Ep 24 - How Do I Honor Christ in A Difficult Workplace

Equipped to Lead Podcast: Men, let me ask you something right out of the gate. Do you work with someone who makes it hard to walk in the spirit? Maybe it's a supervisor who is unreasonable. Maybe it's a coworker who is always negative. Maybe it's a customer who is never satisfied. Or maybe it's just the overall culture of the place where you work. It's heavy, frustrating, and draining. Have you ever pulled into the parking lot and thought, Lord, I want to honor you, but this place is really testing me. Sometimes work brings out things in us we do not like to admit. We feel the pull to complain, we feel the pull to fire back, to shut down, to cut corners, get bitter, or start acting just as harsh as the people around us. And that brings us to the deeper question. When work gets more difficult, does our faith become more visible or does our frustration take over? It's one thing to honor Christ when work is going well. It's another thing to honor Christ when the boss is unfair. The crew is divided, the customer is demanding, the culture is ungodly, or we feel overlooked, disrespected, and worn down. So today on the Equit to Lead podcast, we're going to talk honestly and biblically about this question. Welcome to the Equip to Lead Podcast. I'm your host, Corey Couture, and I'm glad you're here with us today. Today, we are answering the question: how do I honor Christ in a difficult workplace? And men, this matters because most of us spend a huge amount of our lives at our workplace. We spend hours every week around coworkers, supervisors, customers, employees, vendors, deadlines, pressure, problems, and expectations. And let's be honest. Work is not always peaceful, it's not always fair, it's not always healthy, and it's definitely not always encouraging. There are days when we feel tempted to say, this place does not deserve my very best. There are days when we are tempted to complain because everyone else is complaining. We're tempted to match the tone around us. We're tempted to get lazy because nobody seems to appreciate us anyway. We are tempted to cut corners because everybody else does. We are tempted to gossip, withdraw, retaliate, or just go cold. But Scripture gives us another way. The Bible does not pretend work is always easy. It does not pretend people are always fair, but it does call us to live under the Lordship of Jesus right in the middle of it. The workplace is one of the places where our faith becomes visible, not just by what we say, but how we work, how we respond, how we handle pressure, how we treat people. How will we carry ourselves when something is unfair? So before we ask, how do I get out of this? Maybe the first question needs to be, Lord, how do I honor you right here? Because a difficult workplace does not excuse ungodly character. Pressure does not create what is in us as much as it reveals what is in us. And God can use even a hard workplace to shape us into men who lead with strength, serve with humility. And love like Christ. The foundation for this whole conversation is Colossians 3, verses 23 through 24. Here Paul says, Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Here we see Paul does not say, work hard only when the boss is fair. He does not say give your best only when the workplace is healthy. He says whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord. In other words, Christ is not just interested in our worship on Sunday. He's interested in our work on Monday. He is Lord over the email we send. He is Lord over the phone call we make. He is Lord over the job we complete. He is Lord over the customer we serve, the employee we lead. He is Lord over the attitude we carry when nobody else sees it. And that phrase, as for the Lord, is the key to this. Yes, we may have earthly supervisors, owners, managers, clients, or customers, but the highest authority over our work is Jesus Christ. And that changes everything. If I only work for people, then my effort rises and falls with how people treat me. If they appreciate me, I work hard. If they do not, I I slack off. If they are fair, I stay steady. If they are unfair, I get bitter. But when I remember that I am ultimately working for Christ, my work gets steadier. I can serve with excellence, even when people do not notice. I can keep my integrity even when shortcuts would benefit me. I keep showing up faithfully because my reward is not ultimately in the hands of a difficult boss. Christ sees the hidden work. Christ sees the faithful attitude. Christ sees the quiet integrity, the restraint when we want to fire back. Christ sees the diligence when nobody clapped. So the first step in honoring Christ in a difficult workplace is to reframe the workplace. This is not just a place where we earn money. It is a place where we serve Christ. It is not just a place where people test us. It is a place where Christ shapes us. So when we walk into work, we need to be able to pray, Lord