Sometimes work is such a weird thing for people to talk about, including Christians. This book gives a biblical view of our work here, while we wait for the return of Christ.

Our work matters to God. In fact, the kinds of work we do are also opportunities for us to glorify God and to make His Glory known. The end of a Church service should mark the beginning of our service out in the world. Yet, how many believers actually know that or practice that? Sadly, very few. Worship is connected to our vocation. Our vocation is an act of worship. It is not limited to simply a Sunday worship service. Just like the popular song "Consuming Fire" by Tim Hughes, worship must be something more than Sunday worship. Author Bryan Chapell helps us by giving us a resource to enable us to see our jobs as opportunities to worship God. With many of us intensely immersed in our respective jobs and responsibilities, we need to learn how to take our faith to work. We need to adopt a grace mindset when performing our jobs. He looks at grace at work from ten angles. He begins with dignity and the dignity of the work set out for us. Our work has inherent meaning and significance, and our participation should enhance that dignity as well. Just like how God had created the world and called it good, we need to look at the world we live in and acknowledge its inherent goodness. We are also reminded not to base our own personal worth on the work we do. With sin having tarnished the world, work has also been tarnished and it is via God's redemptive work that has made all things new. Through purposeful living and thoughtfulness, we can rearm ourselves with the purposes of God to reflect Christ's purpose. We learn about the significance of work when we see how we can make a difference. When we are driven by gratitude, we will be creative to find ways to make our work meaningful. At the same time, knowing the purpose of our work also means rejecting those careers that are detrimental to the well-being of people, such as gambling. Then there is integrity which needs to be the way we approach our work. Using the example of the North Korean prisoner, Bae, Chapell shows us how even in the most difficult situations, one can still work with integrity even when it means suffering for Christ. Work also entails our views about money. He highlights three purposes of money to help us provide for mercy, family, and ministry. Then there is the subject of success, something that the world constantly craves. This needs to be connected to our goals. The world deems success as primarily profiting the self. For Christians, success is primarily about honouring and glorifying God. This is a key difference to remember. Along with success, we need to be careful of the presence of pride. This calls for humility. On humility, we are reminded that the attitude we bring to our work must be clothed with the humility of Christ. We can have all the success in the world but without humility, we end up like King Nebuchadnezzar who was humbled when he failed to acknowledge the true giver of all success. From a lowly point of humility, we can then look toward the glory of God. We are reminded that we have been "made for glory," to reflect the character of God. We can tell our co-workers that we work not just for money but for the good of mankind and for the glory of God. Chapell gives several examples of how that could happen for battery manufacturers, politicians, salespersons, medical professionals, moms, and even bricklayers. Then there is the subject of evil to remind us of the challenges of working in this world. For Chapell, this chapter is the hardest to write because one is forced to face the realities of this world. When we acknowledge the presence of evil, we will not be too distressed when things do not work out as planned. This calls for Leadership, which is a mindset that puts the interest of others above self. In desiring to make work meaningful to God, it is also a way for us to enable others also to honour God with their good works. In a world where people seek power in order to get ahead, grace in leadership is about servanthood. It is about loving our neighbors. It is about reflecting God's leadership in all we think, say, and do. On balance, we learn about the importance of maintaining a balanced life. Many families have struggled with spending time appropriately at work as well as at home. Taking time to work and to refrain from work is essentially a step of faith. Finally, Chapell highlights the importance of witnessing as a way to manifest our calling to be salt and light of the world.

My Thoughts
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This book gives us multiple angles to understand what it means to exercise grace at work. From a personal calling to a wider circle of engaging others, we can all do our part in building bridges between God and the world at large. Chapell gives us ten wonderful descriptions of grace at the workplace. Using biblical references and real-life examples, readers can gain a better sense of what it means to live for God in the workplace. I am happy to see that the author begins with the inner self. This is indeed where it all should begin. By helping us to think through and reflect on what it means to see God's world through the angles of dignity, purpose, and integrity, we learn that before we can do meaningful work, we need to understand our meaningful self. We need to know our calling before rushing into any kind of work. Otherwise, we would quickly run out of steam wondering why we are doing what we are doing. By helping us to strengthen the inner core, we are better able to move forward to the world of work.

