Work, Calling, and Shared Purpose (Marriage as a Mission) Pt 1 - 343

Monday morning has a way of revealing what Sunday worship didn’t fix. We laugh about traffic, printers, and “quick meetings,” but we also get honest about a deeper question: what if your workplace is one of the greatest mission fields God has placed you in, and what if your marriage is meant to strengthen that calling instead of being drained by it?

We walk through a biblical view of work that doesn’t separate “sacred” from “secular.” From Genesis to Colossians 3:23 and Ephesians 2:10, we talk about how God uses ordinary people in ordinary jobs to accomplish extraordinary purposes. Whether you work in an office, on a job site, in healthcare, at a factory, or at home with kids, your daily faithfulness, integrity, and attitude can become worship and witness. We also acknowledge real workplace boundaries and why living your testimony often matters more than making speeches.

Then we bring it home to marriage. Work stress can either unite you or quietly wear you down, so we share practical ways to stop competing over exhaustion and start supporting each other’s purpose. We also share a personal, powerful story from a rough work environment where quiet consistency planted a seed that bore fruit years later, reminding us that you may not see the impact of your faithfulness until much later.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more couples can find it. What part of your work life feels hardest to live out your faith in right now?

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Transcript

Sunday Worship Meets Monday Traffic

Daniel Moore 0:06

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to act spiritual on Sunday and then completely lose your sanctification by Monday morning traffic? I mean, one minute you're singing I surrender all in church, and the next minute you're gripping the steering wheel whispering, Lord, help me not to lay hands on this person in front of me. Work has a funny way of exposing what's really inside of us. Between difficult coworkers, endless emails, awkward staff meetings that should have lasted five minutes instead of 50, and try to figure out why the office printer only jams when you're already running late, it's easy to start viewing work as nothing more than survival. But what if we've been looking at it all wrong? What if your workplace is actually one of the greatest mission fields God has placed you in? The truth is God never intended for our faith to stay inside church walls while the rest of our lives operate separately. Scripture shows us over and over that God uses ordinary people in ordinary jobs to accomplish extraordinary kingdom purposes. Whether you're managing a business, teaching students, changing diapers, answering phones, fixing cars, or simply trying to survive another Zoom meeting without muting the wrong microphone, your work matters to God. In this week's episode, we're talking about what it really means to integrate faith and work, how our everyday faithfulness impacts not only our workplace but also our marriage, and why some of the holiest moments in life don't happen behind a pulpit. They happen in the middle of ordinary routines when people choose to quietly honor God where they are. Your job may sign your paycheck, but your calling is what gives your work eternal purpose.

Welcome And Where To Listen

Daniel Moore 1:42

Welcome to Marriage Life and More. This is a podcast about marriage, Bible, and book studies, and we interview people that have inspiring stories. I'm Daniel Moore, your host. Over here next to me is my beautiful co-host, my wife Michelle.

Michelle Moore 1:53

Hey, hey.

Daniel Moore 1:54

Thank you guys for joining us this week. If you're not familiar with our show, check out our website at marriagelifeandmore.com for the links to our platforms. We're on YouTube and Rumble. We're also on the Christian Podcasting app Edifi. We're also on your Alexa and Google Smart Devices. You can also visit us on social, on Facebook, Instagram, and X at CTGapOnline . If you're a fan of our show, please subscribe. Free leave a comment on our platforms. Give us a thumbs up or five-star review and Apple Podcast. And we thank you in advance for doing

Work As A Mission Field

Daniel Moore 2:20

that. Well, over the last couple of weeks, as we continued our series on marriage as a mission, we talked about hospitality. We talked about using our homes as a mission field, life groups, just all kinds of things about how our marriage integrates into our homes and how God gives us those blessings so that we can in turn be a blessing to other people. Well, this week we're going to go off in a total different direction. And it's a direction that a lot of people uh probably just don't look forward to. That that Monday morning when you got to get up and go to work. And we feel like that the work's just a grind. And we know a lot of people are in jobs they don't enjoy. Uh they don't look forward to Mondays. They maybe hate the places that they work. But the reality of it is the places that we work is also, whether if we like to look at it this way or not, our mission field. Yep. And so we're going to spend the at least the next couple of weeks here as we talk about work, calling, and shared purpose.

