I once wrote, “At Stand to Reason, our goal is not to train apologists; our goal is to train apologist bankers, and apologist janitors, and apologist mothers and fathers—people who apply the Christian worldview and the work of Jesus to every aspect of their lives, wherever they are.”
Being a Christian doesn’t mean doing a particular job; rather, it means becoming a particular kind of person—one who is being conformed by the Holy Spirit “to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29) so that by our God-honoring and God-reflecting behavior, we will “bear fruit for God” (Rom. 7:4) and “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Because God’s goal is to conform us to the image of his Son, it’s not enough to have information about God, the gospel, and the Christian worldview. That information ought to be shaping every aspect of our lives, and there’s nothing that takes up more of our time than the work that we do, paid or unpaid. Have you integrated the truth of your worldview with your work?
This won’t happen automatically; you need to be intentional. And as one example of how to pursue this, I appreciated the practical advice in this post by Chris Chancey at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics on developing a “‘work as worship’ mindset.” An excerpt:
[U]nderstanding God’s command for us to use our skills and resources for his glory does not immediately transform our outlook on work….
The truth is, “work as worship” is a mindset that must be cultivated over time….
The first factor in cultivating a workship mindset is the daily petition for it.
Ask God to help you develop a vision by which you see every task or project as an opportunity to honor him. It may be days or months before you begin to notice the shift in how you process your work, but habitually and earnestly praying about this every day will help you adhere to Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (ESV)….
Understanding that God has called us to worship him in our work is only part of the process. Incorporating this theology of work into our lives requires intentionality.
A daily commitment to prayer and discernment, along with bringing your best effort to the table and faithfully serving those around you, will help you cultivate this workship mindset over time, not overnight.
Read the rest of his post for more on his other two points, being a servant and pursuing excellence.