Note: From Why Your Work Matters (Brazos, 2025). Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Citations have been omitted.
Writing to the first-century followers of Jesus at Colossae, the apostle Paul places vocational discipleship at the heart of apprenticeship with Jesus and a life of God-honoring worship. Paul writes, “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). His understanding of discipleship is all-encompassing, informing and shaping every aspect of life. There is no place where God is off-limits or where Jesus is not present to guide and train us in the new creation life we now have in him and daily live in his kingdom.
Paul’s mention of the name of the Lord may at first be confusing. Is Paul saying we need to verbalize Jesus’s name everywhere we go? While a verbal witness is a vital part of our discipleship, Paul says that Jesus’s lordship as creator and redeemer includes every square inch of the universe. When we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, it simply means that every dimension of human existence, all that we are and do, every relationship we have, is to be God-centered, God-focused and God-glorifying, aligning with his kingdom. And so, as followers of Jesus, our lives and work are to be constant reflections of who we say we follow.
I once heard the story of an encounter the legendary Alexander the Great had with one of his soldiers, who was a pitiful sight. The soldier was dressed sloppily, seemed disheveled and reeked of a long night of drinking and debauchery. When asked by his great military commander what his name was, the soldier replied, “Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great glared back at the solider and said, “Soldier, either change your name or change your behavior.”
As followers of Jesus, we represent him to the world around us. The word “Christian” means “little Christ.” Paul calls us ambassadors of Christ. Others see what we believe and who we follow not only by what we say but also by observing the kind of person we are becoming and the work we are doing. Like our Master Jesus, who modeled excellent carpentry work, by his grace we seek to exhibit Christlikeness in our words and attitudes. We seek to labor with diligence and excellence in whatever work God has called us to do. Martin Luther King Jr. captured the heart of apprenticeship to Jesus in Monday discipleship: “If it falls to your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep the streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the host of Heaven and earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.’” [Martin Luther King Jr., “Facing the Challenge of a New Age,” in A Testament of Hope, p. 139]
Working with Jesus
We are called to discipleship with Jesus in our paid and unpaid work. In our workplaces, Jesus invites us to work with him and to learn from him how to do our work, increasingly delighting in his presence, living each day before our audience of one. Jesus is truly the most brilliant person in your vocational field of work. Follow him. Learn to obey what he taught, live how he lived, and relate how he related to others. Delight in his presence, whether that is tinkering under the hood of a car, filing reports in your office, pulling weeds in your garden, serving in a soup kitchen, or changing the diapers on your newborn child. He is there with you and for you.
For most of us, the work we are called to do involves a good deal of what seems insignificant and mundane. In my pastoral calling, there is a lot of busywork that simply needs to get done. But these kinds of tasks and duties are not throwaway hours. Rather, they are defined by the Latin phrase ora labora, which simply means, “to work is to pray, to pray is to work.” I remember hearing my mom sing hymns she loved or recite poetry that nourished her soul as she washed dishes. Some of our most God-honoring worship is not the songs we sing in church on Sunday but the joyful, ongoing conversation we have with God as we work in often unknown and unappreciated spaces of toil.
Our ordinary work life is designed by God to be filled with extraordinary meaning, purpose, satisfaction and joy. As pointed out earlier, the Hebrew word avodah presents to us a holistic understanding of work and worship, thereby eliminating any compartmentalization of a worshipful life. We worship God in and through our work, and one of the primary ways we love our neighbor is in and through our vocation. In his Great Commandment, Jesus calls us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourself. A proper understanding of Christian vocation puts flesh and feet on this commandment.
Recently I was the recipient of neighborly love expressed through vocation. On a flight from Kansas City to Los Angeles, many individuals knowingly or unknowingly honored the Great Commandment through their work. When I arrived at the airport, the baggage handlers assisted me with my luggage. At the gate, security personnel ensured my safety. Then a gate agent facilitated my getting on the plane. On the plane, the pilots charted the course and readied us for flight. A maintenance team filled the plane with jet fuel and fixed a broken plane toilet. Once we were in flight, a flight attendant brought me a cup of coffee. Through many individuals working not only for a paycheck but also on my and others’ behalf, I arrived at my destination, ready for my meetings.
One of the primary ways we tangibly love our neighbors is to do excellent work in our various vocations. When we come to understand God’s work story, we see that vocation is closely connected with loving our neighbors. Your work is your specific and invaluable contribution to God’s ongoing creation and is an essential aspect of God’s Great Commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Martin Luther reminds us that “God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does.” [Martin Luther, quoted in Gustaf Wingren, Luther on Vocation, p. 10] God is very much at work in our vocational calling. He is using it to love others, transform us and transform the world.
Smelling Good at Work
I love walking into a room that is adorned with flowers. A fresh bouquet fills the air with an inviting aroma. Whether it is flowers or someone’s perfume, we are drawn to delightful fragrances. Perhaps this is what the apostle Paul has in mind when he says apprentices of Jesus give off the aroma of Christ, the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus everywhere we go. Every day, when you arrive at your workplace, you bring a fragrance with you. I am confident that others around you are noticing what you are wearing at work. What are those around you at work smelling? Is it drawing them to Jesus?
One of the ways we radiate Christlike fragrance is the attitude we wear, the gentleness and kindness we emanate. Paul reminds us that those who are indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit will give off a fragrance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Paul’s inspired words to the followers of Jesus at Thessalonica are especially helpful in cultivating a Christlike attitude about work. After urging the Thessalonians to seek the common good of all, Paul lays out three attitudinal orientations that powerfully transform our workplaces. Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV).
In these powerful verses, Paul encourages us to cultivate a daily attitude of joy, prayer and gratitude. Though our work can be very frustrating at times, and though we often deal with some very difficult and demanding people, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to positively influence a workplace culture that better promotes human flourishing, collaborative teamwork and the common good. If we will commit Paul’s inspired words to memory, we can take them to work with us. Perhaps write out his words and put them somewhere in your work space as a reminder. In my workplace, I often review these words of encouragement and make the necessary attitudinal adjustments throughout my day.
I am also particularly encouraged by the hopeful and promising truth of Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (ESV). When we live and work before an audience of one as an apprentice of Jesus, we have nothing to fear, nothing to hide and nothing to prove. We devote our complete energy to loving others and doing good work. Having an audience of one means we practice the presence of God as we go about our day and enjoy an ongoing conversation with him in our workplaces. As an overflow of our walk with Christ, we bring a positive, joyful outlook to our daily work. Because of our faith and our understanding of Christian vocation, we give a warm smile to our coworkers, even those who at times rub us the wrong way. We look for the good in others and celebrate others’ achievements. We express our appreciation through kind words and handwritten notes. Our increasingly virtuous presence and joyful, hopeful and encouraging attitude are the sweet and distinct aroma of Christ to those around us. Wherever God has called you on Monday, as an apprentice of Jesus you can make a big difference in the lives of others, your workplace culture and God’s kingdom.
Note: Content taken from Why Your Work Matters by Tom Nelson, Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2025, used by permission.
Tom Nelson, executive chairman, Made to Flourish