Michelle Moore 3:51

You're not alone. Most of us have had seasons where we at work felt less like a calling and more like a never-ending cycle of meetings that could have been emails and emails that honestly should have just stayed drafts forever. And let's admit it, sometimes the workplace can test your sanctification faster than a church business meeting. There's the coworkers who replies all to everything, the boss with the oddly specific coffee order, the printer that jams only when you're already late, and the customer who just has that quick question right as you're heading out the door. Yet, somewhere in the middle of all the chaos, God is present. What if we misunderstood work altogether? What if your job, even the one that feels ordinary, exhausting, or overlooked, is actually part of your divine calling. That changes everything. So many people separate faith from work as if ministry only happens behind a pulpit on a mission trip, or during worship night when the fog machine is working overtime and someone's holding a sustained keyboard cord in the background. But the scripture paints a completely different picture. God has always moved through ordinary people doing ordinary work with extraordinary faithfulness. Think about it. Before David was a king, he was faithfully tending sheep. Before Paul preached to crowds, he made tents. Noah built a boat long before anybody believed rain was even coming. Even Jesus spent most of his earthly life working as a carpenter before beginning his public ministry. Colossians 323 reminds us, whatever you do, work hardly as for the Lord and not for men. Notice it doesn't say only if your job is spiritual. It says whatever you do. That means your spreadsheets matter, your teaching matters, your parenting matters, your construction work matters, your caregiving matters, and your customer service matters. And yes, even surviving back-to-back Zoom meetings with a gracious attitude might qualify as a modern miracle.

Purpose Hidden In Daily Faithfulness

Daniel Moore 6:26

So as we get started this week, I know that this is something, as we kind of mentioned here at the beginning, that we really just don't think about work being a place we need to be spiritual sometimes. And I know also you have the situations where some people actually can get in trouble for talking, you know, about Jesus in their workplace. Um you can definitely break the rules and lose your job. Uh there's a lot of issues that you have to be careful with that as well. But it doesn't mean that we still don't aren't living our testimony.

Michelle Moore 7:00

Right, right.

Daniel Moore 7:01

You know, and that other people are seeing that. Um, you know, God doesn't only call people to platforms, he calls people to faithfulness. That's the big thing that he expects from us. You know, work was never meant to be merely a paycheck generator, it was designed to be partnership with God. If you look at this from the very beginning in Genesis, before sin ever entered the world, Adam was given meaningful work in the garden. Work itself was not the curse, the frustration surrounding it was. And, you know, there's a difference between those two. Sometimes we think purpose only arrives through dramatic moments, you know, like burning bushes or audible voices from heaven, giant revelations. But more often than not, purpose quietly shows up disguised as consistency. You know, it looks like showing kindness to a difficult coworker, choosing integrity when nobody's watching, refusing to gossip in the break room, serving people with excellence, even when you feel unnoticed, listening to someone who's silently carrying heavy burdens. You know, those moments may never trend online, but heaven notices every single one of those. You know, work is one of the places that we're going to spend a big portion of our lives. And if you really think about it, you know, most people have a five-day work week at least. Uh, some people have, you know, a little bit less than that, but they may work more hours within a day. And some people work six days, some work seven days, some work a month, and then they get off for a couple. There's so many different schedules out there. But whenever we think about all of that, no matter what your scenario is, the reality of it is you spend a big portion of your life with your coworkers.

Michelle Moore 8:41

I know that a lot of times when I was working, we always used to tease each other about, you know, they're my work family because I spend more time with them than I do my own family.

Daniel Moore 8:53

Yep.

Michelle Moore 8:53

And, you know, you always pray for a great group of people that you can be with daily. And I'm so thankful. I've had some really good, great co-workers.

Daniel Moore 9:03

And, you know, myself, I used to be on the fire department and we worked 24 hours off 48. So if you do the math on that, if I stay there from the time I started till I retire, I literally am spending a third of my life at my job. And so that means, you know, all them guys that I worked with, those 24-hour shifts, the same situation, they became like my family because they probably in a lot of ways knew as much as the spouses do about you because there's so much sharing, there's so much time there just to sit around and talk and you know, be best friends with each other and lean on each other's shoulder and depend you do depend on each other as a firefighter. Uh they have your life in your their hands sometimes. And so it's a whole different scenario. Um, there was kind of a bad side to that to that also, because there is a high divorce rate uh being a firefighter just because they are away from their family so much, but it it doesn't negate the fact that no matter whether if it's a time a job that you're at there at a lot of time or if you don't have a whole lot of time spent there, the process is still the same.

Michelle Moore 10:12

Right.

