Good Works and God's Work

Editor’s Note: The following article is written by Josiah Leuenberger, NIFW’s Director. Read more about Josiah here.

Two weeks into my role as NIFW Director, I’m grateful to so many of you for your warm welcome. I’ve come to see quickly and clearly that, at its core, the NIFW community is a vibrant group of people who desire to live in response to the gospel in real, personal ways. You love people and are invested in cooperating with God to bring his redeeming grace to bear on the places you serve in this one-of-a-kind city.

As I begin, I’m also grateful for the leaders who have come before me in stewarding the NIFW ministry. Each of you has played a part in laying a foundation of transformative, practical ministry and building upon it in such a way that gives me excitement as I pray and dream about the possibilities ahead. 

As I think about the future of NIFW, what I look forward to the most is hearing the stories that will continue to be told of God’s grace made manifest among the communities with whom we work as a result of God’s work among us. 

A passage of scripture that spurs my imagination in thinking about this comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus - a diverse, booming city in its own day. To a people faced with a variety of challenges and opportunities, Paul opens by sharing how the story of Jesus provides ultimate hope for any person who trusts him for forgiveness and restoration to God. 

As Paul’s words of Good News build to a crescendo in the early part Chapter 2, he pivots from expounding upon the monumental nature of God’s grace to naming the purpose for which this gift is given:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

The word translated workmanship in this verse in the original Greek is poiema, a word used to describe a product (often a fabric) that was crafted for a specific intent and purpose.

What Paul is tapping into here is two-fold: 1) The uniqueness of every Christ-follower in the way that God has created us to serve (with different gifts, abilities, personalities, experiences, and cultural backgrounds), and 2) The common purpose shared by every follower of Jesus: That the work of our own lives would point to the ultimately good work of Christ.  

An activity that I very much enjoy is writing training programs for endurance sports athletes. Though the art of coaching inevitably involves continual, strategic adjustments to any training program, no matter how well-written, I love the sense of excitement and potential that comes with completing the process of writing a training program for an athlete and dreaming about the improvements in fitness and performance that lie ahead.

As I read Paul’s words in this passage, I can’t help but imagine God feeling a similar sense of excitement and anticipation in considering the redemptive potential within every person who Jesus has so graciously drawn to himself. New possibilities for transformation are on the table - for our lives, our communities, and this world - as a result of God’s presence and activity among us. 

Think about the difference this truth can make in the way that you and I approach our day to day:

How might God’s grace be made manifest in our work as a result of his work among us? 

This is a question that followers of Jesus have the responsibility and privilege to engage. It’s one we can answer in a myriad of ways, and, thank God (seriously!), this is a question we have the joy of being able to answer together, as we support, encourage, and challenge one another to live out our common mission in unique, creative, and meaningful ways. I look forward to making the most of the opportunity as we learn, serve, and experience life together in the years to come.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

Successful and Unhappy (How Can It Be?)

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by Scott Sauls on his blog. Read it here.

In 2015, Business Insider Magazine published an article about Markus Persson, the creator of the wildly successful video game, Minecraft. Persson sold his company for $2.5 billion—establishing him as one of the richest, most successful entrepreneurs in our time. Following the sale, he purchased a mansion for $70 million and spent his days living the dream with lavish parties, high-end vacations, world travel, and frequent hobnobbing with well-known celebrities.

At the peak of his success, when he seemed to be one of the world’s most happy and secure human beings, Persson shared the following Ecclesiastes-like reflections on his Twitter page:

“The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying. Hanging out with a bunch of friends and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, and I have never felt more isolated.”

Several years ago, a friend sent me an essay about the work culture in Silicon Valley indicating that Persson is by no means alone in his struggle. The writer, who had spent a good bit of time with successful start-up innovators and organization leaders in the tech industry, said that while Silicon Valley may be awash in material wealth, its workers are afflicted with a different kind of human poverty. This kind of poverty doesn’t suffer materially as much as it suffers relationally, spiritually, and emotionally from the effects of self-centered ambition, ruthless competition, hyper-intense driven-ness, and insane work hours.

There is also Michelle Williams of the famed diva band, Destiny’s Child. Reflecting on her newfound fame and fortune, the singer said, “I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression. When I disclosed it to our manager at the time, bless his heart, he was like, “You all just signed a multi-million-dollar deal. You’re about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?”

There are still others. Nobel Prize-winning novelist Ernest Hemingway. Groundbreaking writer and literary patron Virginia Woolf. Celebrated author and professor David Foster Wallace. Seattle rock star Curt Cobain. Oscar-winning actor, Robin Williams. Pioneering poet Sylvia Plath. World-renowned fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Actress and cultural icon Marilyn Monroe. All of these and many like them have two things in common. First, they all become portraits of success, popularity, fame, and fortune in their lifetimes. Second, they all committed suicide. Fame and fortune had promised to deliver happiness to them all, and failed to do so on each count.

Does this mean that things like success, popularity, fame and fortune always lead to downfall and destruction? No, it does not. But it is always tricky.

One of the most perplexing things that Jesus ever said was that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle (Matthew 19:24). And yet, many affluent people in the Bible did enter the kingdom of heaven—Abraham the father of faith, Joseph the prime minister of Egypt, Job the wealthy sufferer, David the King of Israel, Solomon the son of David, Luke the physician, Joseph of Arimathea the financier, and (eventually) Nicodemus the wealthy pillar of his community—just to name a few.

Possessing power and luxury only becomes problematic when possessing power and luxury begins to possess us. Success in the world’s eyes—wealth, fame, power, beauty, love and romance, comfort, popularity, health, and so on—can be something to celebrate and enjoy with thanksgiving. But this is true only long as we don’t turn this kind of success into our lifeline, our source for significance, our basis for meaning, our true north.

It’s simple math, really.

Everything minus Jesus equals nothing.

And Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

With Jesus, every other person, place, or thing we are given to enjoy is bonus—not something to plug our emotional umbilical cords into, but rather something to offer thanks for to God. As the poor cottage woman in Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David said as she broke a piece of bread and filled a glass with cold water, “What, all this, and Jesus Christ, too?”

Back to the subject of how our work relates to all of this: Whether our work happens in a mid-level cubicle or in a corner office, whether it earns us zero dollars or billions of dollars, we will on some level be able to identify with the “affluenza” effect. If our imaginations are not shaped by God’s vision for work, we will at some point see our work as essentially pointless.

It is not merely our failures at work, but also our response to our greatest successes, that can lead to a feeling of anticlimax, vexation, meaninglessness, and even despair.

“If our imaginations are not shaped by God’s vision for work, we will at some point see our work as essentially pointless.”

Why on earth, especially if we experience success, can we feel this way? Is it because our work itself isn’t meaningful? Is it because we work too little or too much? Is it because we aren’t living up to our true potential?

Or is it because our perspective about work lacks a redemptive and creative—or biblically-shaped—imagination?

British writer Dorothy Sayers says it’s the latter, and that the Church is largely at fault for this crisis. According to Sayers, rather than foster a robust vocational imagination in its people, the Church has allowed work and religion to become separate and in many ways mutually exclusive, non-intersecting categories. In her essay entitled “Why Work?” she says the following:

“In nothing has the Church so lost Her hold on reality as Her failure to understand and respect the secular vocation. She has allowed work and religion to become separate departments, and is astonished to find that, as a result, the secular work of the world is turned to purely selfish and destructive ends, and that the greater part of the world’s intelligent workers have become irreligious or at least uninterested in religion…But is it astonishing? How can any one remain interested in a religion that seems to have no concern with nine-tenths of his life?”

Based on Sayers’ assessment, we must ask, “What does our work have to do with our faith, and what does our faith have to do with our work?” This question should be applied to all the work that we do, whether voluntary or for hire, whether at home or in an office or out in the community or behind a lectern or on a stage or with our hands in the dirt.

If surveys say that the vast majority of us are unhappy in our work (and they do), what is going on beneath the surface? Furthermore, can anything be done about it? Might there be a more fulfilling, life-giving way forward?

The first and most essential step is to recover a biblically-informed imagination regarding work. For this reason, the church I serve launched an entire organization to help working men, women, and students form a vocational imagination called the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work.

But whether or not we have access to faith and work integration resources in our own local context, it is important for us all to view work as central and not peripheral to our humanity, and especially to our life in Christ. Think about it.

If most of us spend forty or more waking hours each week devoted to work of some kind, how could we not consider how those hours are impacted by our identity as followers of Christ?

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

What Does Loving God Have To Do With Your Job?

Editor’s Note: This article was originally written by Steven Lindsey, Executive Director of the Center for Faith + Work Los Angeles. The following article was originally published HERE.

What is the most important thing we need to do in this life as Christians? There are good clear summary statements to this point in the Bible. The Old Testament Shema is certainly one of the best:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:4-5).

