Salt and Light in the Workplace
A primary focus of Truth Enlightens Me, LLC is to follow the guidance of Matthew 5:13-16. These words comprise Christ’s identification of Christians as “salt” and “light” unto the world. Since the term “enlightens” is used in my business name, shining the light of Christ is of particular importance to my ministry. As this is summer break for most of us educators, I have time to reflect on my work from this past year and think about how to better illuminate Christ who lives in me for the next year. Therefore, this post will focus on being salt and light in the workspace.
I read something one time that estimated Americans spend close to 50% of their waking hours on the job. This is obviously a considerable amount of time, so it behooves us to consider how to be a witness for Christ in the workplace. At times, a providential conversation might become available to us where we do get to audibly share our testimony, but those opportunities pale in comparison, and are certainly edified by how we conduct ourselves at work. We are all aware of how actions speak louder than words, and the Apostle Paul gives us some guidance on how to do that in I Thessalonians 4:10-12. In this small segment, Paul offers three exhortations of how we should act at work, and then he follows it up with the all-important “whys.”
We urge you, brothers (fellow Christians), to do this more and more, and to aspire to (1) live quietly, (2) and to mind your own affairs, (3) and to work with your hands, as we (the apostles) instructed you, so that (here comes the “whys”) you may walk properly before outsiders (our fellow employees and visitors) and be dependent on no one (implying that Christ is our strength, not anyone else).
“Living quietly” is extremely sound advice in this current era of constant “fight-or-flight,” where the next social media post or media talking-point often becomes the focus. Indeed, the world has definitely become a louder place, and this is witnessed when polite, civil conversation easily gets blown up into shouting and arguments. We educators see this especially running rampant in schools, as thoughtful reasoning has died and become replaced with Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok blurbs.
It is easy to get caught up in this, and we can sometimes find ourselves saying things we may regret if we allow the topic du jour to evoke an emotional response. Yet we rarely watch Christians get emotional and argumentative when it comes to sharing the gospel…the one topic this struggling world desperately needs to hear. “Living quietly,” then, speaks to how we carry ourselves at work. We should converse when those opportunities present themselves, but we need to understand that the examples we set at work communicate much louder and more often than do those infrequent opportunities to discuss our testimonies.
The Apostle Peter touches on this under the context of advice to wives, but the principle of I Peter 3:2 applies to everyone: Our efforts should focus on witnessing to others by making an impression on them as they “see our respectful and pure conduct.” General restraint when the world around us is often in “attack mode” demonstrates the “peace that passes all understanding” and compliments our verbal witness if and when we ever get the chance to give it.
“Minding our own affairs” is simple advice not to meddle, not to gossip, and not to seek to know everything better. The world encourages us to be multi-taskers, but this doesn’t apply to the affairs of others. God wants us to be single-minded about the job he has called us to do, and our focus should be on that. Of course, getting distracted by someone in need and then helping them is appropriate, but Paul is not referring here to living out the “Good Samaritan” type of lifestyle. He is simply advising us to either stay out of things that aren’t our concern, or to get out of those things if we are dabbling in them.
The Apostle Peter even goes as far as to imply that a failure to mind one’s own affairs leads to suffering (Cf. I Peter 4:15-16). King Solomon also informs us that we gain honor when we “cease from strife,” (Cf. Proverbs 20:3) and he also tells us in Proverbs 26:17 that “interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking on a dog’s ears.” While you may argue that this is common sense, you have to remember that common sense is no longer “common” anymore.
Finally, Paul’s exhortation to “work with your hands” is nothing short of calling us to be diligent while at work. This comment comes to life even more when we learn a little about the context Paul gave it as well as to how the Thessalonians were operating when it was given. Like many people who come to the saving grace of Christ after hearing the gospel, the Thessalonians were a bit ignorant of the entirety of the Bible and believed at that time that Christ’s return was going to be immediate.
They did not understand that certain prophecies had to be fulfilled (and still do) before Christ returns. Due to this expectation of immediate return and the excitement it garnered, the Thessalonians simply neglected their work. Paul informs them that this type of idleness was not God’s will. Paul further underscores this in Colossians 3:22-23 when he discusses how servants (employees) are to operate at work:
Obey in everything those who are your earthly masters (“supervisors” in our times), not by way of eye-service (working only when you are being watched), as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.
As Christians, we understand that God is the one who places us in our jobs. We also understand that he has given each of us certain physical talents that are to be used for his glory, and many times these talents are used in the workplace. We also understand that at our second birth, all of the spiritual gifts he gives us are present and also to be used both vocationally and avocationally. Therefore, the urging us to work “as for (unto) the Lord and not for men” is a mature understanding that where God has us is for his glory.
We glorify him by being salt and light in the workplace as we operate with a quiet spirit, mind our own affairs, and work both diligently and faithfully. The reasons why we do this is so that “we might walk properly before outsiders” The way we go about our professions is an extremely important condition of our witness. God promises to use our diligence and faithfulness for his glory (Cf. Romans 8:28), and as we glorify him on the job, God will ensure we are “dependent on no one” other than him for our security (Cf. Romans 8:35-39; John 17:12; Matthew 6:33; & Philippians 4:19).
