Proverbs 22:29 and Faithfulness in Work
As hard as it is to believe, I have almost been out of school working at my current job for two years. When I was an engineering student at Cedarville University, I memorized Proverbs 22:29 for a class. It has been in my mind since as a vital verse on what faithfulness in work looks like.
Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 22:29, ESV
I thought about his Proverb many times since memorizing it. I never expected to live it out less than two years into my career.
In a previous post, I talked about my personal struggle with staying an engineering major. I desperately wanted to switch to Biblical studies, or a type of major I would enjoy more. But in God’s providence, I stuck it out and already I seen the opportunities He has given me. Opportunities I would not have gotten if I had not completed my engineering program.
In March 2021, I met and received a coin from General Raymond, the highest-ranking officer in the US Space Force, in recognition of my work. It was a great honor; one I couldn’t imagine receiving as a student. I certainly didn’t have many “goals” for my job right out of college. When you first graduate, you have no idea if you will even like your first job, much less be good at it.
Through this experience and two years of working out of college, the Lord has taught me three lessons about faithfulness in work. I would share these thoughts with any student at my Church or any professional early in his or her career.
Lesson 1: You don’t change the world your first day on the job
Building relationships, respect, & skill takes time
I disliked my job for the first couple months. It was uncomfortable, I had no idea what I was doing, and I clearly knew the least of anyone in my office. I had no idea what faithfulness in work meant for me. Suffice to say, this was wake-up call after being told for four years that I would graduate and “change the world for Jesus.” Certainly I wanted to, but it’s hard to change anything when you know almost nothing about your job and other people don’t know or respect you.
It takes time. My first year was God teaching me to slow down, practice patience, and wait on Him. I came to realize no one hired me to change the world. No one wanted me to change the office culture or lead my first day in the building. They wanted me to build relationships and skills. And it took some time.
Don’t get discouraged your first year or so in your job. Focus on getting to know the people God has you working with and developing the skills necessary to do your job well.
If you start working out of college with unrealistic expectations, it is easy to get discouraged. You start to ask “is it God’s will that I work here? Did I make the right decision?” Don’t think that just because you are uncomfortable that it isn’t God’s will. Stick with it. Faithfulness in work is a long-term goal.
If you honestly want to reflect Christ to your coworkers and have opportunities to speak about Him, focus less on “doing big things for Jesus” and instead get to know everyone in your office. Get to know their names. Practice humility by admitting you don’t know everything and that you need help. Learn from others.
God gives the opportunities. Work hard at them when they come.
There is only so much you can control. A trap I feel into when I first started working is trying to control what opportunities I got. But trying to manipulate situations to get opportunities to prove yourself is exhausting and often ineffective. Two years into my job, I see that every “impactful” opportunity I have been given so far has been from the Lord. I didn’t force my way into them, He sovereignly gave them to me.
But just getting the opportunity wasn’t enough. I also had to work hard when I was given opportunities. You have to be faithful when God gives you opportunities. I think that starts with gratitude: thanking the Lord for giving you the chance to be on a cool project or move up in the company. Then, you have to actually take whatever opportunity and work hard at it with all the skills God has allowed you to develop.
Hold these two truths always in your mind: you are not responsible for the opportunities you receive but you are responsible for how hard you work at those opportunities.
That is why it is so crucial to focus on developing skills and relationships when you first start your job. If you focus on chasing respect or “impact” or opportunities right away, you won’t have time to develop real skill at your job. If you really want to be respected at work, don’t aim at respect. Aim at becoming skilled. If you have not read the famous C. S. Lewis essay “The Inner Ring” I highly recommend it. It is a convincing argument for aiming at developing skill rather than aiming at being known or forcing your way into situations.
Develop a reputation as a teachable person, a hard-working person, and a caring person your first year.
Wait on the Lord. Be patient. Nowhere has God promised that you would change the world your first day at work. So trust Him and develop skill so when He gives you opportunities, you will be ready.
Lesson 2: A Christian work ethic stands out
Christians have a deeper motivation for work
I work with a lot of high-performing, intelligent unbelievers. And quite honestly, I didn’t expect that to be the case based off what I heard at my Christian University. A lot of times, it seems Christians tell young people there are a few simple steps to having impact at work:
- Get hired
- Out-perform everyone in your office
- Wait for unbelievers to ask you “why are you so amazing at your job?”
- Share the gospel with them and repeat
Implied in this oversimplified profess is that you as a believer will naturally be better than anyone else at your job. That simply is not true, especially if STEM fields. In fact, it may never be true. There are a lot of incredibly motivated, hardworking, smart unbelievers who you might never match in terms of work performance.
Christians are not guaranteed to outperform every unbeliever in their office. They are called to have a deeper motivation for the work they do.
That is what separates me from the unbelievers are work. Motivation. As a Christian, you are called to work to the glory of God rather than working to elevate self. It is that simple. In an office where unbelievers boast in self, are focused on money or power, and are driven solely by their own goals, Christians are called to boast only in Christ, focus on pleasing God, and are driven by a theology of work that centers on God’s glory.
