“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”. Matthew 5 v 14-16
These days on PUYB we are talking relationships. Today we are sharing some Biblical wisdom for our relationships at work and at school. We spend at least 8 hours of every single work day among our co-workers and/or classmates. This adds up to approximately 160 hours a month and about 2000 hours every year. I did all that math for you to realize that if you work outside your home or you’re a student, you spend most of your waking hours with your co-workers or classmates.
Yet we constantly overlook our co-workers and our classmates. It seems that we consider these relationships the least of all. We spend at least 40 hours a week with the same people and don’t take the time to connect with them yet we’ll spend hours organizing the weekend distribution of gospel tracts to total strangers cause we all know that they need Jesus. Could this be evidence of the hypocrisy that we Christians are so often accused of?
Our offices, factories, breakrooms and classrooms are the mission field that God sends us to on a daily basis because they are filled with people who need to know Him and His saving grace. One of my best friends, recently shared with me that her co-worker is in his final days of battling pancreatic cancer. She’s been sharing her faith with Him for a long time before he was diagnosed and so it wasn’t awkward for her to run to his side, as she indeed did, to sit down and pray with him and his wife in their hour of despair. God could use her to reach her co-worker because she was and continues to be intentional about loving and caring for those around her! God expects you to be His hands and feet at your workplace and in your classroom. If He cannot depend on you to shine your light on the person in the next cubicle how can He use you to reach the ends of the earth? Jesus says that you are the light of the world, and that people around you should see you and your life and give glory to your Father in heaven. That’s a pretty high calling and we can respond because of the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
So, what are some ways we can be a light to our co-workers and classmates? The first thought going through many of your heads might be things like “We’re not allowed to speak of our faith at work or in the classroom?” or “I work for a Christian organization, most of my co-workers are Christian. What can I say to them that they don’t already know”? Isn’t it interesting that Jesus doesn’t say “let them hear of your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. He says “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”. It’s your life not your speech that matters here.
It seems to me that there are three consecutive steps occurring in that statement –
- Let your light shine
- Do good works
- They (as in your coworkers or classmates) give glory to God
So, what does it mean to let your light shine? Maybe a secondary question would clarify this. What do the people who are in darkness need to see in you? Jesus. Jesus is the light that we as believers have and that we need to let shine through us. Are your co-workers or classmates seeing Jesus in you? This is not a rhetorical question. Take a moment to answer it. Do you live peaceably with all (Romans 12 v 18) or are you forming cliques and excluding certain people? Do you count them more important than yourself (Philippians 2 v 3) or are you busy trying to stand out and above? Are you building others up in grace (Ephesians 4 v 29) or are you using your lips for gossip and slander? Be gracious, forbearing, and kind. Do not judge. Be a peacemaker. Think about it. Do your co-workers and classmates see and experience Jesus in you?
The second step is the good works that our coworkers or classmates should be seeing us do. So, what do we do at work that is being witnessed by others? The Bible says we must do our best work with a sincere heart, be that in school or our workplace, as if we are working for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3 v 23). They should see our diligence that the Lord meets with rich supply (Proverbs 13 v4). Mind your business, and work hard so that you can walk with your head held high (1Thessalonians 4v12). Be modest in your dressing, your attitude, and your choices (Galatians 5 v 16,17). People find it hard to ignore someone they consider worthy of respect.
And when they look at one such as this, the third action follows. They will give glory to your God in heaven. This third action item is not yours to worry about. When you do the first two faithfully, God will work the third in the heart of your co-workers and classmates.
No person that interacts with a believer, especially on a daily basis, should continue on without an encounter with the one, true, and living God. Our classmates and coworkers even more so. Surrender these relationships to God. Pray for wisdom. Ask God for opportunities to share the gospel and pray with your co-workers. He will lead, guide and empower you to be the city on a hill for all to see and glorify Him.
Pick Up Your Bible 