Most people believe that in order to serve God you need to be a minister of the word, an evangelist, or a pastor at a local congregation etc. However, the truth is, you can still serve God as a doctor, Manager, Mechanic, Janitor, teacher, pilot, engineer, and so on. Our work doesn't have to have direct link to the church for us to serve God and represent Christ, and it doesn’t matter what work you do or where you work, you can still serve God no matter the circumstances. Your vocation is your calling to serve God in that position. It’s helpful to envision that behind every employer stands the Lord Jesus. He sees everything we do, and He appreciates it and will reward us, regardless of the type of work we do.

Colossians 3:23-24 – "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."

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

1 Corinthians 7:17 “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.”

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Despite what our culture leads us to believe, vocation is not self-chosen, God calls each of us to a particular vocation in life, be it to marriage, to fatherhood, or to a certain occupation, it’s a calling of service, and it’s important for each of us to know that we are called to our vocations.

The Bible teaches us that we will be rewarded for our hard work, that we should honour God in all that we do and that work can be something with spiritual purpose. After all, God worked to create life (Genesis 2:3), Jesus worked (John 5:16) and Adam was sent to work in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15).

No matter what the circumstance, the occupation we hold is very important to God. God leads people to particular jobs, occupations, and types of work, he calls us to become united with himself in every aspect of life. God calls us to build up society in a manner that reflects His love to the world.

Everything we do should be ordered toward discerning and responding to the will of God, the ultimate good in an imperfect world, this is our general vocation as Christians. Even through work and the occupations we hold God wants us to build his kingdom. God calls us to meaningful work that brings value to humanity; work that does not exploit people for personal gain.

Through serving others we act as God to others and we become more and more like Christ each day. While we might sin and fall short of what God desires for us, God still calls us to faithfully live our vocations in the hope that we will be with God in heaven some day.

God created people in his own image, and therefore he himself is a worker. We must recognize both that God created people to work and that he commands people to work to the degree they are able, and work to the Christian life continues to the very end of the Bible. The distinctive work of the Holy Spirit is to guide and empower people for the life and work to which God leads them.

God has made each of us uniquely and assigned to us unique lives with unique roles. Our responsibility before God is to understand the gifts, the skills, and the passions He has given us and to use those in fitting ways in ways that do well to others and, in turn, bring glory to God. Work is a gift from God. Work is something we were built for, something our loving Creator intends for our good.

Everything in our lives is to be done before the face of God, in reliance upon God’s grace, according to God’s guidance, for God’s glory.  Serve God with your work while building a better life for yourself and your family. Serve him with all faithfulness, and always remember that the work we do is important to God.

So how can we glorify God in our work?

Here are 9 tips I obtained from Desiring God by Pastor John Piper when he was answering a question on how young workers can glorify God at workplace.

Dependence: Go to work utterly dependent on God (Proverbs 3:5–6; John 15:5). Without him you can’t breathe, move, think, feel, or talk. Not to mention be spiritually influential. Get up in the morning and let God know your desperation for him. Pray for help.

Integrity:  Be absolutely and meticulously honest and trustworthy on the job. Be on time. Give a full day’s work. “Thou shalt not steal.” More people rob their employers by being slackers than by filching the petty cash.

Skill: Get good at what you do. God has given you not only the grace of integrity but the gift of skills. Treasure that gift and be a good steward of those skills. This growth in skill is built on dependence and integrity.

Corporate shaping: As you have influence and opportunity; shape the ethos of the workplace so that the structures and policies and expectations and aims move toward accordance with Christ. For example, someone is shaping the ethos of Chick-fil-A restaurants with this video.

Impact:  Aim to help your company have an impact that is life-enhancing without being soul-destroying. Some industries have an impact that is destructive (e.g., porn, gambling, abortion, marketing scams, etc). But many can be helped to turn toward impact that is life-giving without being soul-ruining. As you have opportunity, work toward that.

Communication: Work places are webs of relationships. Relationships are possible through communication. Weave your Christian worldview into the normal communications of life. Don’t hide your light under a basket. Put it on the stand. Winsomely. Naturally. Joyfully. Let those who love their salvation say continually, Great is the Lord! (see Psalm 40:16).

Love: Serve others. Be the one who volunteers first to go get the pizza. To drive the van. To organize the picnic. Take an interest in others at work. Be known as the one who cares not just about the light-hearted weekend tales, but the burdens of heavy and painful Monday mornings. Love your workmates, and point them to the great Burden Bearer.

Money: Work is where you make (and spend) money. It is all God’s, not yours. You are a trustee. Turn your earning into the overflow of generosity in how you steward God’s money. Don’t work to earn to have. Work to earn to have to give and to invest in Christ-exalting ventures. Make your money speak of Christ as your supreme Treasure.

Thanks: Always give thanks to God for life and health and work and Jesus. Be a thankful person at work. Don’t be among the complainers. Let your thankfulness to God overflow in a humble spirit of gratitude to others. Be known as the hope-filled, humble, thankful one at work.

In your occupation, ask yourself each day how your work will bring glory to God and help people rather than take advantage of others for personal profit, and in all things at all times, stay loyal to Christ.  This can be hard sometimes, but an easy life is not promised in the Bible.