How Can A Christian Glorify God At Work?

Last updated on: April 28, 2017 at 5:00 am by Jack Wellman

How Can A Christian Glorify God At Work? 2017-04-12T16:02:37-05:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is it possible to glorify God, even in the work place?

Glorifying God

There is one reason God created the heavens and the universe, and of course that includes us, and it was that He would be glorified. The psalmist understood that “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1), and more than that, as if the speak, “Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:2). [1] Although the universe doesn’t actually speak (excluding natural sounds), its existence declares God’s glory because anything that is created is never greater than that or who created it, and in this case, it is God. Since the universe appears infinitely immense, Whoever created must be even greater, and of course that is the case. Today “we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Heb 11:3), but when this was written, even the author of Hebrews didn’t have a clue about the sub-atomic structure of matter. It is never tried to be explained; it simply says “he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9), the point to all this is we too were created to tell “of the glory of God” and to be “declaring the work of His hands,” so how can we do that at work? It will be by a biblical work ethic, such as found in Ecclesiastes 9:10, Galatians 3:23-24, Ephesians 6:7 and elsewhere, and where we will look at next.

Respect over Popularity

Years ago I worked as a janitor for seven years and worked about 35 hours a week while finishing college and it was a grueling job to be sure. There was only one janitor in an aircraft parts company of 680 employees, and there were 3 shifts so the work was never really done. When I finished in one area, I’d have to begin all over again, and if you’ve ever seen a machine shop’s restrooms….well, you get the idea. While I was often on my hands and knees, scrubbing where the mop and floor scrubber wouldn’t reach, I kept remembering a Bible verse that kept me going through all this, and it was Ecclesiastes 9:10a where Solomon wrote, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” I am thankful now that my “seven year itch” to quit that job was only overcome by the future hope of finishing school, but mostly from the fact that I was doing this for God and not for man. I thought, as long as I’m here, I’m going to give it all I got, even if no one ever looked behind the toilets to see that it was clean (for the time being!). I made a lot of friends, but of course there were some who looked down upon me (literally, in my case) because of what I did, but when I was finished with my school, I thought it was all more than worth it.

Glorifying God at Work

How can you glorify God when you have a really bad job, perhaps even worse than mine was? It’s not easy, I can assure you of that, but when I met my wife she said any job that is honest is deserving of respect and honor, no matter how menial the task is, and she is right. How can a toilet scrubber (as I was) glorify God in my work? Obviously, it is to do the very best I can because I am not really working for my boss, but for God. The Scriptures say, “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” (Col 3:23-24). Talk about your infinite 401K! Wow…this is a reward that won’t burn up with everything else on the day of His visitation. Work done for the glory of God passes through the fire because it was done for God and the very same thing applies for what we do for others. Jesus said “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt 25:40). I remember a co-work friend of mine who was a Christian and he got blamed for something he didn’t do, and when I offered to stand up for him to his supervisor, he said, “No, it’s okay.” I never forgot that. That man was content in his job and with life, and even with unfair accusations. He glorified God by not seeking to get even (Rom 12:19). I can see why godliness with contentment is pleasing in God’s sight (1st Tim 6:6).

Conclusion

A mind-set of working for God and not mankind shifts your thinking and allows you to see the ultimate retirement that’s coming, but also, think about the time when we’ll be saved to sin no more. Friends, I cannot wait for that day…but I must. I have no other choice. Some will rejoice in that day, while others will mourn and for those who have rejected Jesus all of their lives, they will see *“he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (*Rev 1:7). For now, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of my sins, but that will pass away someday, along with everything else that mankind has suffered through (Rev 21:4), so try to do this; live with the ending in mind. Today, think about eternity. God has already placed that in our hearts anyway (Eccl 3:11). Where that eternity ends up being depends not on religion but upon your relationship with Christ. Daniel writes that “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Dan 12:2-4). Today is the best day to make that choice (2nd Cor 6:2) if you have not already done so.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also host of Spiritual Fitness and Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

1. NASB, otherwise all other verses cite the ESV.

Previous Post

April 26, 2017

Can Christians Have A Spell Or Curse Put On Them?

Next Post

May 1, 2017 Is “By His Stripes We Are Healed” A Promise To Heal Everyone?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian group is known for door-to-door evangelism and "Watchtower" magazine?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mennonites Jehovah's Witnesses Lutherans Methodists