Daniel Moore 10:13

It is a ministry field, it's a place that we can show Jesus. And the next point there, your workplace may not always feel holy, but God still does his work there. And that is so true. Uh, the fact that, you know, our job may not, it we may just be turning wrenches and getting greasy all day, you know. Uh might be at the chicken farms cleaning the manure out. There may be some really dirty jobs that people are involved in, and you think, well, how in the world can this be a a gift from God? You know, yeah. It's probably one of those jobs you're trying to get out of, probably.

Michelle Moore 10:49

Yeah.

Daniel Moore 10:50

But honestly, it doesn't matter where you are, God can use any of that for his glory. You're right. And if you want to, go ahead and there's a scripture there, share

When Work Stress Hits Marriage

Daniel Moore 11:00

that scripture with us and the notes there.

Michelle Moore 11:02

Ephesians 2 10 says, We are created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand. That means your life is not random, and neither is the place where you spend most of your waking hours. Sometimes married couples especially struggle here because work can either unite a marriage or slowly drain it. One spouse may feel overwhelmed while the other feels underappreciated. One may come home wanting to talk while the other just wants ten minutes of silence and a snack. And somehow every married couple eventually has a classic interaction. Like, for example, how was your day? Fine? Just fine? Yes? You seem upset, I'm not upset. Okay, now I know you're upset. Marriage has a funny way of exposing how differently two people process stress and responsibility. But one of the healthiest things couples can do is begin seeing each other's work through the lens of the purpose instead of the pressure. Husbands need encouragement and wives need appreciation, but both need grace. And sometimes the greatest ministry in marriage is simply understanding that your spouse may be carrying burdens you cannot immediately see. That's the thing.

Daniel Moore 12:29

I know you being an auditor at a bank, there's moments that you have some easy days and it's not too bad, but then you have your crunch times. And those are the times you have a lot of higher-up people putting high expectations on you. They're wanting some good looking reports coming across their desk, and they want you got to make sure all those numbers are right and all that stuff's taking place. And how much pressure does that put on you?

Michelle Moore 12:55

At times a lot.

Daniel Moore 12:56

I mean, I I can tell when you come home that you'll have a lot of migraines. I mean, there's just a lot of stuff that happens. And honestly, as spouses, we need to know how to navigate that because sometimes if our other if our spouses had a pretty rough day at work, but ours was kind of just slid right on by and it was pretty easy. Uh, you know, we get home, we may have we may be in one mood, but our spouse is in another mood, and that could create a situation we could cross each other pretty quick and you know have some issues.

Michelle Moore 13:27

And I know sometimes like if your spouse truly like knows how you are, like I put a lot of pressure upon myself to make sure that, you know, if I'm doing my job, I'm doing it great. And, you know, I look at that and I can overlook, I can almost stress myself. Well, I do stress myself out, just making sure that my job is done when I know I did my job. Right. But I want to make sure. But you know how I am. So it's like, you know that I put so much pressure and stress on myself, not just from the little stress I was handed to, but you're you're very encouraging, like you got this, you know, you don't you're you're doing great. And I'm very thankful for that because you know my job requires a lot at that time, but I also require a lot from myself.

Daniel Moore 14:14

Yeah. And just imagine if you're in that situation, all that stress is there, the headaches, trying to meet those time frames, those deadlines. It's real easy to forget that God put me in this. You know?

Michelle Moore 14:28

It is.

Daniel Moore 14:28

It's very difficult to really think about it that way. You're thinking about if I can only make it through the end of this week, I'm gonna be lucky.

Michelle Moore 14:36

We're just the end of the day.

Daniel Moore 14:38

End of the day, if I can just survive. And you know, a lot of times we try to do all of that on our own and we don't even ask God to come and help us in those stressful moments, you know.

Michelle Moore 14:46

That's a very good point.

Daniel Moore 14:47

Um, so it's just this is a good reminder, I think, as we go through this episode, just to reflect a little bit on our jobs and you know, whether if we hate our job or not, it is a blessing from God. Yeah, it pays the bills, it helps us sustain our families and the things that we own. Uh, there's a lot of reward for the work, but everybody gets to that reward a little differently, you know. Uh, we got to remember that a paycheck may provide for the home, but purpose brings life to it. It's important to remember the success in God's kingdom looks very different from success in the world. Culture tells us success is visibility, status, promotions, followers, and climbing higher. But Jesus modeled something completely different. He modeled servanthood. In Mark 10, 45, Jesus said he came not to be served, but to serve. You know, imagine how differently we would approach our jobs if we viewed work less as an obligation and more as an offering back to God. What if today's assignment was heaven sent? What if excellence became worship? What if patience with people became ministry? And what if your workplace became a mission filled disguised as a cubicle? Suddenly, what you consider to be ordinary and mundane, all of a sudden it becomes sacred. And let's not forget, God absolutely has a sense of humor. You cannot convince me otherwise after looking at a like a duck-billed platypus or trying to understand why couples can never agree on thermostat settings. One spouse is sleeping under three blankets while the other has the ceiling fan on in December, claiming it's not even cold in here.

