“Work is not the result of the fall. It existed before and it was something beautiful and useful that God gave us. The order to cultivate and maintain the world predessed the fall. But the fall makes what would be quiet and simply rewarding, become arduous and frustrating. Reverend Emilio Garofalo Neto in the sermon “Give work”, based on Ecclesiastes 2. 18-26
During my 13 years of work I have worked in many ways, always being incredulous, already converted but working with disbelievers, and more recently, I made the “professional dream of the Christian”: I worked with believers and for believers. At the end of my activities in this last company, I opened a document and started writing this text, I hope it will encourage you and help you rething your relationship at work, in the end, I point out the books and sermons that have been fundamental to me in this professional career.
- I have a degree in social communication.
- So.
- Like you.
- Tackling ideologies that are offensive to Christianity is part of my informal academic background.
- Given the context.
- I didn’t come here today to talk about studies.
- You keep studying.
- Remember that’s your job.
- Okay? Do it with excellence.
- And the things I’m going to talk about are relational and the experiences I’ve had.
- But they also apply to you in your work.
- Which is studying and doing internships and dealing with people every day.
The meaning of my work was me
During my college years, my internship and my first job, I still lived like a disbeliever. I’m not going to tell my best story yet, my conversion. That’s how I lived in my work: now with the certainty that work was a burden I had to carry to make money and now with the certainty that work was my identity and what defined me. The meaning of my work was me. My sense of responsibility, my dedication to learning and my commitment has always been very good. This is due to God’s common grace in the education I received, but not for the right reasons in my heart. From internships, I was the first to arrive and the last to leave, doing everything I could to make sure the post filled all my gaps, and that took a long time to change even after the conversion. And, like any good idol, the work has disappointed and frustrated me countless times in terms of bosses, co-workers, results and money. When the end of the job is us, nothing will be good. Vanities of vanity.
The work of the disbeliever is no worse than that of the believer, I was an excellent professional even far from God and met disbelievers whose work I still admire today. Even in terms of behavior and results, the work of an ungodly man can be much better than that of a believer. The Christian does not acquire professional excellence just because he is a Christian and, unfortunately, can be very disappointing if his theology is broken. The subject gives a lot of lyrics to the text, but what I’m talking about is our heart when dealing with people (I keep repeating it, otherwise I go into another subject and become a book).
Saying bad things about a believer and making jokes with God is what amuses them the most.
If you have read other texts of mine, will you remember it in?Do your fingers talk about what’s full of your heart?I commented on the years I was glad to find in Facebook posts that the brothers were light while working among the people who offended my Lord on a daily basis. In this work, it seemed that speaking ill of a believer and making jokes with God was what amused them the most. Today I understand that we have to look at these people as Jesus would look and act as he would, knowing that one day he himself will come and transform that pleasure into eternal pain and suffering and that he should not alleviate our sense of justice, we should repent. I don’t think we should get used to these crimes, we’re called to fight the good fight. But we must be wise, study and learn about apologetics and reformed worldview to rest our hearts and respond to what needs response, remain silent when there are no useful words, and pray always.
And being a believer working with a non-believer is always being the goal of “that’s because you’re a believer. ” For non-believers, each of our failures is a victory for this talk, and if we don’t align our theology, it can lead to completely wrong reactions. I don’t like that we use God’s grace and mercy as an excuse to make mistakes. When does someone say? Is it because he is a believer? We must first recognize that yes, we have failed. We always bear witness to the gospel in one form or another. Sometimes our testimony will only be about how God works for us, even with our faults and unbelief. If even an unbeliever has discovered that we are not acting like believers, it is because we have not reflected Christ. The reaction is to repent, pray for the forgiveness of God and all those we offend for our error, even the wicked. But while we cannot use grace as an excuse, we can never lose sight of the fact that God is merciful and merciful and that we are saved despite our attitudes. We are saved only by the blood of Christ who made us his children, and this must also be remembered and reflected. Our failures are also a testament to how much everyone needs God. Who says this because he is a believer? he is no worse than us and can come to Christ as we came.
God is wonderful for destroying our idolatry
Totally different?
Not exactly.
For the last three years, I have worked in a Christian company, for Christians, all employees are brothers. Oh, so everything was perfect, wasn’t it? Don’t do it.
It was not perfect because we, even as believers and even knowing so many things, also expect different attitudes from our brothers and sisters, when they frustrate us, it seems much worse, because we did not expect them, but others do. But God is wonderful for destroying our idolatry.
Working with Christians is as difficult as the other situations I mentioned earlier, for example, you provide services to the company’s customers (who are also believers) and respond rudely, in a lack of education and pride. already starting with a “brother, then” to remind the client who he is and who I am, the situation allowed and worked. Is the other person’s base the same as yours?Then you can and must use the Bible with it. I’m going to skip a lot of details.
I had the opportunity to work with a whole team of BROTHERS in Christ And what has changed?It has changed that even today, outside of this work, I await prayer before and after meetings, there were many admirations, exhortations and disappointments, God has allowed all this to show me and remind me that despite being Christians, we are still fallen, imperfect and disappointing And what distinguishes this team of redeemed sinners from being in teams of dead sinners is that we must always remember that above colleagues and leaders , we were brothers in Christ and we must know how to exhort ourselves, repent of our mistakes, and forgive one to others. That’s clearly what sets us apart, you know? It is not our ability not to make mistakes, but our ability to repent in Christ and forgive.
Many Christians believe that their spirituality has nothing to do with other areas of their lives, such as their profession. Fortunately, God’s people have awakened to a reformed worldview that shows the fullness of life. Being a Christian must turn us into different professionals, be they, farmers, lawyers, police officers. Christian business owners need to think about how their practices reflect their faith, whether in terms of taxes, fair and paid wages, quality of service, and relationships with employees and the public.
No matter where you work, for whom and with whom, be wise and patient; never forget that you work primarily for God and that this must be done with diligence, responsibility, and excellence; may God be glorified through your work, in every respect, in every package, in a line drawn, in every cleansing done, at every complete table, and in every word addressed to the working brother.
Good Job!
“God’s chosen one, if he stumbles and falls into sin, will sooner or later rise up and resume the path of sanctification, repentant, and willing not to sin any more. Anyone who lives in the practice of sin, without repentance and without the will to abandon it, cannot say that he is saved and son of God.
We’re not done yet. I suggest you put on your headphones and start listening to the sermons of the Ecclesiastes of the Reverend Emilio Garofalo Neto, you can even listen while doing something more manual of your work:
I indicate the books
? How to integrate faith and work, by Timothy Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf