Welcome to another edition of The COVID-19 Devotionals!
The intersection of faith and work are of great interest to me.
Have you ever considered how you bring Christ into a place where you spend 60-70% of your waking hours? How do faith & work interact during a global crisis?
I spent a good deal of time studying faith during my studies at Dallas Baptist University and I focused on studying all aspects of work in completing my graduate studies at Amberton University. In addition to my educational pursuits, I have been working for a living for 40 years, serving in diverse roles in a variety of industries. Currently, I minister in the workplace through my role as a chaplain with Marketplace Chaplains.
This past year, during our men’s breakfast and fellowship, we have been focusing on what making God known in our workplaces looks like, including exploring different strategies and tactics.
A crisis provides us the opportunity to demonstrate our faith at work. Our coworkers who know that we are Jesus followers often look to us the most when times in our world are the most difficult. We are either pointing people to Jesus or pushing them away. What impact does the COVID-19 pandemic have on your ability to be a person of faith at work?
Even though our modern culture may want to separate faith and work, God didn’t intend for work and faith to be separate spheres that never crossed or connected. Certainly, it is increasingly more challenging for people to live out their faith and spirituality in an increasingly pluralistic world. But, alas, we are spiritual beings, and our faith shapes and influences our response to diverse workplace issues like ethics, values, vocation, meaning, purpose, and how we approach our work.
At work, it is possible that you and I can build meaningful relationships that can lead to a co-worker’s salvation. We’ve got to be intentional about learning ideas and strategies that succeed in sharing our faith authentically and genuinely, taking care to draw people to God rather than pushing them away. In our respective workplaces, we can model how experiencing the power of God makes a difference in how we respond to everyday work issues and how we respond when faced with a global health crisis such as COVID-19. We all know by now that our actions speak more loudly than our words. We can talk Christian, but if we fail to act in a Christ-like manner our witness will be impaired and ineffective.
Many times, we are the only Bible someone will ever read. This is true not just in our neighborhoods and communities, but at work and in the workplace. Nearly 25% of people are showing a rekindled and renewed faith amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not unusual for us to see an uptick in people drawing closer to God during a crisis. It happened after 9-11. It happens when people experience great loss. We know that even though churches are unable to meet in person, faith appears to be growing in leaps and bounds.
Chances are, amid the COVID-19 crisis, you are working alongside someone who is grappling with matters of faith. The truth is you and I ARE the Church when we are serving Christ in our workplace. The opportunity is there. What you do with it is up to you.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, hallowed be Your name. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thank You, Jesus, for rescuing us from our own depravity and lifestyle of sin and transforming us into a new creation. Help us, Holy Spirit, to love our neighbor well and show and share God’s love with all we come in contact with, especially those we work alongside on a daily basis. Thank You for loving us Lord. Thank You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Is how you work and how you act at work drawing people closer to Christ?
- Are you taking advantage of your influence as a Christian at work and demonstrating what true, godly love looks like?
- Are you too caught up in your own needs to pay attention to the desperate soul cries of your co-worker?
- If someone told your co-workes you were a Christian would they be surprised?
I’m super excited to announce that on Thursday, May 21, 2020, I’ll be a guest on my friend Kathryn McClatchy’s Unleashing the Next Chapter to share my insights on Blogging Essentials. Kathryn and I met a number of years ago when we were both serving on the Board of Directors for our local Writers Guild of Texas. She’s an advocate, coach, consultant, speaker, and writer. Even more, she’s a good friend. I hope you will jot it down in your calendar and make plans to join us.
Are you interested in learning more about faith and work? Check out the podcasts listed here.
My prayer is that during this COVID-19 pandemic you stay healthy and safe. It’s certainly a uniquely difficult time for many people around the world. May God shine His favor on you and shower you with His love.
Blessings,
The Devotional Guy™
ABOUT: The Devotional Guy™ is a writing ministry of Rainer Bantau, a seasoned gospel preacher, church musician, and chaplain ministering to individuals in their workplaces, to the homeless, and wherever he meets them. He shares helps, hope, and insights on his blog, The Devotional Guy™.
Sources:
Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative
The Minister’s Bible (2007). Hendrickson Bible Publishing. Peabody, Massachusetts.
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I believe that to experience life the way God intended, you and I must receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, God has made this gift available to all who ask.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13
Will you personally receive the gift of eternal life so that you can experience the total forgiveness from your sins that come through believing in the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
The Devotional Guy™ 
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