Michelle Moore 16:26

That is so you and I. Which one would I be?

Daniel Moore 16:30

Uh the three blankets. Under the blankets.

Michelle Moore 16:33

Except for when I have the hot flash.

Daniel Moore 16:35

So we know that God has some humor. Yes. And, you know, life and work, they require a little bit of humor sometimes, also. You know, that embarrassing typo and the company-wide email, that's humility training. That awkward conversation with your boss, that's character development. That season where nothing seems glamorous or exciting, that's spiritual endurance training. Romans 8 28 reminds us that God works all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose, not some things. That scripture says all things, even the frustrating things, the hidden things, and even the ordinary things. If we keep all of that in perspective and we try to focus on the good side of the bad things that we consider our jobs to be, and understand that regardless of what we go through, God has us in that place during that season for a reason and he will sustain us. Yeah. If that is the case. If we truly believe that the blessings we have from God, you know, the paychecks, the financial stability, uh, the ability to just, you know, give back to the church and to support ministry, that all comes from having a job. And God does put us in those places sometimes for a reason if we just look for it and try to figure out what that is. And the next point is very important about this. Go ahead and share it with us.

Michelle Moore 17:56

Purpose is rarely found in the spectacular. It's usually discovered in daily faithfulness. This is why we must stop viewing work as secular while only labeling church activity as sacred. God is not confined to sanctuaries. He moves through classrooms, offices, kitchens, job sites, hospitals, farms, warehouse, and living rooms full of toys that somehow multiply overnight. Especially for married couples, reclaiming a biblical view of work changes the atmosphere of the home. Instead of competing over who's more tired, you begin championing one another's calling instead of resenting responsibility. You begin recognizing divine assignment. And for stay-at-home parents who sometimes feel unseen or overlooked, never underestimate the internal impact of what you do. Shaping hearts, building a home, creating stability, praying over children, loving faithfully in hidden places, that matters deeply to God. Some of the most kingdom impacting work on earth never receives applauses. Heaven measures significance differently than the world does. So whether you're behind a desk, under the hood of a car, teaching students, leading meetings, answering phones, managing a business, building homes, serving customers, or wrangling toddlers who somehow have endless energy before 7 a.m. Remember this. You're not just showing up for a paycheck. You are stepping into a purpose. You are partnering with God. You are representing Christ through everyday faithfulness. And there is absolutely nothing ordinary about that. When you surrender your work to God, even the ordinary

Bringing Faith Into The Workplace

Michelle Moore 20:05

becomes eternal.

Daniel Moore 20:07

And I kind of like that the a lot sometimes our jobs seem boring and they seem ordinary. We don't really feel like, especially factory work probably would be a good example of that. Uh you're kind of repetitive. You know, if you're on one of those assembly lines where you put the same screw in day after day after day for eight, ten, twelve hours, I can see why you would think, what is the purpose of this? You know, I'm like, I'm not getting anywhere with any of this. Yeah, I'm part of an assembly line, I'm putting a screw in this, you know, big deal. But we have to look at it beyond that because what we always look at sometimes is ordinary, what we look at as just uh the regular, you know, thing that happens all the time that that's meaningless. God looks at that a little differently. He looks at that as an opportunity and he's in instills inside of us to look for opportunities in those moments to further the kingdom and to spread the gospel. And so we should always be looking towards those things and understand that anything that happens throughout the day, whether if it's an assignment that has taken place, um, whether if it's something that requires patience, whatever it may be, uh there's probably a reason.

Michelle Moore 21:22

Yeah. That's it.

Daniel Moore 21:23

And even though we may not see it right at that moment, it may come to play, it could be days, weeks, or months before you see what was going on that day. But there may have been a purpose behind that, and it's probably helped someone possibly.

Michelle Moore 21:36

And I think sometimes we need to be thoughtful of what God is doing in those moments. You know, if you really think about it, when something happens, we're not immediately thinking, okay, God, what purpose do you have in this? I mean, a lot of times it's like, oh crap, this happened, you know. And like you don't really think much into it. But I think, you know, if we really start thinking like, What was the purpose of this, God? Um, you know, what are you trying to teach me? Or is there something I missed?

