Being A Light At Work
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Working in a place where Christians are the minority can often be challenging. You might be tempted to hunker down, do your work and then rush home each day. But instead of quietly surviving, God has called us to be a light in the darkness. That means we are to shine brightly and not cower in our cubicle. To speak truth in love, not simply acquiesce to the attitudes and beliefs of our co-workers so as not to make waves. We are to be the bright spot in a dark world, proclaiming the love and salvation our Savior has to offer.
Easier said than done, right? Well, here are some practical ways you can be a light at your job:
1. Words Matter
It’s easy to fall into the speech habits of those around you. It may be tempting to curse that client who is making your life hard, join in a gossip session or bad-mouth a bad boss. But remember, your co-workers are listening. Ephesians 4:29 tells us to speak only words that will be uplifting to others. Hang a decoration with encouraging words near your desk to remind yourself to trust God in all circumstances. Having His truth as a constant reminder can help you think before you speak.
2. Attitude Adjustment
Stress, dreaded tasks, uncooperative co-workers, lack of recognition…there are numerous things in your workplace that can bring you down. But, how do you react? Do you grumble and complain or do you choose to trust God and be positive? Remember that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13). Rest in the assurance that God will get you through every situation, and show others what it means to have the joy of the Lord, no matter the circumstances. Place a reminder at your desk to praise God and focus on His goodness. Believe me, people will notice.
3. Showcase the Truth
Another way to witness is to simply let God’s Word speak for itself. Drink your morning coffee in this “Pursue Truth” mug and take it with you to your team meetings. You can also place Scripture sharables prominently on your desk. These are non-confrontational ways to present the Word to your co-workers and plant a seed in their hearts. After all, you never know how it will touch or convict them.
4. Go One-on-One
It’s hard to find obvious opportunities to talk about your relationship with Jesus when you’re on the clock. An easy way to get some one-on-one time, however, is to invite a co-worker to lunch. Genuinely get to know them as you talk about more casual things like kids, hobbies and activities. Eventually, the Holy Spirit may open a door for you to speak about your relationship with a loving God. Pray Ephesians 6:19-20 before you go and ask the Lord to open doors for His Kingdom to be released in your interaction.
5. Show a Servant’s Heart
You’ve heard the saying “actions speak louder than words.” Often what we do can be an even louder witness than what we say. Look for opportunities to serve your fellow co-workers. Give a sweet baby gift to someone out on maternity leave or send a sincere sympathy card to a co-worker who recently lost a loved one. Other ways to serve might include offering a ride to someone whose car is in the shop. If you have Christian music playing in your car, the lyrics of a song might minister to them. Through you, these small actions can speak volumes about God’s immeasurable love for your co-workers.
This Article can be found at: https://www.dayspring.com/articles/5-ways-to-shine-your-light-in-the-workplace#
- Published in Apologetics, Business, Life Planning
Preparing a Three minute Testimony
Easy Steps to Give Your Testimony
The Reason In 1 Peter 3:15, we are called to “…sanctify (set apart) the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…”
One of the most effective ways to be ready to give that defense is to be prepared ahead of time in case someone asks you why your life is different than theirs or what makes you different than others they know or in case God just brings someone who needs to hear.
You may have heard it said that you are a living letter for Jesus, a letter written not with ink and paper buy crafted by the Holy Spirit on the pages of your heart and life, (2 Cor 3:3) and your letter may be all of the Gospel that someone may ever read. Sometimes you share by your everyday life and sometimes with words! The three minute testimony has much benefit.
The three minute idea causes thoughts to be concise and keeps in mind the listener and how long they might be attentive and it helps in leaving out things that are not critical to your story.
The Purpose In preparing a brief and precise account of your own personal story of conversion and why you have hope, you have the help you need to simply and clearly share the interesting details of how, when and why you gave your life to Christ. This serves as a “door opener,” not to be used to “convince” someone they need Jesus, but a means of getting people interested in thinking about Jesus and creating an openness to talking about Him after hearing what He’s done for us.