Jesus, I work for you today. Help me honor you in a way that I speak, respond, lead, and labor. Now let's talk about respect because this is where it gets difficult. First Peter 2 speaks directly to believers who are under difficult authority. Peter tells them to be respectful not only towards those who are good and gentle, but also towards those who are unreasonable. He says there is favor with God when someone endures unjust suffering because of conscience towards God. That is hard to hear, but it is important. Peter is teaching us that the Christian life does not depend on being treated fairly. A man can honor God even under unreasonable authority. Now that does not come naturally to us. Most of us tend to think respect has to be earned before it is given. We say, I will respect him when he deserves it. Or I will treat her right when she starts treating me right. But Scripture calls us higher than that. We can show respect because we belong to Christ, not because the other person always acts respectable. Now, let me be clear. Respect does not mean agreement. Respect does not mean pretending wrong is right. Respect does not mean never speaking up. Respect does not mean letting someone abuse their authority without wisdom. boundaries or proper action. Respect means we refuse to become dishonoring, bitter, insulting, or rebellious in spirit. Sometimes the most Christ honoring thing you can do is not to win the argument, but to keep your character, not to get the last word, but to speak the right word. Not to prove how wrong they are, but to remain faithful before God. That is not weakness, that is strength under control. Men We do not honor Christ by becoming passive. We honor Christ by becoming controlled by the Spirit. We honor Him when our strength is governed by humility, truth, and love. Romans 12 says, Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Paul also says, if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. And then he says, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. That sounds simple until somebody disrespects you in front of other people. That sounds simple until someone lies about you, criticizes you, talks behind your back, dumps work on you, or makes your day harder than it has to be. When someone disrespects us, we want to disrespect them back. When someone talks about us, we want to talk about them. When someone makes our life harder, we want to make their life harder. When the workplace gets toxic, We start acting toxic and call it survival. But Scripture says do not be overcome by evil. That means if the workplace makes us bitter, evil is overcoming us. If difficult people make us cruel, evil is overcoming us. If unfair treatment turns us into complainers, gossip, and angry men, evil is overcoming us. But the Bible gives us another way. Overcome evil with good. So what does that look like? It may look like doing excellent work when others are lazy. It may look like speaking with patience when others are sharp. It may look like refusing to join the gossip when everyone else is tearing someone down. It may look like telling the truth when lying would be easier. It may look like praying for the person who makes your job harder. Jesus says in Matthew 5, verse 44, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. This is not natural, and this is definitely not easy. And honestly, that is not what the world expects from us as men. But that is what the Spirit produces in a man who belongs to Christ. Praying for difficult people does not mean we excuse their sin. It means we refuse to let hatred rule our heart. It means we bring them before God instead of carrying them around in bitterness. Men, if the only people we love are easy people, We are not showing anything different than the world. But when we love difficult people with truth, wisdom, and strength, the character of Christ becomes visible. Philippians chapter two verses fourteen through fifteen says, Do all things without complaining or arguments, so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Among whom you appear as lights in the world. That verse hits the workplace right between the eyes. Do all things without complaining or arguing. Not some things, not only the things that we enjoy, not only when the workload is fair, not only when people appreciate us, all things. Now that does not mean that we never address a problem. It does not mean we pretend everything is fine. It does not mean we cannot have honest conversations with leadership, but there is a difference between addressing a problem and living with a complaining spirit. A complaining spirit says, I deserve better and everyone needs to know it. A godly spirit says, this may be hard, but I belong to Christ and I will be faithful. Titus II says servants were to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not stealing, but showing all good faith and So that they would adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. That phrase is powerful. Adorn