“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt. 7:21) 

Jesus expects more from us than just to worship him on Sundays; he expects us to carry his presence into all aspects of our lives.  He certainly expects us to bring his love to those closest to us, including our family and friends.  But he also expects us bring his presence into other areas of our lives such as our work and social lives. 

The idea that faith should be separated from living out the rest of our daily lives has become conventional wisdom for much of our culture.  We hear the phrase, “separation of church and state” and see it be applied to other venues such as the workplace and the public square.  We are told that that our faith should be private, not to be shared with others or manifested in our words or deeds, particularly in the workplace. 

This perspective is 180 degrees from God’s intention as indicated by the words of Jesus and scripture.  Jesus tells us that he is “the way, the truth and the life.”  He says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14: 6, 23)  With Jesus and the Father living in us, he calls us to be and bring his presence to the people and circumstances in our lives.  In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, he says that those who reflect his presence by bringing food, drink, clothing, shelter, medical care and prison visitation to those in need will be welcomed into his kingdom. 

Even the workplace is not excluded from the Father’s call.  In Genesis 2:15, God reminds us that after creating us in his image and likeness he places us in the garden of his creation “to work and take care of it.”  Civilization is an extension of God’s creation, and he expects us to be good stewards of it and carry it forward through our work. 

There have been times in my life when I have put God in a box by compartmentalizing my life, separating my faith from my work and other areas of my life.  The unfortunate thing when this happens is that his presence may not then be available to the people in my life who would otherwise be blessed by him through me. 

Do we imprison God, only to be released on Sunday, or do we let him be manifested in every aspect of our lives?