How to Fulfill Your Purpose at Work as a Christian

Christians In Business or in the Workplace: How to Find Your Purpose At Work

The alarm goes off. It’s Monday morning. The weekend is over and it’s time to face reality. Another week in a job that I don’t like.

Why am I here? Why am I working in a job that I don’t like? What is my purpose at work? How do I find my true purpose and calling?

Before God showed me that he wanted me to pursue a career in writing, I went through a season at work where I was frustrated and wanted to quit. I knew accounting in the business world wasn’t my calling and I was frustrated I was working in a job that I didn’t feel fulfilled at.

As a Christian, I knew God had a bigger plan for me but I was frustrated that I didn’t know what that was yet.

As I prayed and asked God to reveal my true calling and my purpose, God showed me that I did have purpose right where I was in my workplace.

While I did have purpose and a responsibility to fulfill the role of my job description in the accounting world, God showed me that my purpose for his Kingdom was much more than just fulfilling my job description.

This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission from a purchase which helps fund my blog at no extra cost to you.

You Have Purpose Right Where You Are

No matter what job you are in or if you even like your job, you have purpose right where you are in your workplace.

No matter what field, business, or industry you work in, you have purpose.

Even if you don’t really like what you are doing, God has you there for a reason.

As Christians, God has a plan for our life and wants to use our lives to help others know Jesus.

God created each one of us with unique gifts, talents and passions and calls us to specific jobs and assignments to fulfill the plans he created for us to make a difference in this world. 

God may have already revealed the unique calling for your life and the work that he wants you to do to best fulfill this calling. 

Or maybe you know that the current job you have is not the calling God has for you but you are still waiting on God to reveal your true calling.

While I waited for God to reveal my true calling, he showed me that I had a responsibility as a Christian and that my purpose was to represent him at work right where I was.

My purpose didn't start once God revealed my true calling. My purpose started the day I accepted Jesus into my heart and decided to be a follower of Christ. 

If you’ve been struggling to understand your purpose at work or how you can best serve God at work, here are 5 ways you can serve your purpose in business or in the workplace.

How to Fulfill Your Purpose in Business or in the Workplace as a Christian

The Bible calls us to love God and to love others. This is often referred to as the greatest commandment.

““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”” – Matthew 22:36 - 39

Fulfilling the greatest commandment is one of the ways we can fulfill our purpose at work.

1) Love God

Loving God with all your heart, mind and soul is the first and greatest commandment. But loving God at work? How do we actually show love for God at work?

With our faith and God, sometimes we put God in a box or think he doesn’t belong in certain areas of our lives, like at work.

It can be easy to be a Christian on Sundays or at home with our families but a lot of us think God has no place in our work.

We can’t forget that our purpose as Christians also extends to our work. We can’t forget that God has us there for a reason and that we are called to love God first no matter where we go, even at work.

So how can you love God at work?

The Bible calls us to work as if we were working for God, not for people.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

When I made the mental shift and reminded myself that I was really working for God, it enabled me to feel more fulfilled and have more joy in the work I was doing.

Obeying God’s commands and his word at work is another way we can show our love for God.

“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.” – 1 John 5:2-3 NIV

“If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15

We have a responsibility to represent God at work and we need to obey his commands no matter what pressures we are facing. We are called to act with integrity no matter how small the issue may seem.

Finding ways to pray and worship God throughout the work day also helped me make God a bigger part of my work. The Bible calls us to worship and rejoice in all things, so why not worship at work?

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Taking a 5-minute break to listen to a worship song or taking the time to pray during my lunch hour helped me focus on God and reminded me that I was there to work for him.

2) Love Others

Loving our neighbor as ourselves is the second part of the greatest commandment.

God even calls us to do all things in love, which include our work.

“Do everything in love.” - 1 Corinthians 16:14

We are called to do ALL things in love, not just some things. Not just the time we spend at home with our families. We are called to do everything in love, even our work at our job, even if we don’t like what we are doing.

Many people don’t really use the word love in the business world but it’s clear that the business world definitely could use some more love and kindness.

When love is your currency at work, you’ll start to see an impact that is far greater than any monetary reward you could ever receive.

Spreading love and kindness really are contagious and when you share that love with others, you will instantly feel more fulfilled at work.