The one thing that is clear in this command is that our commitment and love for God is supposed to be comprehensive. Every aspect of our lives and activities needs to be directed to this end. Jesus affirmed this and clarified that this “loving God” is intimately connected to another Old Testament command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18).

Yet practically, most of us are puzzled as to how this really works out in our everyday lives. We have commutes, jobs to attend to, responsibilities to employers and many daily work obligations. Most of these activities do not seem to directly express worship of God or love and care of another person unless we pause occasionally to attend to God in prayer or make time for a co-worker regarding a personal need they have unrelated to work. After all, we are not being paid to evangelize our workplace or meet their personal needs.

I’m going to quickly cite 4 reasons why this comprehensive command to live in wholehearted devotion to God and love for your neighbor on a consistent daily basis throughout your life is not only possible but is, in fact, achieved mostly through your work.

TIME

Work is where we spend our best waking hours and energy. “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom… Let the favor of the Lord be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us, yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Ps. 90:12, 17) “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

“What we do with our days is, of course, what we do with our lives.” – Annie Dillard

“Scripture counsels us to measure all of our lives, how we spend the time we have, and ensuring it counts directly towards honoring God.”

My early career caused me to face this fact of life. I had the challenge of becoming a successful aerospace engineer so I could care for my family, invest in my church, and meet other financial obligations. I found myself haunted with the question of how I would someday face the Lord and need to explain the way I spent my actual life serving him.

Scripture counsels us to measure all of our lives, how we spend the time we have, and ensuring it counts directly towards honoring God. So this implies that it must be possible to do through our work lives.

MISSION

Work is where we are “on mission.” We are all sent into the world to fulfill both the Cultural Mandate (Gen. 1:26-28) as God’s image-bearers, to fill and cultivate God’s creation for his good purposes, and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) as redeemed followers of Christ, to make Jesus and his ways known to the world.

“We have the most contact with the unbelieving world through our work.”

We fruitfully cultivate God’s world and “image God” reflecting his nature through our work (we produce, create, innovate, steward, beautify, order, restore, redeem, organize, build, design, grow etc). We have the most contact with the unbelieving world through our work. When we share our motive of serving a God who desires our good work and that it reflects his nature and purposes for the world, we can more naturally find better opportunities to share the gospel in the context of our work.

growth

Work is where we grow into the image of Christ.

“I’m prepared to contend that the primary location for spiritual formation is in the workplace.” – Eugene Peterson

Though we are made in the image of God, our expression of this has been distorted by sin and needs to be renewed and made right. Our daily work and its challenges provide the training grounds to: 

• Do our work “heartily as to the Lord” (Col. 3:23), even when it is hard or unappreciated

• Become increasingly characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) 

• Learn humility and grow through our challenges and failures (James 1:2-4)

• Train to become excellent at what we do and then offer our best work as a worship offering to God (Lev. 23:9-14) 

• Live with courage and not out of fear of other’s rejection (Prov. 29:5)

neighborly love

Work is where we love our neighbor most. We tend to only consider love for our neighbors through our personal caring interactions with individuals or our gifting money or time to nonprofits which share the gospel or provide acts of charity. Of course, personal love for people we know directly is our priority and the work of ministries and nonprofits is important.

“Work is where we love our neighbor most. ”

Yet the daily productive work of any one of us, which is connected to a network of other necessary workers, helps provide for the livelihoods and dignity of thousands of others over the course of our lifetime. This is regularly done, especially in today’s modern global economy, at a scale that none of us could ever provide through our individual charitable acts of love outside the workplace.

So yes, love the Lord your God with everything you are every day. And recognize that your daily work is central to this becoming true for you.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

Three Ways the Incarnation Changes Your Daily Work

In her poignant book Prayer in the Night, author Tish Harrison Warren writes on the Incarnation, “The light came into the darkness and did ordinary work.” Reflecting on how Jesus spent most of his adult life doing the work of a carpenter, what Warren illuminates for us here is something that’s often overlooked within the Christmas story: God came to earth and worked.

In our condensed version of the Gospel, we can often skim over this fact in pursuit of a more dramatic narrative, remembering only the miracles, the cross, the empty tomb. Of course, the coming of Christ culminated in him providing the atonement for our sins by giving up himself at Golgotha. No one would argue that making tables is more important than Jesus’s sacrifice at the cross.

However, in a weary world desperate for meaningful labor and frustrated by futility, what relevance might the reality of Christmas have for our daily work? In other words, how does the miraculous birth of a Jewish child to a poor family over 2,000 years ago change our vocational lives today?

The Incarnation gives our work dignity

Paul, in a beautiful passage about the humility of Christ, writes in Philippians 2:6-7: “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Rather than manipulating his status as the Son of God to be catered to by the work of others, “God became flesh and built some furniture” as Warren writes.

“However, in a weary world desperate for meaningful labor and frustrated by futility, what relevance might the reality of Christmas have for our daily work?”

In a world that often holds a view of work as a necessary evil, and one that prescribes a vocational hierarchy in which some people’s work is valued while others’ is denigrated, Jesus rebukes these ideas in his Incarnation by coming to earth and making tables.

While readers of the Bible may often wonder why Jesus didn’t begin his ministry sooner, Scripture seems to testify to the fact that it was partially Jesus’ manual labor as a carpenter that God saw fit to prepare Him for his ministry later on. As Jordan Raynor writes, “Work isn’t beneath the God of the Bible.”

THE INCARNATION GIVES OUR WORK PURPOSE

So, if our work has dignity because Christ came to earth and got his hands dirty, how does the Incarnation ascribe a sense of purpose to our labors? While a dissertation could be written on the topic, I would summarize the answer to that question this way: God loved the world so much that he entered into it.

All over the Gospels, we see that Jesus often echoes a form of these words: “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). As the divine Son of God, Christ’s birth inaugurated the kingdom of God here on earth. Living on the other side of the resurrection, we now live in the in-between, or the “already-not-yet” in which the kingdom of God has come in Christ, and yet we still wait for the second coming of Christ for heaven to fully come to earth.

What this means for our daily work is that Christ’s Incarnation fully affirms the value of this world while also serving as a signpost for the world to come. If God cares about this physical world we currently inhabit, our work is a critical way of stewarding that world in creating beauty and order out of chaos and disorder. Since God will come again to fully usher in the new heavens and the new earth, our work that we do now will last into eternity.

“What this means for our daily work is that Christ’s Incarnation fully affirms the value of this world while also serving as a signpost for the world to come.”

As N.T. Wright eloquently states, “What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it…What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God's future.” The Incarnation of Christ means that the kingdom of God is at hand, so we better get to work.

the incarnation means we work with god

In Hebrews 4:15, the author writes, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” As a beloved son or daughter of God, your High Priest came to earth, entered into the muck and mire of daily labor, and struggled with the toil of work—just like you do. 

It is this humility of Jesus that allows us to connect to his own humanity. Be comforted by knowing that Jesus is able to sympathize with your weaknesses, including frustrating fallouts with customers, supply chain delays, and wobbly legs.

Yet, we live after Christ’s ascension. In John 14, Jesus explains to his perplexed disciples that he will leave soon to be with the Father, but will send the Holy Spirit: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.”

“As a beloved son or daughter of God, your High Priest came to earth, entered into the muck and mire of daily labor, and struggled with the toil of work—just like you do. ”

Because Christ came into the world, lived as the Messiah, died a criminal’s death, was raised to life, and has ascended to the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit now lives inside followers of Jesus. What this means for our work is that we not only work for God, but we work with God. 

Have you ever stopped to think about how God dwells with you within your work? While culturally we espouse a “grit-and-grind” mentality where it is all up to us to make things happen on our own, Scripture invites us to see our work as a way of partnering with God in what He is doing in the world. Rather than gritting our teeth and making it on our own, God invites us to receive peace and wisdom in our work through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

your labor is not in vain

In the third verse of their song “Your Labor is Not in Vain” by The Porter’s Gate, the lyrics proclaim:

“The vineyards you plant will bear fruit

The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth,

For all that is old will at last be made new:

The vineyards you plant will bear fruit.”

Then, in the refrain:

“For I am with you, I am with you.

I am with you, I am with you

For I have called you,

Called you by name

Your labor is not in vain.”

This Advent season, be encouraged that, as Warren reminds us, “God entered this world of toil and did good work.” Christmas means that our work has indelible dignity, incredible importance, and is performed with God. Your labor, dear Christian, is not in vain. Rejoice in the Messiah who came to earth to both build furniture and redeem the world.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

Cultivating Gratitude at Work

As we approach Thanksgiving, it is appropriate we take a moment to thank God for His blessings. 

However, let’s be honest. Many of us have struggled in so many ways during this long pandemic: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. How can Christians truly praise God during this season of disappointment and frustration, especially for where we spend most of our time – at work?