A Biblical Example In Acts 25 and 26 we find the Apostle Paul being brought before King Agrippa and the king said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” As Paul spoke, his words were simple, logical and clear indicating his life before he met Christ, how he met Christ and what his life was like after Christ. He stood there to give a defense of the hope that was in him. His account of his conversion takes about three minutes to read aloud. You might read this account and use it as a guide for writing your own account of things.
The Contents – there are four main parts to your three minute testimony
1st Minute – Before meeting Jesus – a brief general statement of what your life was like before you met Jesus. These are general facts; no gross details necessary. I was addicted, I was an alcoholic, etc; these actions stemming from deep inner unmet needs. Things like – no purpose, no friends, feeling unloved, loneliness, meaninglessness to life, fear.
2nd Minute – How you met Jesus – this is where you would state the events and circumstances that brought about your conversion; the steps you took, a verse of Scripture that hit home, if something miraculous happened or perhaps the answered prayer. Paul’s witnessing of the brilliant light while traveling is an example of that.
You would want to include the gospel here – all have sinned, sin’s penalty, Jesus paid that penalty, must receive Jesus.
3rd Minute – After meeting Jesus – again a brief description of how your life has changed, what a difference He has made in your life, how He has filled the deep needs you had prior to becoming a Christian. Perhaps how you’ve found purpose in life in living for Jesus, and how you’d never change or go back to the old way of life. You might share how life isn’t perfect and never will be, and there are difficulties – like Paul experienced, but instead of bitterness there is joy, instead of emptiness there is life, instead of fear there is peace, but that there are no regrets for having made this decision. Most importantly that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you know that you have eternal life.
Call to Action – Ask them to take some form of action with you, perhaps it’s to attend church with you. You might even agree to pick them up and take them with you or meet them there. You might ask them how you might pray with them and even better ask them if they would pray with you to accept Jesus.
The Prayer God, I confess that I am a sinner, I am in need of a Savior, forgive me for my sins, come into my heart and fill me with Your Holy Spirit.
Helpful Hints to Writing
Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you as you compile your testimony.
It’s not necessary to memorize the whole thing word for word, but perhaps memorizing key words and their order so your account is fluid and transitional.
Keep within the three minute time limit
Boldly speak about Jesus because He is the most important element of your testimony.
You might consider beginning your testimony with an attention getting sentence or story.
Be positive all the way through your account from beginning to the end and perhaps include the humorous too.
Be accurate – edit and rewrite if necessary.
The C.S. Lewis Institute offers the following tips for writing your three minute testimony.
- Make it sound conversational. Avoid literary sounding statements. Use informal language.
- Share about what happened to you, don’t preach about what should happen to them. Say “I” and “me,” not “you.” This helps keep the testimony warm and personal.
- Avoid religious words, phrases, and jargon.
Don’t assume the listener knows what you mean by terms such as sin, accepted Christ, or even Christian.
- Generalize so more people can identify with your story. Don’t name specific churches, denominations, or groups. Avoid using dates and ages.
- Include some humor and human interest.
When a person smiles or laughs, it reduces tension. Humor is disarming and increases attention.
- One or two word pictures increase interest.
Don’t just say, “Bill shared the gospel with me.” You might briefly describe the setting so a person listening can visualize it.
- Explain how Christ met or is meeting your deep inner needs, but do not communicate that all your struggles and problems ended at conversion.
- Sound adult, not juvenile. Reflect an adult point of view even if you were converted at an early age.
- Avoid dogmatic and mystical statements that skeptics can question, such as, “I prayed and God gave me a job,” or “God said to me.”
- Simplify—reduce “clutter.”
Remember that it is a privilege and an honor to share the things that Jesus has done for you with someone, to make the defense and give an account for your hope and faith. This is the work that God’s words goes forth to accomplish and doesn’t come back void in its mission.
Remember too that the accuser of the brethren – Satan – has been cast down and, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:10-11
- Published in Apologetics, General Ministry, Life Planning, Networking, Spiritual Growth