But how can you love others at work?

Pray and ask God to show you how you can love others right where you are at work.

Maybe it’s taking someone out for coffee that is going through a hard time. Maybe it’s working late to help your boss out because you know he is stressed and going through a hard time at home. Maybe it’s offering to mentor someone.

Buy a new team member lunch. Celebrate the team and those around you who did a good job. Take time out of your day to listen and be there for someone.

Even sharing a smile and a dove chocolate with someone can go along a way.

Don’t underestimate the power of love in the workplace and the impact it will have on those around you.

If you’re bored or feeling unfulfilled at the moment, ask God, how can you brighten someone’s day today? Who does he want you to share his love with?

Want to learn more about how to love God and others around you?

Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Love Does by Bob Goff will encourage you to live all out for God and to boldly share the love and truth of Jesus with those around you. Click below to shop on Amazon.

3) Be the Salt & Light to Others Around You

If you are a Christian and have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, then you are filled with the Holy Spirit.

“And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.” – Ephesians 1:13 NLT

With the Holy Spirit inside of you, you carry the power and love of Jesus that God wants you to share with others around you.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

Think of yourself as a vessel of love and light.

The Holy Spirit is the light inside of you and will draw people to you. People will start to notice that something is different about you.

Wherever you go, you get to bring this light. To your office. To your team. To your client. To that meeting you’ve been dreading.

You are called to be the light and God will use you to draw people to him.

Don’t try and hide your light. Don’t try and hide the fact that you’re a Christian. You carry the light and love of Jesus and were created to let his light shine through your life.

As you shine your light, it’s important not to blend in with your coworkers around you. The Bible tells us that we are the salt and light of the Earth and not to lose flavor.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” - Matthew 5:13 NIV

We are called to be set apart and not to blend in or conform to this world.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” - Romans 12:2 NIV

We need to remember that God has us at our job for a reason. God needs us to be set apart and represent him at work.

He needs us to be different and to speak up for his truth. God needs us to shift the culture in our workplaces to stand up for what is right.

Before I surrendered my life to God, I drank too much at work events. As I surrendered this area to God, he showed me that he needed me to be set apart and to stand up for being sober, even if it was against the drinking culture in the corporate world.

God showed me how to network and socialize without drinking and how to encourage others to stand up for themselves so they wouldn't feel pressured to drink in social work settings.

If we blend in and worry about what others think of us, we are not serving God to the best of our abilities and will miss out on making a difference at work.

How can you shine your light today?

What specific project or team needs some more light and love?

What situation needs your ‘saltiness’, someone like you who will stand up for the truth and who isn’t afraid to be set apart?

4) Share Your Faith With Others & Invite Others to Receive the Gift of Salvation

There are so many people around you at work who do not know Jesus and who don’t have a place in heaven yet.

We can never underestimate the call and purpose we have in our jobs to bring the gift of salvation to others around us.

When I was asking God to reveal my purpose in a job that I didn’t like, God spoke to me so powerfully through Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life.

“Nothing else you do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God.” - Rick Warren

“If just one person will be in heaven because of you, your life will have made a difference for eternity.” - Rick Warren

The salvation of 1 person will be more significant than anything else you’ll accomplish at work!

When you eventually get to heaven, are you going to stand before God, knowing that you fulfilled your responsibility as a Christian by spreading the love and truth of Jesus so others were saved?

Or will you try and justify all your other accomplishments at work, regretting not taking the time to share God’s love and the gospel with your coworkers when you had the chance?

On the days were I felt unfulfilled to do my job and questioned why God still had me there, he kept reminding me that he wanted me there for his people.

God showed me that he needed me to be the light in the business world where so many people need to know the truth and love of Jesus.

Every day that I woke up feeling unmotivated to do my accounting job, I prayed and asked God to highlight people that needed to receive his love and truth.

I prayed for God to soften their heart to receive him and that they would receive salvation.

There are so many people around you in your workplace that don’t know Jesus yet. Perhaps God has placed you in your current position in your job for such a time as this.

Think about it. We spend so much time with people from work. We get to know people both on a professional and personal level.

What if God placed you in your current job on a specified project or engagement so a coworker could be saved? God may have already orchestrated you in that person’s life to receive salvation.