In my last article, I discussed some of the sources of discontentment at work, and shared some ways that Christians can respond to it in a biblical way with patience, wisdom and discernment. Here, I will explore how we can cultivate gratitude for the gifts in our work. Let me offer a few categories found in our work environment where we can see His hand of blessing.

god has provided a place for us to serve

Have you ever stopped to think about how God has provided a place for you to work that allows you to contribute to God’s work in the world? God created this world. It was perfect, and yet it was incomplete. God has invited men and women to work together with each other and with Him to continue to care for, cultivate, and expand His creation in order to meet the needs of humankind.

Long ago, the Israelites were exiled to Babylon. This was not exactly the best place to work. They were told in Jeremiah 29:5-6 to “build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.”

“God has invited men and women to work together with each other and with Him to continue to care for, cultivate, and expand His creation in order to meet the needs of humankind.”

Hugh Whelchel, in How Then Should We Work? ties this passage to Genesis 1:28. He points out the connection between the command to “be fruitful and multiply”, with this one given to the Babylonian exiles. He observes that as they “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jer. 29:7), they will be obeying God’s mandate to subdue and rule. In doing so, they will be “reweaving Shalom” (or wholeness).

Whelchel continues, “God meant them [the Israelites] to be a blessing to the world even while they lived in Babylon. God intends the same for us. We are called to work for the shalom of the city, whatever or wherever that city is, where God has put us. We are to be a blessing in our time and place. This is possible only because we have found our identity in Christ, the Prince of Shalom.” 

You have been gifted with a unique set of skills and a role to be a blessing through your work, to contribute to the wholeness and welfare of your neighbors and community. That God has invited us to co-labor alongside Him and others in restoring His creation in ways big and small is a gift.

god has provided a purpose for us to fulfill

In this place where God has led us, He has given us opportunities to put to use the various abilities and experiences that He has graciously given to us to fulfill His purposes. Every single one of us, whether we realize it or not, have been divinely equipped to do the jobs we have so that God can work in us, with us, and through us to meet the full spectrum of human needs.

Tim Keller, in his excellent book, Every Good Endeavor, reminds us, “God does not simply create; he also loves, cares for, and nurtures his creation. He feeds and protects all he has made. But how does his providential care reach us? . . . God’s loving care comes to us largely through the labor of others. Work is a major instrument of God’s providence; it is how he sustains the human world.”

For example, if you serve in any capacity in law enforcement, justice, corrections, or in the military, God is working in, with, and through you to bring order out of chaos to keep the peace. You are loving your neighbors by what you do every day. This is a better world because of your efforts.

“Every single one of us, whether we realize it or not, have been divinely equipped to do the jobs we have so that God can work in us, with us, and through us to meet the full spectrum of human needs.”

Perhaps you work in education, whether as an administrator, support staff, or teacher. God is working in, with, and through you to care for His children as you train their minds and hearts, equipping them for the good works God has prepared for them to do through your own work.

Work, as we see, has a purpose far beyond being a means to an end or serving our own desires. God will use you for His good purposes right where you are, as agents of common grace, to bring shalom to a fractured world. God’s kingdom provides us with the gift of renewed purpose in our work.

god has provided people for us to bless

We have seen that God has provided a place of employment that is full of opportunities to serve. He has also given us a job where He can use us to fulfill His purposes. A final thing we can be grateful for in our work is that He has put us in the midst of people who need what we can provide.

Most of us have bosses. We may have employees, co-workers, and customers we work with as well. Each of these people have various needs. While God could meet these needs on His own, in His grace He has allowed us the opportunity to meet those needs through our daily work. “God does not need your good works,” says Martin Luther, “but your neighbor does.” 

““God does not need your good works,” says Martin Luther, “but your neighbor does.” ”

What does your work provide that serves others? Perhaps it is a product, a new technology that will help solve a particular medical problem. Maybe you work in supply chain management: how does your eye for detail ensure that companies and their customers consistently have important products stocked? If you work in local government, what needs in the community do you advocate for and meet? No matter your industry, your neighbor needs your work.

Some might object at this point and question the value of their work. One way to think about how your work serves particular people is to ask, “What would happen if no one did my job?”

Certainly, beyond the work itself we have an opportunity to love and bless the people we interact with and labor alongside in our work. It may look like providing a listening ear for a weary coworker, encouraging an insecure supervisee, or setting healthy expectations around work-life balance for your employees. Whatever your role, your work is a setting in which God has placed you to love others.

There are specific people God intends for you to serve, with specific needs that you can meet through your work. Where have you seen your gifts and the needs of others intersect through your job?

gratitude in the midst of grief

Douglas J. Schuurman, in his book, Vocation: Discerning our Callings in Life reminds us, “The deepest meaning of one’s work comes from faith: to believe that God has placed you in this particular place for this particular time, to use your gifts and opportunities to express gratitude for God’s great gift of salvation by serving God and your neighbor through your work—that is true meaning, the sources of real satisfaction and joy.”

“As we approach Thanksgiving, come to the table God has prepared for you and bring both your laments and your praises. ”

When we truly see how God has blessed us by preparing us for and leading us to our workplaces and how He has used us to make a difference in the lives of those He has divinely placed us with, we can sincerely praise Him with a heart full of gratitude for these gracious gifts from His hand. We are a people with a place to serve, purpose to fulfill, and people to bless.

However, for many, this past year and a half may have been the most challenging season of work in your career. Fortunately, cultivating gratitude does not require that we ignore our grief. As we approach Thanksgiving, come to the table God has prepared for you and bring both your laments and your praises. 

As you consider God’s kindness towards you this year, consider how He has shown His love for you through and in your work. Dwell on how the work of others has blessed and served you. And ultimately, take heart in the finished work of Christ that has been performed on your behalf, restoring you to right relationship with God.

It is from that work that we go forward in our own.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

How Do I Navigate Discontentment at Work?

For most Americans, our work environment has changed radically over the past year and a half. While some workers have remained largely unaffected or have even benefited from the shift to remote work, the pandemic has had ripple effects that have altered many people’s jobs in ways that have left them feeling tired and discontent. 

The Great Resignation, as economists are calling it, points to an important reality. This pandemic has brought many Americans (and others abroad) to a crossroads and caused them to reevaluate their sense of calling. Whether people have awoken to a desire for new work, or have become burnt out on the work they previously enjoyed, the pandemic has caused people to rethink their working lives.

thorns and thistles

One of the significant questions at the heart of this re-evaluation seems to be: what do I do if I’m not happy in my job? How do I know whether my feelings of discontent are a signal to leave my job, or whether I should stay put? Christians especially may be asking: what does Scripture say about work and discontentment?

“One of the significant questions at the heart of this re-evaluation seems to be: what do I do if I’m not happy in my job?”

From the beginning, we see that God created work as a good and foundational part of what it means to be human. As we see God working in creation, and then Adam and Eve tending to the Garden of Eden, it is important to see that work came before the fall (Genesis 1-3). Work was a part of paradise.

However, based on what God’s word says about the thorns and thistles that are inherent to all our workplaces because of humankind’s sin in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:16-19), we know that work will always be unnecessarily difficult. A gap will always exist between our hopes and realities at work. We will, to some degree, never be fully satisfied with our work in the world. 

the sources of our discontent

For readers who are at that crossroads and are considering what your present discontentment means for your future career, it is important to consider what is beneath these feelings of unfulfillment at work before making a quick decision.

Here are some questions that might help you reflect on what is at the root of your discontent:

• Do I feel that my job is secure?

• Are my expectations of my experience at work biblically-grounded or out-sized?

• Am I feeling overworked and in need of renewing the practice of Sabbath?

• Do I feel that I am getting paid what I need to survive and what my work is worth?

• Do I feel like a valued member of my team?

• Is my job helping me to achieve the goals I set for myself?

• Does my job feel integrated with the person I am and want to become?

• Do I feel that the contributions I make every day are something God wants me to do?

While these are just starting questions, I encourage you to reflect on the sources of your discontent.

ways we can respond

Both Old Testament and New Testament believers had to deal with working faithfully in a broken world. You aren’t alone in living in this tension. So, how does Scripture invite us to respond?

• We can ask God for wisdom, expecting Him to provide it as needed

• We can pour out our hearts to God, lament our situation, and yearn for better days

• We can look for other ways to change our work environment

• We can pray for strength to endure the difficult challenges we face

• We can begin looking and trusting God to lead us to find a new job elsewhere, if needed

With respect to the second bullet above, I was reminded recently of how the Psalms display the full range of human emotion, from the highs of praising God for His majesty to the depths of despair.

“Both Old Testament and New Testament believers had to deal with working faithfully in a broken world. You aren’t alone in living in this tension.”

David, as he considers his own dismal circumstances, cries out, “My soul is in anguish.  How long, O Lord, how long?  Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (Ps. 6:3-4).