Daniel Moore 22:06

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 22:07

And bringing it back to God, I think it would help us in the long run as well.

Daniel Moore 22:11

Yeah. We've always we always got to think a little ahead on some of that stuff. That's very good, very valid point. As we continue on here, we're going to talk a little bit about integrating faith and work. And this is a tricky place that we have to navigate sometimes. You know, one of the biggest mistakes many Christians make is believing there's a line separating church life from real life. We tend to think God only moves during Sunday worship, Bible studies, mission trips, and those emotional altar moments where the keyboard player somehow knows exactly when to hit the soft piano chords. But the truth is, God never intended for our faith to stay inside church walls. He wants it woven into every part of our lives, including our jobs, careers, workplaces, and daily responsibilities. And honestly, that changes the way that we can look at Monday mornings. Because, you know, if we look at it in an honest way, sometimes work can feel less like a calling and more like survival. I mean, you wake up already tired, your coffee hasn't kicked in yet, your spouse is asking where their keys are while holding the keys in their hand, and somehow you're already emotionally exhausted before it's 8 a.m. Then you get to work only to discover that the printer is jammed again. Somebody scheduled a quote unquote quick meeting that lasts an hour and 15 minutes, and your coworker replies all to every email like it's their spiritual gift. But you know, even in all of that chaos, God is still present in the middle of all of that. Our workplace is not separate from our calling. It's often the place where our calling is revealed. From the very beginning of Scripture, we see that work was never meant to be meaningless. You know, Genesis chapter 2, verse 15 says the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. That means work existed before sin entered the world. Work itself wasn't the curse. Frustration, exhaustion, and toil became part of the curse after the fall. There's a big difference between those two. God created us with purpose. He designed us to create, build, serve, lead, help, and steward responsibilities in ways that glorify Him. That means whether you're leading a company, fixing vehicles, teaching children, answering phones, managing finances, running a business, or raising kids at home while stepping on Legos barefoot in the hallway, you are still operating a meaningful work. And for married couples, this perspective matters deeply because when we stop seeing work as just a job, we also stop seeing our spouse as just stressed or just busy. Instead, we begin recognizing that both husband and wife are carrying responsibilities, pressures, spiritual battles, and opportunities to represent Christ every single day. So that should change the way we encourage each other, the way we pray for each other, and the way we come home to each other. And I think that if, you know, us as spouses, we talked a little bit about this, you know, earlier, you know, when you come home, I can tell what mood you're in. And I can kind of tell if it's been a good day or a bad day. And I think you can probably tell the same with me. And so that first interaction that you and I have when we both walk in the door, I think should kind of set the tone for how do we need to communicate this evening. Yeah. You know, and we know each other well enough that we know if one of us needs encouragement. We know if one of us, you know, needs uh to be able to talk and just to let let some things out, let off some steam, I guess is the way to put it.

Michelle Moore 25:32

That's a good way to put it, actually. Yeah. Let off some steam.

Daniel Moore 25:35

And, you know, or maybe some great stuff happened to you at work today and you're just excited to share it, you know. Um when it's when we first walk into our door or when we both get home, or if it's a one spouse working and the other one's a stay-at-home parent, uh, whatever it may be, as soon as the two of you see each other for the first time at the end of that work day, uh, the way you show up in that moment is going to determine, you know, the rest of your evening and how all of that's going to play out, you know, after that. Uh let's go ahead and continue here, and I'll let you go ahead and share the next point here.

Michelle Moore 26:29

Yeah, a strong marriage is built when two people stop competing over exhaustion and start supporting each other's purposes. Colossians 3, 2324 says, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters. Notice scripture says, Whatever you do, not only ministry, not only church work, not only spiritual jobs. Whatever you do, that means the mechanic honoring God through honesty is worship. The nurse showing compassion is worship. The father working hard to provide is worship. The mother caring faithfully for her family is worship. That employee choosing integrity when nobody is watching is worship. When our attitude changes, our work becomes an offering to God instead of just an obligation we tolerate. And honestly, the world desperately needs believers who live out their faith consistently in everyday environments. Matthew 5, 14 through 16 reminds us that we are called to be the light of the world. Most people won't walk into a church before they first watch how a Christian lives. They watch how we respond under pressure, how we handle the conflict, and how we handle difficult people and treat them, and how we react when things don't go our way. Because anybody can talk about Jesus when life is easy. But people notice when someone carries peace in difficult environments. Daniel is one of the greatest biblical examples of this. He worked in a pagan culture under ungodly leadership. Daniel 6.4 says they could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt. Daniel didn't separate his faith from his work. He carried his faith into his work, and eventually his influence pointed entire kingdoms toward God, and that still happens today.