Pray and trust God to highlight the people he’s put in your path at work that he wants you to share the love and truth of Jesus with.

How can we bring others the gift of Salvation?

It starts with sharing your faith and the love of Jesus with others at work. It starts by talking about your own experience going to church and how God has changed your life.

It is time to let others know that you are a Christian and that they too can live an abundant life with Jesus.

For more tips and strategies on how to share your faith at work, check out my blog post, How to Share Your Faith at Work.

5) Pray for Your Coworkers

As a Christian, you probably already know that praying for those around you is one of the most powerful ways you can love others.

In our workplace, it shouldn’t be any different. But for the longest time, it never occurred to me to pray for my coworkers and others at work.

It was easy to pray for those around me at church and for my friends and family but I had been putting prayer in a separate box from my job.

It wasn’t until I asked my husband (before we were dating) what his purpose was did it occur to me to pray for my coworkers. He told me that prayer was one of his purposes at work and that he felt called to pray for his boss and coworkers around him.

Another purpose and responsibility we have as Christians is to pray for those around us at work.

So how do we pray for people at work?

The #1 thing I always pray for is for their salvation and for them to know Jesus. After a while, it becomes clear which people have Jesus in their life and who doesn’t.

We should never stop praying for people to know Jesus no matter what a person has done or how reluctant they are to pursue Christ.

Certain opportunities or circumstances may arise that lead you to pray for others. For example, a coworker may be going through an exciting life transition like getting married, having a baby, moving, etc.

Or someone may be going through a difficult time in life like losing a loved one, struggling with anxiety, going through a break up, battling health issues, etc.

I’ve found that even people that don’t have a relationship with God appreciate prayers and the thought that you are thinking and praying for them.

When an opportunity arises, ask them how you can pray for them during this time. Let them know that you will keep them in your prayers.

If you are feeling particularly bold and feel led by the Holy Spirit, you can even offer to pray for a coworker on the spot right then and there in person.

Praying in the middle of your cube in the office or during a meeting may not be the best place to pray so use your judgment to pray in a quieter place or outside the office if you feel prompted.

I also prayed for people that I was having a difficult time working with. I prayed for those people that would annoy me or that were hard to work with.

I prayed for the director that wasn’t communicative with the team and for the client who was hard to please.

I also prayed for myself and for God to give me more patience and love no matter how difficult someone was being.

If someone is being rude or acting out of line at work, there most likely is a deeper issue causing that behavior or perhaps they haven’t received the love of Jesus yet.

When you pray for that person instead of being rude in return, God softens your heart towards that person and helps you see them how he sees them, one of his children.

So go ahead and pray for that person that has been annoying you or giving you a hard time. Pray for them and watch how God moves.

You Have Purpose Right Where You Are in Your Workplace

Don’t let anyone try and convince you that you don’t have purpose in your job right where you are. If you’ve been struggling to find your purpose or joy at work, start praying and trusting God to use you to love on his people. To bring people to Jesus.

What if God planned for you to be in your current job right now so that you could invite a coworker on your team to church? And what if that coworker gets saved when he goes to church and then invites his 3 friends to church?

And then what if those 3 friends each invite their wives to church and their whole family gets saved? What if one of those 3 friends becomes a pastor, starts a church, and impacts thousands of lives who receive the gift of salvation?

Look around to all the people that God has already placed in your life at work. Pray and ask God to reveal the ones that need to receive the love and truth of Jesus Christ from you at work.

And trust that God will reveal your true passion and calling and the dream job he has for you if he hasn't already.

Do You Want to Strengthen Your Relationship With God?

Learn how to grow closer to God and strengthen your relationship with him with this free Spiritual Goals Worksheet. With this worksheet, you'll be able to identify and learn how you can grow spiritually in 10 different areas.

Want to Learn More About Your Purpose as a Christian?

Below are my favorite books that helped me understand my purpose as a Christian in general and at work.

When times at work were tough, these books gave me hope and courage to continue to represent God at work even when I knew I wasn't passionate about my job.

Click on the images below to shop on Amazon.

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With Love,

Erin Elise

This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a commission from a purchase which helps fund my blog at no extra cost to you.