Your Secular Job Matters to God—Here’s Why

How can God use me in my secular workplace?

Have you ever felt like you’re not living a life “on mission” because you work in a secular career? Perhaps you have a burning desire to make a difference in the world, but you feel confined by your day to day responsibilities of work/study.

As Christians, it’s easy to develop a mindset that our “Christian life” is separate from our “Monday-Friday life”. Sometimes we can have the perspective that the spiritual practices in our life are important to God, but the secular ones such as going to work, don’t matter (or at least, not as much). We can assume that God is nearer when we’re doing spiritual things, but not as close when we’re going about our day-to-day lives. But God is omnipresent; He is with you wherever you go, and He cares about every aspect of your life. You don’t have a “spiritual life” and a “secular life”- the Holy Spirit lives in you, so your whole life – including your career – is spirit-filled!

Your job can be your ministry and your workplace can be your mission field.

You don’t have to be a missionary to be on mission. You might be the only Christian that your workmates encounter, so that’s a great opportunity for you to be an example of Jesus. This could look like making choices to act above reproach in all circumstances, including at work. Or not engaging in office gossip, choosing to be a peacemaker when conflict arises, or being kind and generous to those you work with. These are good examples but the opportunities are almost endless for you to be an influence for the gospel within the arena of your career. As you grow in awareness that your workplace is your ministry, you will naturally begin to notice opportunities to share your faith.

Know that your gifts are God-given; therefore, do everything as if you were doing it for God. God isn’t just with you in the big moments; He is with you in the everyday, mundane tasks of life. You can serve Him in everything you do! In the book of Romans, Paul puts it like this:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him Romans 12:1

God created you with individual gifts, talents and skills, to be used for His glory. So whatever your sphere is, own it! Do great work - be an amazing IT specialist, graphic designer, carpenter, nurse etc. Allow your dedication and the beauty of your craft to be an act of worship.

3 tips to owning your sphere:

1. Spend some time in God’s presence on your way to work. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you opportunities to be Jesus to your workmates.

2. Write out a mission statement which highlights your purpose/values in the workplace (hint: ask yourself “what do I want to be known for after I leave?”)

3. Reflect on your gifts, talents and skills. How could you use them for God’s purpose?

Whatever sphere you find yourself in, you can be an influencer for Jesus. How can you own your sphere this week?