Later, knowing that God has indeed been gracious to him and that He has rescued and delivered him in the past, David asks the same big question regarding God’s timing, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Ps. 13:1-2).

David’s honest plea for God’s deliverance reaches new heights as he painfully exclaims, “How long, Lord God Almighty, will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?” (Ps. 80:4).

If you could express to God your own deep feelings of discontentment, frustration, and need of His deliverance, what would it look like? I invite you to actually write it out as an exercise of faith.

One of the main purposes that these Psalms of lament were included in this book is for us to know that God gives us permission to share our deepest hurts and disappointments with Him. Although we are called to work faithfully as unto the Lord, we are not asked to ignore our struggles or avoid dealing with them. We do not have to deny our feelings or try to just push through them. Instead, God invites us to pay attention to our longings and honestly cry out to Him.

the spiritual journey of discernment

As we offer our praises and laments about work side by side to God, how can we think well about discerning our next steps? Certainly, looking for a job will be a spiritual journey for the Christian. (I invite you to read an article I wrote recently on discerning God’s will.)

I believe that God is interested in leading us even more than we hope He will. I believe that when we maintain our relationship with God in the way in which the Bible describes it, walking with God the Father, abiding in Christ, and walking in the Spirit, we will be able to be receptive to God’s guidance.

During these turbulent circumstances, God may be preparing you to begin another chapter in your life.  If you are forced to or decide to find new employment, God will be with you. If you decide to stay where you are, He is still with you. He will give you wisdom to make the best decision in His time.

On the one hand, with respect to looking for new jobs, Douglas Schuurman, in his book, Vocation: Discerning our Callings in Life counsels, “Adversity often becomes a spur for creative change and discovery of new places where God is calling us to serve.” On the other hand, Schuurman wisely points out, “Restless discontent with one’s present sphere, then, may not be a valid indicator of God’s call to a new sphere. It may indicate the need for renewed prayer and obedience within the existing sphere.”

“Ultimately, we need to remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ points to a day when He returns, and all things will be made new. ”

While discontentment at work may be an indicator that the wisest decision is to leave, is it not an automatic indicator that that is right. It is not always black-or-white. Deciding requires faithful prayer and discernment, both between you and God and in community. Seek out the wisdom of their family members, local church, and trusted peers. Share with them your concerns and openly invite feedback.

Whatever your current circumstances are in your job, I urge you to proceed deliberately by seeking God’s wisdom for your work. God will provide; God will lead; God will prepare the way for you to be where He needs you to be.

an eternal perspective

Although what we do on this earth is extremely significant and can be a true blessing when we find work that is a good fit, keeping an eternal perspective keeps our work in perspective. Ultimately, we need to remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ points to a day when He returns, and all things will be made new. The very real struggles that we had in these temporary bodies, even those we had at work for a majority of our waking hours, will eventually be replaced with a world free of the thorns and thistles that negatively impact every aspect of our work environment. 

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

Biblical Wisdom for the Great Resignation

Editor’s Note: We are honored to have Dr. Chip Roper, President and Founder of VOCA Center, as a guest writer for today’s blog.

Everybody seems to be quitting their job or thinking about it. If you are content where you are, it can feel like you’re missing something. You are not imagining this. Every month, 3 to 4 million people are quitting their jobs. It’s called the “Great Resignation.” All the pent up fear of the early pandemic has given way to the quest for greener pastures.

In this piece, we will explore the “why” behind the Great Resignation and explore God’s wisdom for the dilemma it presents.

the three "whys” behind the 'great resignation’

There are three primary factors driving the Great Resignation.

factor #1: new OPPORTUNITIES are releasing pent up demand for change

As Yasmin Tayag points out in Fortune, we should not be surprised that record numbers of people are changing their jobs. As professional career coaches, our team at VOCA Center is aware that at any given time, 50% of workers would change jobs if given the opportunity. Like many other trends in Western society, the pandemic has accelerated or intensified forces that were already in motion. 

““I wanted to leave and now I can.” That’s the assumption of many during the Great Resignation.”

As soon as the economy started to recover by the end of June 2020—as soon as people realized, “I’m not losing my job and can start thinking about the future”—resignations picked up. Now, we find there are regularly more job openings than qualified workers. It’s a sellers market for workers. “I wanted to leave and now I can.” That’s the assumption of many during the Great Resignation.

factor #2: changing jobs is a common reaction to shock

In the management literature about why employees quit, a surprising trend emerges. “Shocks” have greater predictive power in identifying likely exits than any other single factor. In a 2005 study on employee turnover, three researchers wrote:

Examples of shocks include unsolicited job offers, changes in marital status, transfers or mergers. A shock to the system is a distinguishable event that jars an employee toward deliberate judgements about his/her job and may lead the employee to voluntarily quit. A shock is an event that generates information or provides meaning about a person's job and then is interpreted and integrated into the person's system of beliefs and images. As such it is sufficiently jarring that it cannot be ignored.

In this case, the pandemic has created multiple shocks for everyone all at once. Many shifted to remote work, to new safety procedures for in-person work, to new ways of meeting and connecting. All of us have observed how well our bosses and organizations dealt with acute crises. Many of us have been forced to ask: Is the way I’m working sustainable?

factor #3: shifts in the factors that keep us in a job

There are six factors researchers have identified that keep us in a job. Three have to do with the job itself, and three have to do with the community in which we live in order to do the job.

The pandemic has shifted these six factors in many cases. Links and fit may have increased or declined, depending on whether one thrives in work from home. With the war for talent heating up, the costs of leaving a job are often going down. 

On the community side, there is much change. Suburbs and vacation locations boomed while cities emptied. Many people spent much more time with their families.  Do we want to go back to the old normal or build a new one?

These three factors—the release of pent up demand, the fall out from the pandemic shock, and the shifts COVID-19 has created in the forces that keep us in a job—mean many of us feel determined to find work that better matches our ambitions and lifestyles. What are Christ followers to make of this vocational upheaval?

god’s wisdom for the great resignation

Most of us drift towards two reactions in times of vocational upheaval. Option one is to go along with the crowd, brush up on our résumé and start looking for other jobs. The other tendency is to fall into despair because the Great Resignation is yet another life upheaval on the heels of the pandemic.

Friends are moving away, colleagues are leaving, work and life are constantly changing. It’s exhausting and we can be discouraged by the fact that life will not be returning to normal any time soon, despite our collective weariness.

How does God meet us in this tension?

God provides divine insight for our times in three forms:

1) Optimism grounded in His sovereignty,

2) Leadership beyond the wind and tide of the present,

3) A call to wisdom rather than fear or rash action.

sovereignty-driven optimism

The Scriptures introduce us to a God who is in control. Throughout Scripture, we see that God’s plan moved forward through times of upheaval. 

“In the U.S. we tend to equate staying and stability with blessing and success. But God can work through uncertainty and disruption just as well. ”

Think of Jacob and his family going to Egypt, saved from the immediate famine and grown into a mighty people. Think of the saints chased out of Jerusalem (Acts 8)—it led to the advance of the Gospel all over the region. Think of Priscilla and Aquila driven from Rome by an imperial edict—positioning them to be critical partners with Paul in the spread of the Kingdom message.

In the U.S. we tend to equate staying and stability with blessing and success. But God can work through uncertainty and disruption just as well. We can exhale and feel genuine optimism that His purposes for our world, society, and selves will be fulfilled even in the face of intense change.

Isaiah 46:9-10 speaks to the sovereignty of God:

I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning'

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose.’

leadership beyond present circumstances

Jesus offers us much more than a role model or even a ticket to heaven. He offers us leadership in our lives now.  

Paul writes to the church at Rome: For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:7-8).

“You are not an isolated wanderer trying to figure it out on your own, but a servant of the loving powerful King, who will guide your steps if you let Him.”

Too much of our deliberations about work are self-referential. “What you want to do” is important, but it is not the most important factor. In the math of the Apostles, we belong to Jesus because He bought us with a price. This invites us to shift our thinking from “What should I do?” to “What does my trustworthy leader want me to do?” 

Whether God’s calling for you is stay, leave, or explore, it is His job to lead. Exhale.  Relax. You are not an isolated wanderer trying to figure it out on your own, but a servant of the loving powerful King, who will guide your steps if you let Him.

wisdom for our discernment

Knowing what you should do during the Great Resignation is not a moral, ethical, or theological question per se. It is a wisdom question, and wisdom is practical. Wisdom asks, “Based on what I know of God's character and plans for the world, what is the best course of action for me to pursue?”

During the Great Resignation, this boils down to the following alternatives: Is it wisest to avoid danger by leaving, or is the wiser choice to reap the fruit of diligence and stay?