When you are driven by God’s glory, you will naturally work hard and produce excellent products. Why? Because God’s glory is infinitely worthy and you as a Christian understand your job is to bear that image and display God’s worth in all that you do. Don’t compare your level of success to unbelievers success to stand out. Let your motivation be clear to those around you, then back it up with action.
Work as if you know and worship an infinitely glorious God and you will stand out in your office, even if you never are the smartest or most successful.
Christians have a God-centered perspective of circumstances
Everyone wants recognition for their work. It is natural in many ways. Besides what motivates you, another way the Christian work ethic stands out is how you deal with recognition or the lack of recognition. For the unbeliever, discouragement and bitterness are proper reactions to negative circumstances at work. Working with difficult people. Getting passed up for a promotion. Not enjoying a project. All of these are just a few examples of situation where the unbeliever looks at a situation and sees simply a roadblock to what they want.
Christians, on the other hand, worship a God who works all things together for their good. Not their success or comfort or pleasure. Their good. And what is that good?
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:28-29, ESV emphasis added
The greatest good God can give us is to make us more like Jesus. So what will the Christian do when the promotion goes to someone else? Keep working hard for God’s glory.
Christian’s don’t let circumstances affect their work. They trust the Lord and keep being faithful.
If you have a rock-solid view of God’s providence in all areas of life, when you don’t get the results you want at work, you won’t despair. You won’t give up. Simply trust the Lord, and keep working. And if you do get the promotion or recognition, you will see that that too is a gift from the Lord. You won’t boast or obsess with promoting yourself. The Christian humbly thanks the Lord for any recognition, draws attention to the motivation for why they work, and then continues to do what God has called them to.
Lesson 3: Serving God looks like one day of faithfulness in work at a time
Noah building the ark is a good example of faithfulness in work
We all love big acts of faithfulness. Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses to the chapel door. Jonathan Edwards preaching and revival breaking out. I could go on. But I think the best biblical example to set our expectation for what faithfulness looks like is Noah. Noah built an ark and condemned the world. That is a pretty monumental act of faithfulness to God.
But ask yourself: did Noah build that ark in a day? Of course not, it took years. Then what did “every day” faithfulness to God look like for Noah? Cut down a tree, use it to build a little more of the ark. Every day was not a big act of faithfulness for Noah. But everyday the little things Noah did demonstrated his faith in God’s promises and built towards the big memorable act of faithfulness: the ark.
I think this is a powerful metaphor for how the Christians should view work. Serving God takes place one day at a time, one act of faithfulness at a time. Faithfulness in work begins with asking yourself each day “What trees does God want me to chop down today? What larger things has He called me to that this tree will help build?”
As you start each new work day, look for small acts of faithfulness God has called you to for that day specifically. Then, think through what those daily acts of faithfulness could be building towards.
Next time your are tempted to think there isn’t a lot of big ways to glorify God at work today, think of Noah. Remind yourself that for a long time faithfulness looked like daily finding a tree and chopping it down.
Aim at the next act of faithfulness, not big awards
We all want to do “big things” for the Lord. But practically, what does that look like? Waking up each day, committing it to Jesus, then doing the next thing He calls you to. Don’t aim at getting awards, money, or recognition. Aim at giving Jesus your best each and every day at your job.
If you are obsessed with recognition and awards and reputation, it will be very difficult for you to stand out as a Christian in your job. Everyone wants those things. There is nothing naturally Christian about craving success and status. Self-focusedness and self-motivation are the obsessions of the sinful world system, not of Scripture. So if you are not aiming at awards, what should you aim at? Jesus gives us an answer:
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Luke 16:10, ESV
When glorifying God is your aim, no task is unimportant or too small. You don’t cut corners because you can get away with it. Smaller projects aren’t a burden to you. Why? Because as a Christian you see every opportunity, no matter how small, as a way to display Christ and His glory. And there is a further promise and warning Jesus gives:
For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Matthew 13:12, ESV
When you work hard for God’s glory in little things, it has been my personal experience that God gives you more opportunities to glorifying Him. Matthew 13:12 has become real to me these past two years working. If you aim at daily working hard and glorifying God, God will be faithful to give you further opportunities to do so.
Faithfulness in Work: Summary & Conclusion
I opened this post with a Proverb:
Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 22:29, ESV
I have seen this Proverb become a reality in my experience, even within my first two years working. But when I reflect on how God brought me here, it wasn’t the way I expected. “Standing before kings” came from focusing on developing skill rather than having “impact”, trying to be motivated by God’s glory rather than selfish goals, and aiming at daily faithfulness in the small things rather than trying to achieve big awards.
I don’t know what God has called you to work at. But I hope these brief lessons I have learned are an encouragement to you. Not every day at work is easy and I fall short of all these rules practically every week. But as a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit in you, a God who says “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and a Savior who said “Lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” Faithfulness in work is only possible because of the faithfulness of God.
Let’s get to work.
Click here to read my other reflections on circumstances God has brought me through. Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram so you don’t miss out on new content.