Why should anyone read this book? The reason is that work is such a major part of our lives. Regardless of whether it is paid or unpaid, work is ordained by God. We do not need to be in Full-Time ministry before we can serve God well. We are called to do all the good we can whatever we do, wherever we are, and howsoever we can. Being mindful of God's calling is something we all need to train our minds toward. This book does not just equip us to do that. It inspires us. At the same time, Chapell does not shy away from dealing with the fallen world. The best intentions sometimes do not lead to the right kinds of results we want. This is to be expected especially in a fallen world where evil is present. We need God's grace and the more challenges we encounter in life, the more we appreciate the significance of grace. This is quite paradoxical. Truth is often paradoxical, as shown by the Lord Jesus when he was teaching the beatitudes.

I recommend this book for all readers, especially those who are fresh out of school. I remember when I graduated, the book "Your Work Matters to God" by Doug Sherman and William Hendricks was particularly helpful. Since then, many more books have been published to encourage people to exercise faith in the marketplace. This book is a worthy resource to be added to the library.
Bryan Chapell is a bestselling author of many books, including Christ-Centered Preaching and Holiness by Grace. He is pastor emeritus of the historic Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois; president emeritus of Covenant Theological Seminary; and president of Unlimited Grace Media (unlimitedgrace.com), which broadcasts daily messages of gospel hope in many nations.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

This short but encouraging book was full of great, highlight-able passages about the value and dignity of work. Whether you are a workaholic who needs to be reminded that you are more than your productivity or someone who needs to see how meaningful work can be, you will find encouragement and conviction in this book.

Some small critiques: this book focuses almost exclusively on traditional, paid workplace jobs. I would have loved to see freelancing and unpaid care work (raising children, caring for aging parents, etc.) mentioned, as I think all the principles the author mentions apply to these kinds of work as well. The author also specifically blames video games for the lack of motivation that some younger people show in the workplace; I found this to be a very oversimplified, narrow treatment of the issue. While it’s certainly a problem for some people, every generation has always had its own ways of wasting time or avoiding responsibility, and there are many people wasting time in other ways that won’t be captured by this narrow callout. This section of the book was a missed opportunity to call believers of all generations to fruitful, diligent work in whatever sphere God has placed them in at the time, and to avoid whatever timewasters are particularly enticing to them.

There are moments when someone might wonder how the sermon applies to their life outside of devotions and going to church or how their faith impacts their work beyond earning money to put food on the table and money in the offering plate. Bryan Chapell’s Grace at Work: Redeeming the Grind and Glory of Your Job takes an honest and challenging look at how faith impacts the way someone views and goes about their work.

Chapell begins by showing how “God calls us to use the work skills, talents, and resources that He provides for extending the influence of the kingdom of God into every dimension of our lives and world. Understanding this calling enables us to see that our jobs have a dignity we may never have previously understood” (12). Pointing out that God commanded Adam to work in the Garden of Eden, Chapell invites the reader to consider changing their initial thoughts about work from being just about earning a paycheck to a way they can participate with God in caring for His creation and reflect His character to those around them by using the skills and talents God has given to them. He argues that God’s character is not just seen in pastors and missionaries, but it can be seen in “architects and builders, teachers and librarians, doctors and nurses, artists and journalists, lawyers and judges” (16). After showing the reader that their job has more value than they may have originally thought, the majority of the book applies this value to various areas of our work. Rather than just limiting it to always being happy or only listening to hymns at work, Chapell reflects on various real world parts of work, including how we view money, how we handle success, and how we interact with leadership. He wraps up the book by reminding the reader of the greater value their work has.

Chapell writes in a conversational tone and includes many encouraging and thought provoking quotes throughout his book. Even though this book is easy and enjoyable to read, there are many moments where the reader is forced to stop and reread a section as Chapell honestly reflects on the difference faith should make in how someone goes about their work. I appreciated Chapell’s willingness to bring faith into all areas of the work environment and ask questions which might be a little uncomfortable for the reader to contemplate: Does the integrity I display at work reflect Christ’s? Do I balance my life so I’m not too busy but available to reflect God?

I would recommend this book to anyone who has wondered how their faith might impact their job or who is wanting some help to think about the work they are doing behind their work (199). This book offers a helpful way to think about these things, as well as some practical applications which someone can begin to use at their job.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Crossway Publishers through their blogger review program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255