Daniel Moore 28:47

And there's a good point there that was made whenever uh that last paragraph there, Daniel didn't separate his faith from his work. He carried his faith into his work. And I really like how that sounds because whenever we go to work sometimes, especially if we are working in a very ungodly environment, we do have a tendency, I think, sometimes to leave our faith at the door and we just perform and do our thing that we're supposed to do for eight hours and then we go home. How much better would it be if we took our faith into that environment and tried to change the atmosphere? You know, I think that might work even better. And I actually have a little personal example of here that kind of goes along that line.

A Salvage Yard Seed That Grew

Daniel Moore 29:35

You know, I used to work at a salvage yard years ago. Um I spent about nine years there. And to say it was a rough environment would be an understatement. You know, most of the men there were tough, gritty, hard-living guys. We called them grease monkeys. Um, they, you know, tore cars apart and grease and all that good stuff that guys sometimes like to do. Well, foul language also filled the workplace constantly. Crude conversations were normal and inappropriate material circulated around like it was just part of the culture. And you know what I'm talking about with that. This pornography and all that kind of thing. A lot of that kind of stuff was just normal there. Well, when I first started, I stood out immediately, not because I was perfect, but because I simply chose not to participate in things like that that dishonored God. But you know, at that at that time, I didn't preach at people constantly. I didn't act self-righteous, I didn't condemn everyone around me. I just quietly lived differently. I worked hard, I treated people respectfully, I stayed away from the gossip, and I tried to live my faith consistently. Well, at first, you know, people didn't know what to think about me, I'm sure, in some situations, but over time something interesting happened. The same men who once tested boundaries around me slowly began respecting the way that I lived. Eventually, many of them would avoid certain conversations around me altogether, and it wasn't because I demanded it, but because they recognized there was something different in my life. And the important thing with all of that is that influence often happens slowly and quietly. You know, most of the time we don't realize the seeds that we're planting while we're planting them. And we also, a lot of times, we may never fully know the impact of our quiet faithfulness until eternity reveals it. Well, years after leaving LKQ, the salvage yard, I received a phone call that I'll never forget. You know, one of the guys that I considered to be one of the toughest looking guys there that I'd worked with, he called me during a major family crisis. And this was a man who carried strength on the outside, but underneath it was, you know, hurting him very deeply. And in that desperate moment, he remembered me. Not because I preached sermons at work, not because I acted spiritually superior, but because I had simply tried to live faithfully in front of him. He asked me to pray for him and his family, and I did. And not long afterward, he gave his life to Christ and started attending church faithfully where he lived. His entire life began changing because God used a seed planted years earlier in a difficult workplace. And to this day, that humbles me deeply because, you know, I am very far from perfect. Michelle will vouch for that. I am not perfect. But I've, you know, I've had struggles, I've made mistakes, and I still need God's grace every single day. There's moments I failed, there's moments I got frustrated, there's moments I didn't always reflect Christ the way I should have. But that's what makes God's grace so incredible. He doesn't wait for perfect people before he uses them. Right. And you know, I I love I've shared this story with several, and you know, the guy that I'm talking about, they still attend church very regularly. They got baptized. Uh-huh. I mean, they've came to our church for Christmas program and different things. Sweet people. Yes, I I mean, he me and him, I always got along with him anyway. And that's another point. You know, all the guys that I worked with there, we were really good friends. I mean, they respected me. I respected them. Uh, we all got along great. You know, they just some of the stuff that they participated in, they just went ahead and respected my feelings about that and kept it away from me. Now they still had language around me and stuff like that. And so be it. You know, that's that's just something between them and God. God will convict that, you know, in due time if they give their lives to Him or whatever. Um, but we just we had some really good friendships. And, you know, I never really thought of anything coming out of any of that until that day he called. And that really opened my eyes and made me realize, because I had when I was at the fire department, it was kind of the same environment, but I was not an example there. Matter of fact, I let it change me. I went through a divorce there. Um, I had language, I kind of just joined the crowd. And, you know, I look back at that and I feel bad about that time in my life because there could have been times there that I could have made a difference in someone's life, but I wasn't even living how I should have to be an example in testimony. And so I was not the light in that darkness at that time. And that's that's some things I regret from back then. So you never know when you may make a difference in someone's life somewhere down the road, and it may be years down the road. But if you live your life correctly in the way God wants you to in that moment, and you shine that light like He wants you to, you're gonna have probably a testimony come out of it somewhere.