When Staying is Dangerous

As Proverbs 27:12 states, “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” 

Maybe it is dangerous to stay in your current role and your current organization. There are many reasons this could be—perhaps the organization is in decline because of industry shifts or poor leadership. Maybe you have maxed out what you can contribute there. Perhaps the demands of this company/industry run contrary to your clarified values and faith commitments. 

The fact that you can leave is a chance to gain your freedom (See 1 Corinthians 7:21). You’ve done your homework. You have validated your assumptions. You have confirmed from real evidence that you can make a better contribution elsewhere. If that's the case, wisdom says it's dangerous to stay. But this of course is not always the case!

When Diligence is the Wise Choice

Sometimes our haste to get ahead and find something better is the real block to landing in a place where we can make our best contribution. With all the buzz about changing jobs, we could miss God’s wisest path for us. 

As Proverbs 21:5 tells us, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” 

Think of Daniel’s diligence in his Prime Minister role even when his boss lost his mind and took a seven year sabbatical (See Daniel 4). Daniel ran the kingdom and he was diligent when the whole enterprise was falling apart.

Similarly, several of my friends were able to grow as leaders and advance in their influence precisely because they were the people who stayed and rebuilt the ruins after others left. Godly wisdom teaches us that running for the exit too quickly can at times be foolish.

resting in god’s ownership

If you want to maintain your sanity and focus during The Great Resignation, there is a truth that can anchor you and provide a place to rest. It is the idea that you and I are ultimately God’s servants, which means that we are not ultimately responsible for forging our paths; we are just responsible for listening to God’s leading. 

Listen to what Paul wrote to people he called “bondservants.” These were women and men who, through indebtedness, became enslaved to another to pay off their debts. This is what he says: 

Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men (1 Cor. 7:21-23).

Apart from understanding God’s sovereignty, our ability to choose can feel overwhelming when the options are plenty. He who has bought you with a price will not abandon you now.

It is God who directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9). It is God who has prepared good works in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). When the road ahead seems dark, it is God’s Word that lights our path (Psalm 119:105). We do not travel these dimly lit roads of vocational uncertainty by ourselves.

Whether you are firmly planted where you are or actively looking for work, God cares intimately about your career. Ultimately, God has a plan for your career. Seek Him and embrace His wisdom, and you will have a great strategy to navigate the Great Resignation.

---

Looking for further help on deciding whether to stay in your current role or look elsewhere? Download “Should I Quit My Job?”, a free guide courtesy of the VOCA Center.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

4 Mistakes Christians Make Discerning Calling (And How to Avoid Them)

“I just want to know what to do with my life.”

A common refrain for young and old Christians alike, this sentiment gets at a deeper, existential question: “How do I know I’m not wasting my life?”

This desire to glorify God, make a difference through our daily work, and do something that feels connected to who we are is good and God-given, but it can also lead us into a space of anxiety and discouragement when we aren’t sure of our calling. 

What are some mistakes that Christians may be susceptible to make when discerning their professional calling? Below are four suggestions with ideas for how to avoid making each of them.

mistake #1: waiting for a clear and obvious sign from god

Many of us want to rightly acknowledge God’s provision and plan for our lives. Indeed, the Psalmist writes that while, “The heart of man plans his way, the Lord establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 3:5-6). However, many of us may take that verse to mean that we cannot make any plans of our own before the Lord makes it clear which way to walk.

While we are certainly to ask God to help us be obedient to where He is leading, a lack of a clear “sign” from God does not automatically mean we keep waiting for one. A consistent pattern in Scripture is that God calls faithful men and women to follow Him without offering all the details.

• How to avoid it: Rather than being subdued into decision paralysis and passivity, pray that the Lord would guide your steps, that you would walk in His will, and in discerning your vocational path within the context of community, move forward and pursue what you feel led to. God’s will is expansive enough to grant you the freedom of agency, which we can rightly enjoy when we place ourselves under the submission of God’s ways and kingdom.

mistake #2: assuming discernment is a private matter

While we like to think we know ourselves best, we forget that the wisdom of our community — both peers and elders — is an essential gift that we often fail to draw on. As much as we’d like to be, we are not the best objective analyzers of our own gifts, skills, and limitations. Yet, recent research from Barna shows that 56% of Christians believe understanding one’s calling is primarily a solo journey.

• How to avoid it: We need to heed the trusted voices of others affirming or questioning the paths we’re considering. Sit down with 5-10 trusted peers and elders who have preferably known you for some time. Tell them about the choices you’re considering and the values you have for your work. Ask them to honestly weigh in. Listen. Scripture testifies to the reality that God often calls us through the voices of others. When we forgo relying on our community and networks for support, we rob them of the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ to us in our process of discernment.

mistake #3: considering our choices as permanent

“When we forgo relying on our community and networks for support, we rob them of the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ to us in our process of discernment.”

For many of us, choosing a career feels terrifying because we have no idea how to project our hopes, desires, and goals for our work ten or forty years into the future. In many ways, we feel the weight of our “yes” because it feels like a “no” to every other option for the rest of our lives. As Dr. Stephanie Schackleford writes, “[Younger generations] are very afraid that if they choose this major or take this job, it’s going to set them on a trajectory that’s going to determine the rest of their life.”

However, consider that the average American will hold 12 different jobs in their lifetime. What if our “yes” is a commitment to the next step in our careers, rather than deciding the entirety of our futures? What if we embraced that, instead of boxing ourselves into one career forever, we were simply faithfully moving where God is leading us at this moment?

• How to avoid it: Remember that when making a career choice, you aren’t making a choice that is binding forever. Your choices matter, and indeed many workers do remain in one career for their professional lives, but the work assignment God has for you today could be drastically different than the one He has for you ten years from now. Without that vision into the future, it can often feel stifling to choose one path. As Shackleford emphasizes, “Calling is not a static concept. We’re always growing and changing, and our calling is always morphing as we grow.

mistake #4: looking for the one right or perfect job

“With so many options, how do I know I’m taking the right job God wants for me? If I take the wrong position, will I miss God’s plan for my life?”

.This view of God’s will is like a balance beam that we’re teetering off of at all times: make one wrong move and we’re on the mat. This narrow view of God’s will can create anxiety in Christians who fear making the “wrong” decision. Certainly, there are ways we can actively disobey God’s will for our lives, and that includes our work. What we’re talking about here, though, is considering one career path or job as the only obedient option and considering the rest as inherently wrong.

“The problem isn’t our desire to be satisfied with our work, but rather our belief that in order to be happy, we have to find the one job that will satisfy us...”

Another similar trap that we can fall into is believing there is a perfect job out there for us that will satisfy all of our heart’s desires for our work. To be clear, our longing for meaningful work is good: according to Barna, Christians who find purpose and meaning in their work are more than twice as likely to say they are “very satisfied” with their life.

The problem isn’t our desire to be satisfied with our work, but rather our belief that in order to be happy, we have to find the one job that will satisfy us—something that 75% of Christians believe is out there waiting for us to discover, according to Barna. As Tim Keller explains, whatever is on the other side of, “I could be happy if I just had ______” is an idol for us to lay down at the cross.

• How to avoid it: Faithful Christians seeking God’s will for their work need to be reminded that their primary calling is to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27), and out of that worship of God, we can exercise our own God-given agency in choosing how that love of God will be expressed in our professional lives. This agency is not in competition with God’s, but rather in partnership with it as we submit to His ways and acknowledge His sovereignty in our lives.

  As Christians, we also must be careful not to view the “perfect job” as the silver bullet to the good life. The counter-cultural message of the kingdom of God is that true, ultimate joy is not found in achievement, but in loving relationship with God. However as Barnabas Piper suggests, “Most of us quietly believe that work can support the weight of our happiness.”

  When we expect too much from our work, we’re bound to experience disappointment. As Piper concludes, “Work—like many other things in life—is a means of finding happiness. It’s designed by God and is a good thing. It’s a good hook for the right things, but too weak to hold our hopes for total happiness.” Work shouldn’t make us miserable. It also can’t fulfill us.

getting to the heart of our questions

“Work shouldn’t make us miserable. It also can’t fulfill us.”

In an increasingly complex economy rattled by the ramifications of COVID-19, many Christians may be looking for work or considering a career change. Perhaps the most honest question we can ask ourselves at this time is, “Do I really believe God is with me and for me in this process?”

If we are brave enough to ask the question and still enough to listen for an answer, Scripture testifies to a God that is calling back to us with the same answer He gave Moses, overwhelmed at the calling laid out for him: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:11).

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

Why Networking is More Biblical Than You Think

What images and feelings come to mind when you hear the word “networking?”

Images: I picture an awkward gathering of awkward people fumbling over their paper plates, plastic cups, and elevator pitches as they try desperately to make a connection that will lead to a sale.

Feelings: discomfort, frustration, and the sinking conviction that I’m wasting my time. 

After 32 years, I am still not entirely comfortable when I enter a crowded room where I don’t know most of the people. A significant percentage of the time I wonder: “Is this worth my time?”

