A standalone study on seeing your workplace as a field for witness, relationship, and excellence.
The big question
If you add up the hours, you spend more of your waking life at work than almost anywhere else. That raises a question worth sitting with: is your job just how you pay the bills, or is it a place God has put you on purpose? This study looks at three opportunities a believer has at work, a witness people can see, relationships that last, and excellence that honors God, and asks how you would treat your job differently if you saw it as assigned ground.
Key takeaways
- You spend roughly a third of your life at work, so God means to use that time, not waste it.
- Scripture is full of people God used in ordinary jobs, not just in the temple.
- How you work is a witness people can see before they hear a word from you.
- The hours you share at work can grow into relationships that change a life.
- Excellent work, done for God, is itself a form of ministry.
Scripture to sit with
1 Corinthians 9:19-22. Paul becomes all things to all people to win some. Your daily proximity to coworkers is a gift for exactly this.
Matthew 5:16. Let your light shine so people see your good works and glorify God. Good work is visible light.
Colossians 3:23. Work heartily, as for the Lord. Excellence is worship before it is performance.
Daniel 1:8-21. Daniel serves with integrity inside a pagan government and is honored for it. Faithful work in a hard place is an old story.
Quotes worth discussing
Williams says, “He was still the holy Son of God as a carpenter.”
On the witness of work, Williams says, “We have an opportunity to have an apologetic that’s not just heard but seen.”
On a friendship that became eternal, Williams says, “I will spend eternity with Scott now, from a relationship that we built at work.”
On the call to excellence, Williams says, “We have a chance to honor God through good and excellent work. Not mediocre work, not lazy work, not sloppy work.”
Discussion questions
- If you saw your workplace as assigned to you by God, what is the first thing that would change on Monday?
- What does your work say about your faith before you ever open your mouth?
- Who is one coworker you could invest in over the next year, the way Williams invested in Scott?
- Where are you tempted to give less than your best, and how might excellence there become worship?
- Williams could not say the name Jesus on his Singapore project. How do you witness when words are off the table?
Go deeper
This study comes from the Jude 3 Project’s Christ at Work webinar, where executive Travis Williams spoke alongside theologian Walter Strickland and HR practitioner Robbin Frazier, hosted by Lisa Fields. For a related conversation, see How Do You Live Out Your Faith at Work.
A closing reflection
Pick one coworker and one task this week. For the coworker, do something small and genuine that builds the relationship, with no agenda attached. For the task, do it with more care than the job requires. Watch how God uses both over time.