Starting with prayer
Review of the biblical principles of work discussed is the focus of this blog. But first, we do a short recap on prayer.
Prayer is crucial to being a true follower of Jesus Christ at work. This is because allegiance to Godly principles in work would be going against the popular trend. We battle daily against Satan, the world, and our flesh which is naturally tuned to disobey God. Our weapon to fight this spiritual battle is Jesus Christ, His Word, and His Holy Spirit, and we only have access to these in prayer.
We discussed that our emphasis in prayer should be to maintain our relationship with God. However, it is important to recognise that God is a loving Father who is willing to give us everything we need. That we have Jesus Christ as our advocate interceding on our behalf, and the Holy Spirit who helps us pray according to the will of the Father.
Therefore, a dedicated time of prayer before we start work each day is a must for a true follower of Jesus Christ. Once we have prayed, we can go into work in confidence, still listening to the Holy Spirit for the specific direction He will give us throughout the day.
Let us be assured that God wants to use us to glorify Jesus Christ in the workplace and so He will only lead us to what will turn out as a testimony. Then the more we obey, the more He will use us in the workplace.
You can see a sample of what the Bible says about prayers in https://bit.ly/whatbiblesaysaboutprayers and a list of biblical prayer verses in https://bit.ly/prayerverses.
You can also read our full blog on prayer including example of model prayers at: https://fmministry.co.uk/how-can-i-be-a-true-follower-of-jesus-christ-at-work-start-with-a-prayer
Principles of work – rhythm of work and rest
The Bible reveals that God created the entire universe within 7 days and in a rhythm of night and day. That divine week of creation stands as a memorial for how we must also live in obedience to God in our work (Genesis 1:1-31; 2:1-3).
God’s example shows that we must have a clear demarcation of when we start work and when we finish followed by a period of rest until we start again the following day. This is the perfect demonstration of daily rhythm.
The application is the same for people who work irregular hours such as evenings, nights, or on a rota. They will just need to find the rhythm that works for their pattern of work.
We covered the Sabbath rest using Genesis 2:2-3 which shows that God rested from all His work on the seventh day. He then blessed the day and made it holy.
We acknowledged that Believers may have different views on observing the Sabbath. But Jesus Christ taught and gave practical examples of how to observe the day of rest. He, therefore, expects us, just like Him, to observe it in the spirit and not in legalistic terms.
You can review the full blog about the rhythm of work and rest at: https://fmministry.co.uk/how-can-i-be-a-true-follower-of-jesus-christ-at-work-principles-of-work-the-rhythm-of-work-and-rest
Principles of work – Vision and Creativity
God gave us the example of himself as a creative being when He created all things ending with mankind created in His image. The first instruction from God to mankind was to be fruitful, to increase in number, to fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the other living creatures (Genesis 1:28).
Work for Christ Disciples is supposed to be our way to worship God and to add something good to society. Therefore, this vision and the creative drive that comes with it is the ‘Ministry’ of every Christ Disciple.
To fulfil our purpose, God has equipped us with the skills, abilities, and experience we need. He then also fill us with His Holy Spirit which gives us the supernatural ability to excel in our work.
God intends to bring His Kingdom here on earth and He wants all of us to be part of the creation. Just as Bezalel was called to create a physical representation of God’s Temple in the Old Testament, we have all been called to create the Kingdom of God on the earth. It must start with us as individuals, and then we can support others to catch the same vision.
But even with the Holy Spirit, skills, and resources made available, we still must put in the necessary hard work and focus to maintain our creativity in work. We also need to persevere in the face of opposition to fulfil what God has called us to do.
You can review the full blog on vision and creativity at: https://fmministry.co.uk/principles-of-work-vision-and-creativity
Principles of work – Partnership
God did not create the universe in isolation (Genesis 1:26). He created man and then made a helpmate for him (Genesis 2:18). His original intention was to work in partnership with us and we can see a glimpse of this in His relationship with Adam.
A further example of partnership is seen in the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Triune God works together in creation, in salvation, and in answering our prayers.
Jesus, representing God on the earth worked in partnership with the God-Head and with His Disciples. He showed us how we can work in partnership in our work of creation.
Like Jesus, we must also work in partnership with GOD, and with the resources, He makes available to us.
However, the most important partner we need is God, and this is with His Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman which means He will not impose Himself on us. He only comes when we invite Him in, and He speaks in a quiet voice, so we have to listen to hear Him. All of us need to grow in recognising and obeying His voice so that we can excel in our work.
You can review the full blog on Partnership at: https://fmministry.co.uk/principles-of-work-partnership
Principles of work – Leadership
The Leadership we referred to in the blog is Biblical and Jesus-like leadership. Below are few points used to clarify:
- God created mankind to rule the earth.
- Adam, Eve, and by extension all of us humans lost our right to rule because of sin.
- Jesus Christ came on the earth to pay the penalty for our sins so that we can regain everything that God had prepared for us.
- We regain our right to rule once we are born again and are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
- All Christian Leaders can work in partnership because God has given us different tasks to complete in His Kingdom.
- All Christ-followers are called to emulate the life of Christ. Our leadership is therefore to serve others.
- ‘Leadership is influence’ and so we lead others in the workplace by setting examples in the way Christ would have done in our position.
- We must lead by being the salt and light of the workplace so that others may glorify our Father in heaven and see Christ through us.
You can review the full blog on Leadership at: https://fmministry.co.uk/principles-of-work-leadership
Principles of work – Character
The Bible teaches that followers of Jesus Christ should be of good character and we know what is good by looking at Jesus.
Jesus showed us examples of humility, love, compassion, caring, trustworthiness, truthfulness, respect, honesty, welcoming, gentle, just, fair, generous, patient, etc.
Scriptures also gave us examples of bad character to avoid such as pride, arrogance, hatred, jealousy, rage, bitterness, envy, gossip, betrayal, slander, laziness, gluttony, etc.
We must all, therefore, pay attention to the characters of Jesus and make sure we live according to them so that people around us will experience Jesus through us.
Our character should be examined regularly to see if we are growing in the image of Christ. A good measurement is the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).
Reflect – Have I grown in evidence of the fruit of the Spirit?
You can review the full blog on Character including my reflection at: https://fmministry.co.uk/principles-of-work-character
Next time we will look to summarise examples of workers in the Bible and the learning from them.
God bless you and let us keep growing in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ
Adesina
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