Underneath it all is a deeper question: if my work is really an expression of God’s call on my life, am I still required to engage in these anxious attempts to make new contacts? If God is guiding and blessing me, do I need to strive so intently in the land of the awkward? Won’t he just “open doors” and make it grow if I’m being faithful to him? Is all this effort the opposite of having faith? 

In this piece, I will draw on the story of Abraham to highlight a Biblical approach to networking. For those of you who are allergic to the practice, we will demystify it by showing its Scriptural roots. For those of you who enjoy networking, you will discover how you can engage in it redemptively.

genesis 24 as a template for modern networking

In Genesis 24, we read the story of Abraham securing a wife for his son Isaac. Abraham has been through all sorts of trials and kept believing in the promises of God. He proved he wouldn’t hold anything back from God (Gen. 22). God has blessed him with his promised son, peace on all sides, and material abundance. Now it’s time to set up his son for success. He needs to find Isaac a good wife.

Abraham has three challenges:

1. He does not want Isaac to marry a local woman - they did not share his values or faith.

2. He is too old to travel to the country where a suitable bride might be found.

3. He did not want Isaac to leave the land. God has given them this land and Abraham seemed to fear that if Isaac returned to the country of his extended family, he might not return.

part 1: the commission

“A danger for networkers is the scarcity mindset; we think we are asking people for a favor instead of offering a mutually beneficial relationship.”

So what does Abraham do? He commissions his head servant on perhaps the first “networking mission” in recorded history. The servant will go to the land of Abraham’s countrymen, and he will bring gifts. He will look for God to lead him to the right family and bride. He will make an offer to the bride and her family. In the end, it will be the woman’s choice - the servant’s only responsibility is to go to the right people and make a clear offer.

What do we learn about networking from the onset of this story?

First, we see that networking involves knowing who you need to know. Abraham knew where his servant needed to go to meet a suitable bride for his son. It wasn’t a random event; it wasn’t even about convenience. It may have taken his servant 30 days to arrive in the land of Abraham’s relatives. Importantly, Abraham knew who he needed to know. He knew what circle of people to pursue. 

Some of us may be frustrated in our networking because we have just tried to show up at random gatherings. Early on in career transition or business building process, random events can help us get our conversational muscles in shape. But over time, we need to focus our efforts. Who do we need to meet to accomplish what it is we are called to accomplish? 

“ Make prayer a habitual part of your networking.”

The second thing we see here is that successful networking is about delivering the offer (the offer of a follow-up conversation, of a product offer, of an invitation of some sort). It is not about the response. Even in the patriarchal ancient Near East, it was the woman’s choice to come or not. We don’t want to force people into doing business with us. We are looking for the willing.

part 2: the prayer

With his commission from Abraham and an oath to make good on fulfilling all his master’s expectations, Abraham’s servant sets on his way. Finally, after weeks of travel with camels and horses and gifts, he arrives in the country to which he was directed. Upon arrival, he says the following prayer:

“O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this, I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” (Genesis 24:12-14).

What can we learn from this passage?

First, make prayer a habitual part of your networking. How often do you pray before making a new contact? Abraham’s servant prayed for three things: 1) Success, 2) God’s faithful love to be obvious, and 3) Confirmation that he has met the right person for Isaac. What might it look like for you to do that?

In order to pray this way, it requires something else, a second takeaway from this part of the story.

Be very clear on what you’re seeking. In order to pray this way, we have to know what we are seeking. This means taking the time to think through the explicit criteria we use to determine if we’ve found what we are seeking. Sometimes in a coaching session, people will say, “I just want to know that I am doing the job that God wants me to do!” I ask, “How will you know it when you find it?” 

“Approached biblically, networking is a divinely constructed way to discover new neighbors to love.”

The servant’s mission was pretty clear: find a suitable bride for his master’s son. What are you looking for? A job opportunity, industry intel, a potential client? Each is defined a bit differently. Ask yourself, “What is my goal?” “How will I recognize the right fit?” And then pray for God’s hand to be over your interaction.

part 3: the pitch

As soon as the servant has finished uttering his prayer, a woman named Rebecca comes to the well where he was resting. He makes his pitch and she answers as he hoped. He offers her gifts and Rebecca accepts them. She then takes him to meet the family. He offers them gifts and repeats the whole story. Afterwards, there is a grand celebration, and before long Rebecca is on her way back to Canaan to become Isaac’s bride.

From the conclusion of the story, we can draw two final networking principles.

Generosity: The servant leads with gifts and requests, rather than his needs and demands. He is generous. A danger for networkers is the scarcity mindset; we think we are asking people for a favor instead of offering a mutually beneficial relationship. We get sucked into a needy mindset (I need a sale, I need a job), instead of a value-add mindset (I have God-given talents and capacities that enrich people and organizations). Abraham’s servant shows us to lead with giving and confidence. 

Tell the Story: The narrative was essential for Rebecca and her family to understand who was proposing. This was an exciting, miracle-like story, but it only made sense with the details. What’s your story? What are your skills? What have you learned? How do you aspire to have an impact? How can you quickly and positively help people understand who you are and why you are talking to them? 

“Instead of a slimy exercise of selfishness or transactional goals, adopting a biblical view of networking connects us to God and our neighbors in new ways of trust and service.”

Finding a bride for Isaac is one of my favorite examples of networking in the Bible. But it is far from the only one. In Scripture, we see Jesus walking along the shore to call fisherman, visiting the tax collectors booth to reach Matthew, and stopping by the well in Samaria to convince a whole village that he is the Messiah.

We see Paul going to the Synagogue in Berea, to the place of prayer in Philippi, and the Areopagus in Athens. Over and over again in the Bible, we see followers of Christ going to the place where they will find the people they need to know, committing the outcome to God, and graciously and generously holding out an offer. Perhaps we can call this the Biblical framework for networking.

redemptive networking

In their book Designing Your Life, authors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans put it succinctly: “Dysfunctional belief: networking is just hustling people—it’s slimy. Reframe: networking is just asking for directions.”

Instead of a slimy exercise of selfishness or transactional goals, adopting a biblical view of networking connects us to God and our neighbors in new ways of trust and service. As we exercise our own agency, we ultimately look to God to open the doors and show us His favor. We are actively dependent on Him in the process. But it’s not just the vertical that’s important. 

Networking can be redeemed when we look at it as a way to meet and serve others in our sphere. Part of the adventure of networking is asking “In what ways might God want me to share wisdom, comfort, or resources with this person?” Approached biblically, networking is a divinely constructed way to discover new neighbors to love. 

So the next time you’re putting on a name tag at a networking event, reciting an elevator pitch, or asking for an informational interview over Zoom, remember: God delights in blessing His people through the generosity of others.

---

Looking for more resources for career discernment or job searching? Check out NIFW’s Career Navigator program, in partnership with Dr. Roper and the VOCA Center.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

Why Faith and Work?

Editor’s note: This article was originally written and published as the first post in a three-part series on “Why Faith and Work?” by the Denver Institute for Faith and Work. You can read the original article here.

It was a Sunday afternoon. I walked out my back garage to toss the trash. I opened the green can, heaved in the white plastic bag, and breathed in … the stench of smoke. As I shut the can I moseyed out to my driveway to investigate. I looked up in the sky. The sun was a dull yellow, filtered through an unnatural cloud that covered the horizon. Smoke from the worst wildfires in Colorado history hung like a lingering ghost. Ash slowly fell around me and the street in my neighborhood was completely empty.

As I turned to walk back inside I heard something. It was a song coming from a truck around the corner. As I paused and peered through the sullen glow, I saw an ice cream truck, driving as if children were going to happily skip outside, eager for an afternoon treat. Yet none emerged from their homes, sequestered by their parents from the pandemic. The truck jingled by, as if from the set of a post-apocalyptic movie.

What a fitting metaphor for our world today, I thought. Our society is burning and our consumer culture offers us an “ice cream cone” to forget our troubles. Of course, as we grow, the “ice cream cone” changes: new car, job promotion, dinner parties, binge watching endless movies in our homes. But each can be a thin veneer that masks what each of us senses: the world we live in is frightfully broken. So many of us live a life distracted by entertainment, but we sense internal emptiness and desolation, one that spreads from souls to jobs to cities. 

We long for a deeper hope that can animate our working lives. 

“We long for a deeper hope that can animate our working lives.”

Why faith & work? Of all the pressing causes in our world, why care about this one, especially in a time of growing economic disparities, decaying social trust, and the shrinking of the church? Why invest time, attention, and resources in a vision that prioritizes both historic Christian faith and its influence on our daily work?

In this first of three articles, let me suggest three theological truths that open up new horizons for the meaning of Christian faith for our work and world today.  

gospel

The word simply means “good news.” In the ancient Roman empire, Caesar had his own euangelion, whose reign through military strength was thought to be the guarantor of peace and prosperity. One ancient coin even called Caesar a “Son of God.”

