to me. But I believed that God was in control and I just needed to trust Him to take care of me and my family for the unknown future. If we believe that God is good and loving, then we need to trust His heart even when our world seems to be collapsing around us.
Each of us should be seeking God’s kingdom in our little corners of the workplace. Push back, bit by bit, the darkness around, so that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10).
There are no easy answers to how we should respond to a toxic work environment. But in the face of such darkness and evil, who do we believe is stronger? God or evil men? Your presence as a godly Christian in your workplace may be like a small match light in the piercing darkness. But if God is powering that little match light through you, nothing on earth or in the heavenly realms can extinguish that flame!
James 1:2-4 tells us that our trials and tribulations are tests of our faith which produce perseverance. Through our perseverance, we will grow and mature to be complete in our faith.
There may come a time when we may need to leave a toxic workplace. We will need to seek wise counsel from trusted and spiritually mature friends and mentors, and pray and fast if necessary, in seeking God’s will.
Being a Disciple of Christ in the Workplace
Here are two tips that have helped me in my working life:
a. Deepen your relationship with Christ
For many years, I was a pew warmer, content with just feeding on Sunday sermons to help me live the Christian life for the other six days of the week. I also volunteered in some ministries, helping to organise missions conferences in church and serving as a pianist at the Wednesday prayer services (even though I was a terrible pianist!). But all these were not sufficient in helping me grow and mature as a Christian. Gradually, I realised the deficit in my spiritual growth and decided it was time to take small steps to grow spiritually while juggling work and family.
As I am the first to arrive at my workplace after dropping my wife off at her school, I use the time to read the daily BRD (Bible Reading Drive) devotions, pray according to ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) and then commit my daily schedule to God, seeking help especially for any difficult meetings in the day. Before each meeting, I try to make it a habit to pause for a quick breath prayer, seeking God’s favour to be a blessing and to exude the fragrance of Christ to whomever I am meeting. Doing this helps me adopt the correct posture to be reliant on God through the meeting.
Our Discipleship & Nurture Ministry has many courses and avenues for us to grow at our own pace. Find one that fits with your schedule and commit to a lifelong adventure of learning about God and how to be more like Christ.
b. Find a like-minded community
We were never meant to walk our Christian lives alone. Paul speaks of how each one of us is part of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-27). We all need each other to lean on and also to support when different parts of the body are under stress. It is therefore important that we each seek out a small group—our own band of brothers (or sisters) whom we can share freely with and turn to for support when walking through the valleys in our lives.
Over the years, I have been blessed to find my own “board of directors”—mature Christian friends with different gifts and strengths. Some who are deeply spiritual help to offer correct godly perspectives, and others who are more practical share how to apply godly values in difficult work situations. I have also my Small Group, the Companions in Christ group, and a small band of brothers, all of whom I can count on when life gets hard.
Whether it is one or more persons or groups is immaterial. You just need to find a community you can trust and walk life together. Joining a Small Group in church is a good place to start.
Conclusion
As ambassadors of Christ in our workplaces, we are being scrutinised daily by others to see if our faith is real or just a façade. The Great Commission sends us out to our workplaces to make disciples for Christ. May the way we live out godly values, being masters at our craft and being excellent in all that we do, speak volumes for Christ.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
~ Hymn, Be Thou My Vision
Photos: Pixabay.com
