Following Jesus On Monday Morning

 

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.” —Frederick Buechner

Scripture: Colossians 3:12–17, 23–24

Whenever I preach or write about what it means to be a Jesus-follower at our places of work, I will often get a response from folks that goes something like this: 

"It's so easy for you, man.  You're kind of a 'professional' Christian."  

To begin, I'm not a professional at following Jesus.  I stumble harder than most at doing it.  But I get it.  My workplace is kind of conducive to talking about faith.  

But I spent years working outside the church, including time on the corporate side of both entertainment (Disney World) and retail (Best Buy), so I understand how hard it can be to follow Jesus faithfully without becoming some annoyingly overly-Christian person everyone at work avoids.  

The fact is, most of us will spend or have spent far more time working than we ever spend inside a church. 

Which means that if following Jesus matters, it has to matter on Monday morning.

Christian faith isn't something we leave behind when we walk into the office, classroom, job site, shop, hospital, meeting, or Zoom call.

So what would Jesus do at work?

Perhaps we begin with some very ordinary questions.

Would Jesus tell the truth when dishonesty would be profitable?

Would Jesus take credit for someone else's work?

Would Jesus treat the custodian differently from the CEO?

Would Jesus humiliate an employee who made a mistake?

Would Jesus participate in gossip about a coworker?

Would Jesus cut ethical corners because “everybody does it”?

Would Jesus view people primarily according to what they can do for him?

The answer seems obvious.

Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.”

But just before saying that, he describes the character we are supposed to bring into our lives: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, gratitude, and above all, love.

Imagine bringing those qualities into the workplace.

Christianity should make us better coworkers, supervisors, employees, employers, customers, and businesspeople.

Not because Christians are perfect.

But because following Jesus should shape how we treat people when there is money to be made, pressure to perform, deadlines to meet, and disagreements to resolve.

Integrity matters most when integrity costs us something.

Kindness matters most when someone cannot advance our career.

Character matters most when nobody is watching.

Perhaps our workplaces are among the most important places we can practice the question:

What would Jesus do?

Would he tell the truth?

Would he treat this person with dignity?

Would he make this deal?

Would he speak these words?

Would he make this decision if nobody ever knew?

Following Jesus isn't just something we practice on Sunday morning.

Sometimes our clearest witness happens on Monday.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, enter my work with me. Shape the way I speak, lead, serve, decide, and treat others. Give me integrity when compromise would be easier, humility when ego takes over, and kindness toward everyone I encounter. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Where am I most tempted to separate my faith from my work?
2. How would asking “What would Jesus do?” change a current workplace decision or relationship?
3. What Christlike quality could I intentionally bring into my work today?