Michelle Moore 34:19

That's good. So I always enjoy when you talk about that because I can remember the day you came home and you said, You're never gonna believe who called me. And I was like, Who? And then you told me, and I was like, wow, that is so awesome. And we begin praying. And you know, you prayed more than about the situation than I did, and I can still remember, you know, when you called me and told me that, you know, he was going to church and being safe. It was just like it it's rewarding for a wife to see your husband stand firm and to go into an atmosphere like that and stay firm through all that, and then to see it's almost gonna make me cry because from where we were at to where we are today, and to see you stand firm in that and to be a witness not even realizing that you were a witness, and to help someone see that, hey, I can go to him for prayer. Yeah, and know that you're gonna pray.

Daniel Moore 35:16

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 35:16

And to see the family change over time.

Daniel Moore 35:19

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 35:19

I mean, it's very rewarding to me as a wife to see that and that impact that you have ch you know created and your walk with the Lord.

Daniel Moore 35:29

Well, what's crazy is when I saw that phone ring, because I I had his number in my phone. So as soon as he called, I saw his name. I own a computer business also. The first thing I thought was, oh, you've got a computer needs work on, you know. That's what everybody knows me as that are, you know, co-workers or whatever. And I've worked on his computers before. And so when I answered the phone, that's what I was expecting. I was he caught me totally off guard with that. I never in my dreams would have ever thought that someone from that job would have ever called me and asked me to pray for something for them. That was it was a wake-up call. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things when that happened. Because I think at that moment I hadn't really realized up till then just what kind of an impact you can really have in an environment like that. And now I know. Yeah. And so I don't take any of that with a grain of salt.

Michelle Moore 36:19

Yeah.

Daniel Moore 36:20

And hopefully that example's good for anybody listening right now in whatever situation you're in, because there's a lot of ungodly workplaces out there.

Michelle Moore 36:27

Absolutely.

Daniel Moore 36:27

You know, there's a ton of them, and a lot of you work in them. And so, you know, that's just hopefully something to inspire you and encourage you just a little bit. So we're about to wrap up here. Go ahead and share this next part.

Michelle Moore 36:39

Yeah. God is not looking for flawless people, He's looking for faithful and available hearts. Sometimes we assume God only uses pastors, missionaries, worship leaders, or people with dramatic testimonies. But scripture repeatedly shows God using ordinary people who simply remained obedient where they were planted. That means your consistency matters, your integrity matters, your kindness matters, and your attitude matters, especially in your marriage. Because one of the greatest testimonies a couple can have is consistency between Sunday and Monday. Anybody can raise their hands and worship at church, but the real challenge comes when you're both tired, stressed, when the bills are due. One spouse misunderstood the other's text message completely. And now somehow a discussion about groceries has turned into a two-hour emotional summit meeting. Marriage has a funny way of exposing every weakness in communication. Again, one spouse says, I'm fine. The other spouse immediately thinks that's impossible. Nobody's fine. And actually means fine. And somehow you both end up apologizing for things neither of you fully understood in the first place. But that's where grace enters. Ephesians 4 2 tells us to walk with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. Those qualities matter in a marriage, but they also matter at work. That same grace-like character we need in our homes is the same character we need in our workplaces. Because ultimately, integrating faith and work isn't about acting religious. It's about reflecting Jesus consistently. It's about realizing that every environment becomes an opportunity for kingdom impact. Your office can be the mission field. Your job site can become a ministry. Your home can become a testimony. However, your daily life can become living evidence of God's grace. And often the loudest sermon you'll ever preach is simply the life you quietly live.

Daniel Moore 38:58

So we see there's a common denominator going on here. As we talk about this marriage is a mission thing, we talk about stewardship, we talk about the purpose God has put into all of our lives as spouses. Um, we see how this really intertwines in so much in everything that we're involved in. And you know, what's crazy to me is, you know, there's a there's a day back when that I separated all of this. I didn't really think work had much to do with my marriage or that marriage had much to do with I'd agree with that hospitality at my house or the myself included in that. Yeah, it's like you separate all those things and you don't understand that this is one big huge puzzle. These little pieces are keep getting put together, and the more right pieces you find that fit in the right spots, it starts creating this big huge picture.

Michelle Moore 39:48

Well, you may not just as you say, you may not understand it. Sometimes we just don't even recognize it.

Daniel Moore 39:53

Yeah.

Michelle Moore 39:53

As a Christian, we just don't put these together.