Yet a small group of Jews said that there was another gospel. They claimed that a carpenter from Nazareth was the true Son of God, not Caesar. They said that though he was crucified as a criminal, he had been raised from the dead by God and freely offered forgiveness of sins and eternal life to any and all as free gift. And the essence of this “Son of God” was not power to conquer his enemies but love. Even for one’s enemies.

Fast forward to 21st century America. Today we’re used to hearing the word “gospel” in reference to gospel music or to the notion of “getting saved.” In many conservative Protestant circles, believing the “gospel” means soul salvation: Jesus died, I receive forgiveness, and I go to heaven when I die. Yet this version of the gospel would have seemed very strange to the early Christians. The apostle Paul believed there were four essential elements to his “gospel”: the incarnation of God himself in the person of Jesus (Romans 1:2), the crucifixion of Christ for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:2-3), the resurrection of Christ for our salvation and the salvation of the world (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:19), and the Second Coming of Christ to judge the world and ultimately restore the world as God had originally intended it (Romans 2:16).

In our modern world, we’ve reduced the “gospel” to an individual, private experience involving only me and God. But this is a severe reduction of the breadth of the historic Christian faith. The truth is that sin is much worse than we thought. It has not only infected my heart, but has spread like a cancer into workplaces, industries, cultures, and cities. But the good news, the gospel, is also much better than we thought: Jesus is healing not just our souls but also those same workplaces, industries, cultures, and cities (Colossians 1:20). Indeed, he is not just light for my heart, he is the Light of the World (John 8:12).

Why, then, should we care about work?

Teaching kindergarten, practicing law, manufacturing air filters, serving tables: work is the public arena in which the breadth of the gospel can heal our fractured world. When George Washington Carver discovered new uses for the peanut, he listened to the voice of God for scientific discovery. When Bach wrote symphonies, he did so soli Deo Gloria — for the glory of God. And when the salesperson wonders if he’s wasting his life in retail, it’s the good news that crowns him with glory and dignity, even in difficult circumstances.

Christians have been entrusted with a spark of good news — one that claims salvation is far bigger and deeper than we had once thought.

kingdom

The central message of Jesus’ own earthly ministry was about the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15). To Americans who are used to electing their highest political authority to office, talk of kings and kingdoms can seem strange. Yet it’s a common theme in the Old Testament (Psalm 10:16; Isaiah 37:16; 2 Chronicles 20:6). And Jesus insisted on emphasizing it, even commanding his people for all generations to pray, “may your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

“Work is the public arena in which the breadth of the gospel can heal our fractured world.”

What does the Kingdom of God have to do with our work? First, saying that Jesus is the very highest authority both in your life and in the world is a deeply political, and public, commitment. Every nation, as well as every company, school, or hospital, has a set of values. Immediately, the Christian comes into any work situation first being a citizen of another country (1 Peter 2:13-17). That means when working at Amazon or at the local gas station, some of your values align with your workplace; others are different. This stubborn declaration that Jesus is king over all means your work is a contested arena between His Kingdom and the kingdoms of this world (Revelation 11:15). Each meeting, each project, each task, each relationship takes on a new significance in an age-old battle between darkness and light (Colossians 1:13). Whether you’re in politics, business, or education, the Kingdom of God makes every Christian a reformer.

But second, and more importantly, Jesus is inviting us into a new reality. I’ve often heard Protestants speak of “building the Kingdom.” But this is not how Jesus speaks about the Kingdom. He simply calls people to enter and receive the Kingdom (Matthew 7:21, 23:13, 25:34). That means, there is no work to be done. Simply receive the gracious gift of living in a new creation, partaking in the divine nature, and resting in the “easy burden” of the way of Christ. Work is the sphere of life in which we live, day-to-day, in the fullness of the life of God (John 10:10b). Rather than believing spiritual matters are just for church, spiritual depth and joy can spill over into your daily work.  

mission

Old Testament Scholar and framer of the Lausanne Covenant Dr. Christopher Wright popularized the term the Mission of God. When we hear the word “mission” we often think of missionaries overseas or paid Christian professionals sent by a church either to evangelize or serve the poor. Yet Wright makes the strong — and lengthy! — case that God himself has a mission. From the calling of Abraham and the people of Israel to the culmination of human history in the book of Revelation, God himself is initiating a grand project to restore his fractured creation (Genesis 3).

“Yet the breadth of gospel, the promise of a coming Kingdom, and a call to participate with God in his mission reframes how we live and work. ”

How, then, does this involve our daily work? The marvel of the grand narrative of Scripture is that God calls us — flawed, deeply broken human beings — into his purposes to heal and restore his world. This may include overseas work in microfinance. Yet it may be far closer to home. John Stott, the preeminent 20th-century missiologist, pastor, and author, believed our vocations are the central way we partake in “mission.” Police officers protect and serve, farmers feed their neighbors, teachers educate the mind, janitors and mechanics clean and repair our buildings. It’s through our work that we reflect Jesus’ own high calling “to serve, and not to be served” (Mark 10:45).

So, why faith & work? Ultimately, we live in a story of good news. Death is overcome. The darkness does not win. And God summons all people first to himself, and then sends them back into the world as his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).

In a time when it feels like our culture is burning and sending smoke into our nostrils and lives, our spiritual lives can feel desolate like an empty street on a Sunday afternoon. Yet the breadth of gospel, the promise of a coming Kingdom, and a call to participate with God in his mission reframes how we live and work. 

This is good news indeed.

---

Looking for more resources to participate with God in His mission at work?

Learn more about our program offerings at the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work, including a new theology course called Foundations of Faith and Work and our flagship leadership program, Gotham.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

How to Discern God's Will for Your Work

For people across the world, 2020 was a year fraught with difficulty. The economic effects of the pandemic were drastic. Millions of people lost their jobs as businesses were shut down, while other workers labored long hours to meet the demands placed upon them. Parents with children were forced to make difficult decisions about how to best balance their work and family responsibilities. Many lost medical benefits as well as their source of income.

As a result of all this rapid and unexpected turbulence, many had to reevaluate their employment. Where does a Christian turn when he or she is forced to quickly find a new job or another line of work? How can we discern our calling and figure out God’s will for our lives in times like these?

You may be asking yourself, “Am I in the right job?” or “Am I using my God-given talents productively?” These questions are not new ones. However, they might be more urgent now.

Even though these may seem to be the worst of times, I want to emphasize some of the basic and unchanging elements of my biblical and practical theology of work: God leads and provides for His children, we must listen to God’s voice, God is present in every aspect of our work, and God is faithful.

God leads and provides for His children

One of the principles about work is that looking for employment is always going to be a spiritual journey for a Christian. We will grow in faith as we see God lead us and provide for us.

Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33). This is always the place to start. Before you open up that job search engine, start with prayer. Ask the Lord of Hosts to guide you in this process.

How does God normally do that? You must spend some time reading the Bible, pray continually for wisdom, and trust Him to lead you. He promises that He will (e.g., Ps. 25:12, 32:8; Prov. 16:9). It does not mean, however, that the road will be straight or without trials and tribulations along the way.

Lee Hardy, in The Fabric of This World: Inquiries into Calling, Career Choice, and the Design of Human Work observes, “Career paths are rarely straight. Typically they are afflicted by detours, unmarked intersections, forced exits, blind alleys, and cul-de-sacs.” Part of your success in finding a new job will be to accept your situation as a God- approved detour. God could be using this pandemic to guide you into a more fulfilling career path.

Listen to God’s voice

Another important tenet in the biblical perspective on work is the idea that we must carefully listen when God speaks to our hearts. 

Ben Witherington, in his book, Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor, observes “We do not simply choose our vocations. We are led to them, and this implies that we must be open to hearing from God what He is calling us to do in life. Even when we have been called and gifted to do something, God does not simply leave us to our own devices. Rather, He guides us and steers us in our work.”

How does God guide those He loves in their career journey? Often, He speaks to our hearts in a still, small voice.

I think that many of us are discouraged from following our hearts as Christians. Verses such as Jer. 17:9, which warns, “The heart is deceitful above all things” have been used to dissuade those of us with active imaginations to stop justifying fleshly behaviors that are driven by our wayward emotions.

“Another unchanging truth that is foundational to a biblical view of work is that God is present in our work, from start to finish.”

 However, those of us who have accepted God’s free gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ receive a new heart (See Eze. 36:26 and 2 Cor. 5:17.)  It is through this transformed and spiritually-refocused heart that God will guide us. It is true, we should not follow our heart all the time, as it can deceive. But we do need to listen for God to speak to it.

Listening to how God speaks to our hearts first involves examining how God designed us. We do this through some honest and realistic self-assessment. Ask yourself these kinds of questions: What type(s) of work has God equipped you to do well, based on your interests, skills, accomplishments, and experiences? What have others noticed regarding your gifts?  What are you most concerned and passionate about? 

