Victory Call 3536

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Graeme Wilson in Victory Call

This past week for my annual Bible reading plan, I read the account of Joseph and was struck by the verse:

The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. (Genesis 39:2-3)

Over the years, I was discipled to see my secular job is as valid a ministry as the work I volunteer to do in my local church. As I read that Joseph had the LORD’s favor and not only was it noticeable to his master, but also his master was in turn blessed by it, I was struck by the notion, am I a blessing that adds richness to my employer or a hindrance that brings sorrow?

Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”

As an employee, I am a resource to my place of business. If I am a blessing to my employer, I should bring positivity and joy to my work environment, skills and talents to project teams, and insight and wisdom to solving problems. If not, then the opposite is the case and I am an ineffective vessel for God’s favor and blessing to flow thru.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul writes,

“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

In other words, we are walking billboards for the evidence of Christ and His transformational power in this world.

Sometimes (…and I say that loosely!) work can be challenging, particularly when collaborating with unbelievers. Their ethics and viewpoints can be against ours as believers in God’s Word. Nevertheless, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:3). The challenge is to remember God has an agenda for each person we work with and we never know to whom He has planned for us to witness or be a blessing. Our job is to maintain our relationship with Christ so that we are continuously aware and aligned with God’s will, and seek opportunities to witness and be the light in this world of darkness.

Diera Shaw-Mendez is a minister and youth leader at New Beginnings Worship Center, Pennsauken, NJ, and works full-time for an educational nonprofit in Philadelphia. She is wife to Chaplain Juan Mendez and mama to Olivia Joy. She spends her “spare time” running an online invitation design shop on Etsy and writes occasionally for her personal blog, With Style, By Grace. Diera is a God-fearing, Starbucks loving, tech junkie (…in that order!) who simply wants to inspire women to invest in THE beauty that never fades!