It is a blessing to have a job.  With so many people either unemployed or underpaid, it is a good thing to have a job that affords you the ability to support your family and pay all your bills.  If you have a good job, you should not take it for granted, but thank God for blessing you.

Men have a God-given duty to work and provide for their families.  Paul said, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).  In another place, he suggested that if a man does not work, he should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Work is important in more ways than one.  Some spend more hours on the job than they do at home (at least that was the case before the pandemic).  Our job is a place, then, where we can have a lot of influence on others, but also a place where others can have a lot of influence on us if we are not careful.

Are you a good influence on the people with whom you work, or are you allowing your work environment to influence you?  Many places of employment are dominated by sinful behavior.  Gossip, cursing, and other corrupt speech often prevail at the places where we work.  Then, with the increase of women in the workforce, the danger of extra-marital affairs which begin at work has increased dramatically.  One report says that 85% of affairs begin in the workplace.  That is not surprising seeing that co-workers often spend more time together than spouses do.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to be a good influence no matter where we are.

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
¹⁴  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

How do you allow your light to shine at work?  The answer is the same way you do everywhere else—by your good works.  Christianity is not something we put on and take off like a hat.  Being a Christian is not simply what we do, it is what we are.  So, at work just be what you are—a Christian, both in word and deed.

It is best to let people know that you are a Christian as soon as possible.  By doing this, you are telling your co-workers that you take being a Christian seriously and that you do not plan on engaging in anything contrary to your beliefs.  You do not have to force-feed your Christianity to them, but you need to let them know by your works that you do not plan on compromising your faith.

You must never give in to anything sinful on your job, or even the appearance of it (1 Thessalonians 5:22).  Do not join in the watercooler gossip.  Don’t curse just because everyone else does.  Let your light shine by being different.  Never dress in the garb of the ungodly when you go into the office, but wear modest apparel that is pleasing to God (1 Timothy 2:9-10).  As Paul told Timothy, be an example “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity,” and you should have a good influence on those with whom you work.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.