Making Maximum Impact At work
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Mathew 5:14-16.
Are you living a transparent life at work? Have you openly spoken about how God helped you during a tough time? Do your actions at work reflect your Christian principles? Are you pursuing excellence, as working for the Lord, not for men?
Typically, about one third of our time is spent at work. This makes the workplace one of the most ideal places for impacting lives for Christ. The business of soul winning must start from our own “Jerusalem” before it extends to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). We can start by shining our light to those closest to us, including those with whom we work on a daily basis. Influence in the church is achieved through spirituality, while influence at workplace; is achieved through relationship and success. Impact your boss and colleagues by being a good example of a Christian (1 Timothy 4: 12). This way we will bring glory to our God. Below are three ways on how we can make a lasting impact at work.
James 2:18 (MSG) - I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
Work with Ethics - Learn to draw the line by majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors. Although there are several opportunities for you to stand out at work, it’s important that it is done in the right way, not a weird way. Focus and Concentrate on doing those jobs that is considered to be the most important jobs before doing anything else. Joseph, under Potiphar, rose to the top due to his excellent abilities. Genesis 39, 1 Samuel 18: 5, Proverbs 13: 4.
1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
Have a Missionary Perspective – First touch your colleagues heart, before asking for their hand. Focus on developing a relationship with others, because each person is unique in their choices, decisions and how they interact. Sometimes, we unknowingly make ourselves unapproachable by projecting a false image that leaves our colleagues believing that Christians live a perfect life. It’s ok to talk about our struggles and share our testimonies, then others will talk about their struggles with us. When you noticed a co-worker looking down, ask if you can pray with them. You will be surprised how people can open up when going through a crisis. That’s how we gain influence at work. An example is Joseph in the prison extends a helping hand to the king’s chief cup bearer and chief baker in their time of crisis. And that help became a catalyst to his freedom and becoming a prime minister in Egypt. Genesis 40 & 41.
1 Peter 2:13-15 (NLT) - For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.
Be Adaptive – Life is about adapting to change. We operate in two different cultures, so we need to know how to take our faith into a culture that is different than the church. It’s ok to openly live out our faith, but the pettiness of religion is not for workplace. Learn to adapt to the workplace culture without compromising your faith. 1 Peter 2: 15-16. Daniel in Babylon adapted to the workplace culture but drew the line when it came to prayer. His friends drew the line, by not bowing down to the golden image. Giving credit to God is paramount to living a transparent life that can greatly impact the work environment. The one thing we shouldn’t do is hide the fact that we are Christians. The place to work-out our faith isn’t just at church. What we do at our work place is a ministry, just as much as being an usher in church.