A multitude of invitations

The Bible begins and ends with an invitation – from God’s invitation to all humanity to be fruitful and bear his image in the world in Genesis 1 to the invitation to come to him and receive the water of life in Revelation 22.

In between these bookends of Scripture are a multitude of invitations. In fact, the Bible can be described as a book of invitations from God to humanity, compelling us to join his redeeming work in the world. Among the many invitations from Jesus are those to follow, rest, and remain.

Our journey with Christ begins as we hear his words, ‘Come, follow me’ (Matthew 4:19). This invitation to whole-life discipleship is the most transformative, life-giving, and challenging call of our lives.

An invitation to grow your character

As you fulfil this call from God in your workplace, you’re following Jesus in the ways you live differently for him, beginning and ending with your character. In addition to your ‘to do’ list this week, take a few minutes to write a ‘to be’ list – ways in which you want to ask God to grow your character. You might need more patience as you work with a colleague who disagrees with you, or peace as you face uncertainty about pressures in your job. You might also want to be bold and extend the invitation to ‘come to Jesus’ as you go for a coffee with a colleague and explain how God has answered one of your prayers.

An invitation to rest

Jesus also invites us to work from a place of rest. Restlessness is a growing malaise in our culture, driven by endless demands on our time. Many of us need to hear and obey this invitation today: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… rest for your souls’ (Matthew 11:28–29).

This invitation, which echoes God’s seventh-day rest, is relational. It is a call to rest with someone, before it is a call to rest from something. It sets the precedent of rest, modelling the importance of relationship and establishing a rhythm that promotes human flourishing. So, take time to prioritise and diarise rest with Jesus: daily, weekly, and monthly. To rest in Christ, you’ll need to remove all distractions as you read the Bible and hear God’s promises and then pray, surrendering your worries to God. Even if they don’t articulate it, those around you at work are searching for true rest – it’s an innate human desire. So, extend the invitation and model what it means to rest in Christ, as a witness to them.

An invitation to remain

Finally, Jesus invites us to remain in him (John 15:4). The Bible urges us to live with integrity before God, being consistent and committed to growing in Christlikeness. Our choice is either to walk with God, or not. To remain in Christ, or not. The call to remain in Christ bridges the gap between work and church, family and colleagues, the sacred and the secular. As followers of Jesus, we are to remain in him at all times – especially when we are overwhelmed by our workload, facing a lack of recognition from our boss, or mediating conflict between our colleagues.

Living as whole-life disciples at work is one of the most challenging and yet important contexts to live out our faith. That’s why we’re running two residential courses to inspire and equip you to join in God’s work, wherever you are and whatever you do.

An invitation for you

If you’re a mid- to senior-level executive, we’d love you to join us for Executive Toolbox. If you’re a young adult in your first decade of work, it’d be great to see you at Take The Lead. And, whatever your age and stage, extend the invitation to someone you know. Because together, we can join God in bringing his kingdom to our workplaces, for his glory and the good of those around us.

Revd David Walker
Work Champion