Day 2: God in Real Life (Not Just Church)

Day 2: God in Your Work

Core Scripture: Colossians 3: 23 [NLT]

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” 

We don’t usually think of work as the place where our faith is being tested. We often think of faith in terms of prayer, worship, or moments where we need direction. Work can feel more practical. It can feel like something we just have to handle. So, we approach it differently.

We rely on our ability, our experience, and our capacity to keep up, solve problems, and stay on top of what is expected. Even when we believe in God, we can still carry our work as if the outcome depends entirely on us. Over time, that becomes our normal way of functioning. We get used to handling pressure, managing people, and meeting expectations while keeping everything moving. We become efficient, but without noticing it, we can also become disconnected. Disconnected, not from belief, but from awareness of God.

We spend a significant part of our life working. This includes our jobs, responsibilities at home, and the things we carry for other people. It includes the pressure we feel, the expectations we try to meet, and the quiet thoughts we carry when things do not go the way we planned. If God is not present to us there, then a significant part of our life is being lived without reference to Him.

That is what this scripture brings into focus. “Work willingly” is not just about effort. It’s about the posture we carry into what we do and the intention behind it. It raises a question that we do not always stop to ask, Who are we really working for? In everyday life, work is often shaped by pressure. There is pressure to perform, to stay secure, to prove that we are capable, or simply to avoid falling behind. This pressure doesn’t just affect what we do. It starts to shape how we think and how we respond.

Our attention shifts towards outcomes. Our reactions become sharper when things change or do not go to plan. Our sense of stability becomes tied to how well things are going. We may not say it out loud, but we begin to live as though everything depends on us holding things together. That is where conflict builds. Because we can believe in God, but still live in a way that depends more on our own strength than on Him. Working “as for the Lord” brings that tension into the open. It means recognising that God is present in how we carry responsibility, not just in what we achieve. It means that our work is no longer just about results or expectations. It becomes a place where our trust in God is either being expressed or quietly replaced.

When we start to carry our work with an awareness that God is present and we’re working for Him, something begins to shift internally. We begin to notice what is driving us. We begin to recognise when pressure is shaping our responses. We discern how much of our peace is tied to outcomes instead of to God. Work stops being just something we get through; it becomes a place where our faith is formed in practical ways.

It shows us whether we are living from trust or from self-reliance. It reveals whether we are living from trust in God, or from the pressure to manage everything ourselves. That is why God in your work life matters. Work is not separate from your spiritual life. It’s one of the main places where it is being worked out.

So what does this mean for us today?

It means we can’t keep treating our work as separate from our faith. We can’t keep relying on our own ability while saying we trust God. That kind of disconnect will always create pressure, because we are carrying things we were never meant to carry alone. God is not absent from your work. He is present in your responsibilities, your deadlines, your conversations, and the pressure you feel.

The question is whether you have been working with any awareness of Him. So this is not just about working harder or being more disciplined. It's about paying attention to what is already shaping how you work.

• Where are you being driven by pressure?

• Where are you relying on your own strength?

• Where has your mindset been shaped more by expectations than by trust in God?

• And what would change if you started approaching your work with a real awareness that God is present and involved?

Because real change does not come from trying to control everything better. It comes from learning to trust God in the middle of what you are already carrying.

Declarations

1. I choose to trust God in how I carry my work, not just in the outcome. My responsibility is to be faithful, and I rely on Him for the rest.

2. I will not be driven by pressure or expectation. I choose to approach my work with an awareness that God is present and guiding me.

3. I am learning to depend on God in the middle of my responsibilities, and not rely solely on my own ability to manage everything.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, show me where my work has been shaped more by pressure than by trust. Help me to recognise Your presence in what I do each day. Teach me to carry responsibility in a way that reflects dependence on You, not just my own ability. Align my thinking and my responses with Your ways, and help me to remain steady even when things feel demanding. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflections

1. What is shaping how you approach your work right now? This helps you identify what is driving you day to day. It may be pressure, expectation, fear of falling behind, or a desire to prove something. What shapes your approach will eventually shape your mindset.

   
   

2. Where do you feel the most pressure, and how is it affecting how you think and respond? Pressure reveals what you rely on. It often shows up in your reactions, your tone, and your thoughts. Pay attention to where you become tense, impatient, or overwhelmed, because that is where trust is being tested.

   
   

3. Where are you carrying things as if everything depends on you? This exposes areas of self-reliance. You may believe in God, but still carry responsibility in a way that leaves no room for Him. Noticing this is the first step towards learning how to trust Him in a real and practical way.

Application

Why not start a simple work journal today?

•  At the end of your workday, write down one moment where you felt pressure, stress, or urgency. Be honest about what you were thinking, how you responded, and what was driving you in that moment.

  
  

• Then bring that situation to God in a short, honest prayer. Acknowledge where you relied on yourself and ask Him to help you trust Him in that area.

  
  

• Do this consistently, even if it is just for a few minutes each day. Over time, you will start to recognise patterns in how you think, respond, and carry responsibility.

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