the doctrine of God. In other words, our conduct can make the gospel look beautiful and believable to the people watching us. Our work ethic preaches, our integrity preaches. Our tone, our patience, our refusal to gossip preaches. Our honesty when nobody is watching preaches. That does not mean everyone will like us. Faithfulness may still be criticized, but our goal is not to be liked by everyone. Our goal is to adorn the gospel and honor Christ. Daniel gives us a powerful picture of honoring God in a hostile workplace. Daniel served in a pagan government under kings who did not share his faith. He was surrounded by political pressure, jealousy, compromise, and enemies who wanted to bring him down. Daniel 6 says Daniel distinguished himself because he had an extraordinary spirit. His enemies tried to find something to accuse him of in his work, but they could not find corruption or negligence because he was faithful. Think about that. They were looking for dirt and they could not find any. Men, that should challenge each and every one of us. Daniel was not faithful because his workplace was easy. He was faithful in the middle of pressure and He did not use the ungodliness around him as an excuse for ungodliness in him. So be the man they can count on. Be the man whose word means something. Be the man who does the job right. Be the man who does not steal time, tools, money, credit, or trust. Be the man who refuses corruption. Be the man who can be disagreed with, but not honestly accused of laziness or dishonesty. We cannot control what others say about us, but by God's grace we can live in such a way that accusations do not stick. fifteen through sixteen says to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, always be ready to give an answer for the hope within us, yet with gentleness and respect, keeping a good conscience. Notice where that begins in the heart. Before Peter talks about answering others, he is He talks about setting Christ apart as Lord in our hearts. That means the battle for honoring Christ at work starts before we clock in. It starts before we open the laptop. It starts before the first conflict of the day. It starts in our heart. If Christ is not central in our hearts, pressure will expose it. If our identity is in respect, then disrespect will crush us. If our hope is in comfort, then Hardship will make us angry. If treasure is approval, criticism will control us. But when Christ is set apart as Lord in our hearts, we have a steady center. We can be ready to explain our hope because our hope is actually visible, not just in a Bible verse on our desk or on a sticker on our truck, but in the way we carry hardship. A difficult workplace may open the door for gospel conversations. But those conversations are often earned through faithful conduct. A coworker may notice that you do not complain like everyone else. A supervisor may notice that you are steady under pressure. An employee may notice that you own your mistake and treat people with dignity. And when that door opens, be ready with a humble answer. You do not have to make it complicated. You can simply say, I belong to Christ and He has been patient with me. So I want to be patient with others. He has forgiven me, so I do not want bitterness to rule me. He is Lord over my life, including my work. That kind of witness is simple, honest, and powerful. First Peter four says not to be surprised by fiery trials. Peter says that if we are reviled for the name of Christ, we are blessed. But then he gives us a warning. ⁓ evildoer or troublesome meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God. That is an important distinction. Sometimes Christians say they are being persecuted when they are really just facing consequences for poor conduct. If we are lazy and get corrected, that is not persecution. If we are disrespectful and get confronted, that is not persecution. If we are dishonest and lose trust, that is not suffering for Christ. If we are always stirring up drama and people push back, that is not the cost of discipleship. Peter says make sure your suffering is for faithfulness, not misconduct. That means we need to be honest with ourselves. Am I being mistreated because I am honoring Christ? Or am I facing consequences because I have been hard to work with? That is a humbling question, but it is a necessary one. If we are suffering because of our sin, we need to repent, we need to own it, we need to make it right where we can. But if faithfulness cost us, Peter says do not be ashamed, glorify God. Men, we do not need to go looking for suffering, but when obedience to Christ costs us, we can trust that He sees. Obedience is never wasted. Pleasing God matters more than pleasing people. So you may be asking, how do we live this out practically? Well first, we We need to start the day by surrendering the workplace to Christ. Before you walk in, pray. Lord, help me work as unto you. Help me speak with wisdom. Help me honor you when