God is present in every aspect of our work

Another unchanging truth that is foundational to a biblical view of work is that God is present in our work, from start to finish.  There is a clear connection from Genesis to Revelation between God’s presence and human work which I call “Immanuel labor.”

Whenever God called His people to do something, either great or small, He always reminded them that He was present to give them the strength, wisdom, and peace to press on and complete the mission. 

During these turbulent circumstances, God may be preparing you to begin another chapter in your life. If you are forced to or decide to find new employment, God will be with you. If you decide to stay where you are, He is still with you. He will give you wisdom to make the best decision in His time.

God is always faithful

The last unchanging principle of a theology of work that is applicable now is closely related to the last one. Based on the attributes of God, His promises that He has made over the centuries to His children, and His standard mode of operation as revealed in the Old and New Testaments, we know without a doubt that God is indeed faithful. This gives us peace, patience, and power during any and every trial.

There is an old hymn I sang for the first time as a young college student, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” This song is based on verses in Lamentations 3:22-23. It has great applications to a theology of work. As I recently meditated on the chorus to this song, it reminded me of God’s enduring attributes, particularly His commitment to His children.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God our Father

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed thy hand has provided

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

When we remain in God’s presence every day, not just on Sundays, but on Mondays through Fridays at our workplaces, we do see His mercies. These are some of the most challenging times of our lives. There seems to be no end in sight to this pandemic and its destruction among all of us. And yet, our experience as Christ-followers is that God has always been faithful. There is no end in sight to that great truth, either. Great is His faithfulness!

---

Looking for further help in your job search? Learn more about NIFW’s Career Navigator program, featuring ten weeks of virtual job search group training with live coaching.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Russell Gehrlein is the author of "Immanuel Labor - God's Presence in our Profession: A Biblical, Theological, and Practical Approach to the Doctrine of Work." Russ is a former youth pastor and a junior/high school math and science teacher. In 2006, he retired from over 20 years active duty in the US Army in the rank of Master Sergeant. He currently works as a Department of the Army civilian at the US Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

You can read more of his work on his blog, “Reflections on Theological Topics of Interest”, at www.regehrlein.wordpress.com.

Where is God in Your Job Search?

Genesis 37-50

missing god in transition

Jane is struggling with her career and her faith. She has spent the last two years piecing together part-time work while looking for a full-time job with benefits. The process has been frustrating, with lots of effort and very little to show for it. The waiting is wearing on her faith. She wonders, "Why hasn't God provided a job? Is God even with me in my search?” Like most of us, she believes in the promises that God will care for us, provide for us, and lead us. Yet on her darkest days, she wonders if her faith makes any difference and wonders if anything is real on the other side of the invisible.  

Ryan is trying to discern the work that is right for him. He is four years out of college. His current job sucks the life out of him. He wonders how he got here. If he has a calling, a God-defined plan for his work, he assumes he must have missed it. Unlike Jane, Ryan believes the fault is 100% his own, some flaw in his spirituality or practice. Like Jane, he is discouraged and feeling that he has somehow lost his way vocationally, and God is as hard to find as the way back.

So, where do we find God in our job search? How do we recognize Him, align with Him, and draw strength from Him when the road ahead is unclear? In this piece, we look to the life of Joseph, son of Jacob, to help us regain our foundation in Christ amid the upheaval of vocational change. Through the story of Joseph, we see that God is with us in the present, the past, and the future.

THe story of joseph

We meet Joseph in Genesis chapter 37, and he is the dominant character from there through the end of the book. Joseph is Jacob's 11th son, the favorite, smart, and yet precocious. He was born to be a shepherd but ended up being the prime minister and head of agriculture for the superpower of the day, Egypt. Joseph's life and work journey was a roller coaster ride. 

Already prized as the favorite son, Joseph returned from the pasture and spoke poorly of his brothers to his father. Joseph’s father decided to signal his favor towards Joseph by making him a robe of many colors. This act of favoritism sent his brothers into a fit of rage and jealousy. Then, Joseph had two dreams that he shared with his brothers and family in which he was reigning and ruling over them. When Joseph shared the dreams with his brothers, it pushed them over the edge, and they sold him as a slave. Joseph was purchased by a man named Potiphar in Egypt and forced to work in his household. As a result, Joseph went from favored son to human property in a foreign land. 

“Comparison to others, self-criticism, and impatient frustration rob us of God’s presence when we are engaged in job search and transition.
”

Before long, Joseph rose through the ranks. He had the wisdom to solve problems. He had high integrity and was trusted. Within a short time, he achieved the household manager's role, second in command to the owner. Then, another reversal happened. Potiphar's wife became infatuated with Joseph and tried to seduce him, to which Joseph refused. She accused him of rape, and he lost everything again as he was thrown in prison. Joseph went from top of the house to prisoner, fearing for his life.

But Joseph did well in prison. He was favored in the eyes of the warden and eventually ran the facility. The warden did not worry about anything because Joseph was in charge. Finally, Joseph is introduced to Pharaoh and given a role in the royal court and national administration. His story has what we might call a happy ending, yet it was a grueling journey. 

meeting god in the present

A phrase is repeated several times in Joseph's low points, at the places where he had to start over: “God was with him.” God was with him by delivering strength and favor in the present. When we hit roadblocks in our careers and job search journeys, God is still with us. Jesus promised to be with us to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). As the psalmist writes: “I will fear no evil because you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). God doesn't always promise relief from the circumstances, but He does promise His presence.  

How do we connect to His presence?

1. We get quiet enough to hear the whispers of the Spirit in our hearts, reminding us that we are sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:15-17).

2. Whether our work is persevering in a less than ideal job or while searching for a full-time job, we offer it to God. Our work is our offering to him. We know He sees our work. We know He will reward us for our honest work (Colossians 3:23-24).

3. We find reasons for rejoicing. Paul said to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). In all things, give thanks. There are causes for gratitude despite the trials. Find them.

meeting god in the past

“The good works God has planned for you include your daily work—the actual activities you do, the people you touch, and the income you generate.”

How did Joseph keep going through the dramatic reversals in his circumstances? His hope must have been fueled by the ways God had cared for and provided for him in the present. His hope was stoked by the way God had met him in the past. His brothers originally planned to kill him but sold him instead. Potiphar could have had him executed, but he was left in prison instead. God was sovereign over him. 

Perhaps more significantly, God revealed to Joseph, in the form of dreams, the future he had for Joseph. When he was young and full of himself, Joseph did not handle this information well—he held it over his brothers. But in all those days working in Potiphar's house or administering the prison, he must have wondered, how will these dreams come to be? How will God fulfill his plans for me?

God has been with you in your past.  

1. He has given you talents and abilities with which to serve others and make a living (1 Peter 4:10, Deuteronomy 8:17-18).

2. God has rescued you from sin and difficulties. God has provided you with opportunities to learn, to work, and to impact others.

3. As we reflect on the past, we may find that God has given us a strong sense of burden, purpose, and ability to impact a defined group of people in a specific way.

meeting god in the future

The future. Anxiety is fear on fast forward. We worry about what will or will not be. How do we meet God in the future? As an older man, Joseph reflects (Genesis 48-50). As he forgives his brothers, he says, "What you intended for evil, God intended for good” (Genesis 50:20). God can take our world's brokenness, our industry, and our souls and work out a plan for good. God's plan defined Joseph's future.

God has a good plan for your future. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes that, “We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which He has prepared for us to do.” The good he has intended is not limited to church volunteers and missionaries. The good works God has planned for you include your daily work—the actual activities you do, the people you touch, the income you generate. Cling to this!

God has a plan for your work future. The hard part is this: God will let you know what that plan is when you need to know it. Comparison to others, self-criticism, and impatient frustration rob us of God's presence when we are engaged in job search and transition.  

God’s presence and plan for your future impacts how you work and wait.

1. When you visualize your future, have hope knowing that God will be there with you—no matter your circumstances.

2. We can trust that God, as the author of our story, has a better plan for our work than we could possibly imagine, even amid present uncertainty.

3. We can let go of our need for control even as we diligently seek our next assignment, knowing that it is the Lord who directs our steps (Prov. 3:5-6).

god’s presence in our search

Where is God in your job search? He is with you. He is with you in your past, in your present, and your future. He sees the beginning and the end. He knows what's next. He invites us to do our part in seeking opportunity, humbly receiving feedback, and diligently seeking His next assignment. He is the caller, and we are the called.

---

Seeking further help in your job search? Check out our Career Navigator program in partnership with the VOCA Center.

---

Want more resources from NIFW? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also find more resources from NIFW on our blog and resources page.

Want to stay connected with NIFW? Join our email list to be the first to know about our upcoming events, programs, and latest resources.