Seven Ways to Glorify God in Your Work

Labor Day is Tomorrow:

A day that marks the unofficial end of summer.

A day that marks the end of wearing white clothing

Mainly, it is a day that recognizes the contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.

In light of Labor Day, I thought it would be appropriate to preach on the subject of how we can glorify God in our work.

Work is a good thing. It was part of God’s design, even before the fall. And, as such, it is a means of glorifying Him.

Colossians 3:23–24 (ESV)

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.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Seven Ways to Glorify God in Your Work

1) Cling to Your Identity in Christ

Philippians 1:21 (ESV)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

If you are a Christian, your identity is in Christ; it is not found in what you do for a living.

A) If you attempt to find your identity in your work, you will experience stability.

- If things are good at work, you will feel good about who you are. If sales are down, or production goals are not met, or God forbid, you lose your job—if you find your identity in your work—you will be utterly lost.

B) If you attempt to find your identity in your work, you will never be satisfied.

Work is a good thing, but it makes a lousy god. It will never satisfy your heart.

If work is your idol, if it is where you find your identity, you will never be content; you will go from job to job looking for purpose and fulfillment. But you will never find it, because it cannot satisfy you.

Your work will become your god.

Treasure Jesus above all things. Your identity is in Him.

2) Get Good at What You Do & Work Diligently

Colossians 3:23–24 (ESV)

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.

Find what it is that you enjoy, and do it with excellence!

A) You may have not have your dream job right now; but, one way to glorify God in your work is by doing WHATEVER YOU DO heartily, as unto the Lord.

Our waiter at the Saucy Crab

Luther: "The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays -- not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors. The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship."

B) Don’t just get by with as little work as possible.

Proverbs 10:4 (ESV)

A slack hand causes poverty,

but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

C) Continually give praise to God for your skills and creativity.

Skill can have a tendency to make us arrogant.

Remain humble

God has given you your abilities

Let your work be excellent. Let it be creative. And do it for the glory of God.

3) Don’t Let the Good Things Keep You from the Best Things

Luke 10:38–42 (ESV)

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

In Luke 10:38, Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. Martha was working hard to be a good host, but Mary took the place of a disciple and sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to His teaching. Martha then chastised Mary because she was working so hard, while Mary—as she saw it—was slacking off.

But the Scriptures do not chastise Mary. Jesus said, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken from her.

Jesus is not knocking work. The Bible compels work.

But Jesus is saying, don’t let work—which is a good thing—keep you from the best things.

People have a tendency to work their spiritual lives around their job. I would say work everything else around your life with Christ.

4) Influence the Culture, Don’t Let the Culture Influence You

Matthew 5:13–14 (ESV)

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

1 John 2:15 (ESV)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I’ve heard Christians complain that “they work with a bunch of heathens.”

What do you expect? You are working in a secular world. Could it be, that God wants you to influence those people?

Chick Fil A - a fast food restaurant that stands out:

Their corporate purpose: "To glorify God by being a faithful steward to all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

Christians and non Christians alike dine at Chick-Fil-A. But their restaurants have a different atmosphere than any other restaurant I know of.

Change the culture at your work, don’t let it change you!

5) Walk in Integrity

A) Don’t Steal (One of the ten commandments)

Ephesians 4:1 (ESV)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

Ephesians 4:28 (ESV)

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

One of the ways in which we can steal from our employers, is through “time theft.”

According to research from Salary.com, 89 percent of employees waste at least some time at work every day. Thirty-one percent waste about 30 minutes, but the top 10 percent waste three or more hours each day.

20% of every dollar earned by a company in the US is lost to employee time theft (Workforce.com, 2021).

B) Tell the Truth

Do not bear false witness against your neighbor (One of the ten commandments)

Ephesians 4:25 (ESV)

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

John 8:44 (ESV)

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Rule 8, in Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life” is, “Always tell the truth or at least don’t lie.” I soon divided myself into two parts: one that spoke, and one, more detached, that paid attention and judged. I soon came to realize that almost everything I said was untrue. I had motives for saying these things: I wanted to win arguments and gain status and impress people and get what I wanted. I was using language to bend and twist the world into delivering what I thought was necessary. But I was a fake. Realizing this, I started to practise only saying things that the internal voice would not object to. I started to practise telling the truth—or, at least, not lying. I soon learned that such a skill came in very handy when I didn’t know what to do. What should you do, when you don’t know what to do? Tell the truth. Those who have lied enough, in word and action, live there, in hell—now. It is deceit that makes people miserable beyond what they can bear. It is deceit that fills human souls with resentment and vengefulness. It is deceit that produces the terrible suffering of mankind: the death camps of the Nazis; the torture chambers and genocides of Stalin and that even greater monster, Mao. It was deceit that killed hundreds of millions of people in the twentieth century. It was deceit that almost doomed civilization itself. It is deceit that still threatens us, most profoundly, today.

C) Show integrity by Doing What You Say You Are Going to Do

think before you commit to something!

D) Show integrity by Being on Time

E) Show integrity by giving at least two weeks notice with your resignation.

F) Show Integrity by refusing to Gossip

Proverbs 16:28 (ESV)

A dishonest man spreads strife,

and a whisperer separates close friends.

6) Demonstrate the Love of God

1 Corinthians 13 (ESV)

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

You can be the best worker in your company, but if you have not love, your work is of no eternal good.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

The Co-founder of the South African Satanic Church recently converted to Christianity, despite saying—just a short time before—that he did not believe in Jesus Christ.

How did it happen?

After a radio interview, in which he stated he had never been shown unconditional love, one of the station employs came up and hugged him in a way in which he knew was loving and genuine.

Something happened in that moment that he couldn’t explain, and a week later he found out that the lady was a committed Christian.

He has since believed the Gospel and turned to Jesus Christ; all of this started because he was shown love.

How to Show Love to people at work.

A) Listen to your co-workers

B) Help others Succeed (go into work asking yourself “how can I help and bless these people today?” instead of “what can I get from these people today?”.

C) Believe the best in people

D) Minister to their practical needs

7)Live within Your Means and Be Generous

Ephesians 4:28 (ESV)

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Don’t chase the American Dream. Make money, but never let their be your aim.

1 Timothy 6:9–12 (ESV)

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Tension: Purse righteousness and make money. Make as much as you can, so that you can give away as much as you can.

The average Christian gives about 3% of their income away. Many give away nothing.

Churches and pastors and missionaries, who have commited their lives to vocational ministry, depend on your generosity.

The poor and marginalized depend on your generosity.

But if you don’t live within your means, you will never be able to walk in generosity.

Learn to be content!

1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV)

But godliness with contentment is great gain,

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We need to simplify our lives!

Closing

Whether in eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God.

At your job, may you make it your aim, to make much of Jesus.

Work

Work diligently

Work for the glory of God

Live for the Kingdom dream, not the American Dream.