people are difficult. Guard my mouth, my attitude, my integrity, and my witness. Second, we need to decide ahead of time what kind of man we will be. Do not wait until conflict starts to decide how we are going to respond. We need to decide now that we will not gossip, we will not return insult for insult, we will not cut corners, and we will not lie. We will not let someone else's sin become an excuse for ours. Third, we need to do excellent work. Excellence does not mean perfection. It means faithfulness. We need to show up, be dependable, finish what we start, take responsibility, tell the truth, own our mistakes, and And do the work in a way that honors the Lord. Fourth, we need to watch our mouth. The tongue can destroy a witness quickly. We need to refuse constant complaining, refuse crew talk, gossip. We need to refuse disrespectful speech. We need to speak truth, but speak it with wisdom. Fifth, we need to pray for difficult people by name. We need to pray for the supervisor who frustrates us, for the coworker who drains us, for the customer who tests us. We need to ask God to work in them, but also ask God to work in us. Six, we need to speak up when we need to, but do it the right way. Honoring Christ does not mean you never address problems. There may be times when you need to have a hard conversation, report something unethical, or set a boundary, or ask for help. We need to do it with truth, humility, wisdom, and self-control. We need to not let anger lead. We need to let Christ lead. Seventh, we need to stay anchored in the Word, prayer, church, and brotherhood. A difficult workplace will pull on our heart. We need the Word of God and the people of God helping us stay steady. We don't need to isolate. We don't need to carry it alone. We need to let faithful brothers speak into our life. Eighth, we need to not bring the poison home. Our family gets demand work shapes. So before we walk in the door, we need to ask the Lord to help us lay down the frustration. Our wife and children should not have to live under the weight of everything that has happened at work. We need to lead our home with love. Ninth, we need to know when it may be time to leave. Sometimes honoring Christ means staying faithful in hard places, but sometimes wisdom may mean looking for a healthier place to work. There's nothing unspiritual about seeking a better situation. But do not leave just because your character is being tested. You need to pray, seek counsel, examine our heart, and move with wisdom. Tenth, we need to keep the mission in view. God may have us in that workplace for more than a paycheck. There are people there who need to see Christ. There may be conversations that open because of our faithfulness. Your workplace may be difficult, but it is not meaningless. So men. How do we honor Christ in a difficult workplace? Well, we remember that Christ is our true master. We work heartily as for the Lord and not merely for people. We show respect without pretending wrong is right. We refuse to return evil for evil. We overcome evil with good. We love and pray for difficult people. We work without living in complaint. We let our conduct adorn the gospel. We pursue Daniel like integrity so that accusations do not stick. We set Christ apart as Lord in our hearts, and if faithfulness cost us, we glorify God without shame. So this week, before you walk into work, pray this simple prayer. Lord Jesus, I work for you today. Help me honor you with my attitude, my words, my work, and my witness. Help me overcome evil with good. Help me be faithful right where you have placed me. Because Christ is Lord over Sunday morning and Monday morning. He is Lord in the sanctuary and on the job site. He is Lord over our worship and our work. He is Lord when people appreciate us and when they misunderstand us. He is Lord when the workplace is healthy and when the workplace is hard. And here on the Equip to Lead podcast, we do not just want to talk about biblical manhood. We want to live it. We want to become men who lead with strength, serve with humility, and love like Christ. If this episode has challenged or encouraged you, I encourage you to share it with another man who may need to hear it. I also ask you to subscribe to our podcast and take a minute to leave us a five-star review. That helps get these episodes in front of more men who need to hear the truth of God's Word. You can also watch the full video version on YouTube. The link will be below in the show notes. Thank you for listening, and until next time, be strong and lead well. Let's pray together. Father, thank you that you are Lord over every part of our lives, including our work. Help us to honor Christ in difficult places. Guard our hearts from bitterness, pride, and revenge. Give us strength to respond with patience, integrity, and grace. Help us work faithfully, speak wisely. And point others to the hope we have in Christ. Use our work to shape us and to glorify you. In Jesus' name. Amen.