More on Faith and Work
(See Faith and Work: Being a Christian in the Workplace blog entry
YOUR WORK—OUTSIDE THE CHURCH—EVERY DAY—COUNTS
Click here for a downloadable Faith and Work Study Guide.)
Take a moment to reflect on the following questions:
• Where has God placed you as an ambassador?
• What positive role can you have?
Work has been part of God’s GOOD plan from the beginning: The Lord put humans in the Garden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).
Wherever you find yourself—you have been placed there by God as His ambassador. Your purpose is to be a person of “shalom”—defined by Regent College Professor of Biblical Studies Iain Provan as “a Hebrew word that means fullness of life, wellbeing.” No matter your vocation, you can seek “shalom in every aspect of daily life” and be “a blessing to the world” (quoted from ReFrame).
You and I are part of God’s larger story. He has given us our identity and showers us with His gifts—in order that we express that unique identity and use those gifts in ways that impact those around us for the good.
Katherine Leary Alsdorf in Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work says:
“The gospel reminds us that God cares about the products we make, the companies we work for, and the customers we serve. He not only loves us, but also loves the world and wants us to serve it well. My work is a critical way in which God is caring for human beings and renewing his world. God gives us our vision and our hope…We’re supposed to treat all people and their work with dignity. We’re to create an environment in which people can flourish and use their God-given gifts to contribute to society. We’re to embody grace, truth, hope, and love in the organizations we create…We’re to express our relationship with God and his grace to us in the way we speak, work, and lead, not as perfect exemplars but as pointers to Christ.”
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Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and leaders in a diversity of fields for over 30 years. She has also been Catalyst for Equipping at her 1,200 member church since 1999.
Photo (c) Shirley Giles Davis, all rights reserved.