Daniel Moore 39:56

Yeah. We look at it just as an everyday thing that we go through.

Michelle Moore 40:01

And I never would have thought of this.

Daniel Moore 40:03

Yeah, it's it's amazing how all this goes together. Yeah. Next week when we come back, we'll be finishing this one up on our workplace. Anything that you'd like to add to this week's episode?

Michelle Moore 40:12

No, it's so good.

Daniel Moore 40:14

I think that hopefully this week's open some eyes, you know.

Michelle Moore 40:17

I always love hearing that story about you and Charlie.

Daniel Moore 40:19

Yeah. We love it. I love sharing it. He's he's an awesome great guy. Him and his wife and their whole family, they're just great people. And I just I'm so thankful. I mean, and it's it's nothing about me. I'm not tooting my horn at all. Um, I'm I am thankful that I stayed the path. I'm so thankful for that because I am not perfect. I'm I messed up a lot all the time. And I've messed up a lot in the past.

Michelle Moore 40:44

Well, I think about how many times you wanted to quit that job.

Daniel Moore 40:46

Oh, I know.

Michelle Moore 40:47

That God didn't allow it.

Daniel Moore 40:48

Yeah, it's a it's a job I didn't like.

Michelle Moore 40:50

No.

Daniel Moore 40:50

Necessarily.

Michelle Moore 40:51

And and let me tell you, it was a filler job. It was something he struggled going into every day. Yeah. But there was a purpose in it.

Daniel Moore 40:58

Yep.

Michelle Moore 40:59

And that purpose came years later.

Daniel Moore 41:01

And I think this part of this book here, I think, has kind of came from some lessons I learned in all of that. So good.

Michelle Moore 41:08

So good, babe.

Daniel Moore 41:09

So yeah, so people may forget your words, but they will remember the consistency of your character. So wherever God has planted you right now, whether it's an office, a classroom, a construction site, a factory, a repair shop, a hospital, or a home full of laundry baskets and loud toddlers, never underestimate what God can do through simple faithfulness because eternity is often shaped through ordinary moments. And sometimes the greatest kingdom impact begins with nothing more than one person deciding I'm going to honor God or I am.com to find out everything about our ministry.

Final Challenge And Subscribe

Daniel Moore 42:05

We have resources there, which you can contact us. Uh the different things that we offer as a ministry, you can also check those out there at the website as well. And of course, don't forget to subscribe to these episodes so that you don't miss them because we have tons of good things coming your way here in the future. We're getting into some really good episodes here shortly that's left in this series. I mean, a lot of them have been really good already, but we've got some other ones coming up here that I'm really excited about. So uh you don't want to miss any of that. So make sure you subscribe and share. And that way you don't miss any of that. Well, at the end of the day, integrating faith and work is really about understanding that God never asked us to live divided lives. He never intended for us to worship him on Sunday and then completely disconnect from him Monday through Friday. Your workplace, your responsibilities, your routines, and even the ordinary moments of your day are all opportunities to reflect Christ. The way you handle pressure, treat difficult people, respond to stress, honor your commitments, and carry integrity when nobody's watching says more about your faith than a thousand social media posts ever could. And for married couples, this matters even more because your home becomes a training ground for how you live out your faith everywhere else. The grace you show your spouse, the encouragement you give after a hard work day, the patience you extend when tensions are high, and the way you support each other's calling all become part of your testimony. Sometimes the greatest ministry isn't found on a stage, it's found in two people choosing to honor God together in everyday life. So as we close this week's episode, maybe the real question isn't, do I have a meaningful job? Maybe the better question is, am I allowing God to use me meaningfully where I already am? Whether you're leading a company, working long shifts, staying home raising children, fixing vehicles, teaching students, or trying to survive a workplace where the coffee is weak and the meanings are strong, God can still move through your faithfulness. Don't underestimate the impact of your consistency, your kindness, your honesty, or your quiet obedience. You may never fully see the seed you're planting in the lives around you, but heaven does. And one day, you may discover that the moments you thought were ordinary were actually the moments God used you most powerfully. A life surrender to God turns ordinary work into eternal impact. So, go love your spouse well, work with integrity, serve faithfully, and remember this your calling isn't just about what you do, it's also about who you represent while you do it. Well, that's gonna do it for this week's episode. We pray that your marriage is stronger and your walk with God is closer after we finish this episode this week. This episode is recorded in the upper room at our Connecting the Gap Studios. This is an extension of Connecting the Gap Ministries, and we pray that you have a blessed week.