I don’t know about you, but I find I can easily make commitments. I can decide I really want to do something and set my mind to do it. But if I don’t have a plan as to how it gets done, it just remains good intentions that usually don’t become reality. So, what I’m hoping is that you will not only be inspired to reflect Christ more on your job, but you’ll have some specific actions that will make a difference in your life and in your workplace.

So, here’s my fourth suggestion (view part one for the first three suggestions) as to how we can more perfectly reflect Christ on our jobs:

1. Be Transparent and Vulnerable

Jesus gave us clear instructions as to how we are to live as Christ-followers in our worlds. In Matthew 5:14-16 we read from his sermon on the mount:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

In other words, we’re not called to be undercover Christians. Even in our post-Christian culture, Jesus’ challenge does not change. We are not to hide our lamp—our witness—as Christ-followers, and that includes on our jobs. The challenge we face is how to do that naturally, organically, and not in an unnecessarily offensive way.

Someone has said that too often we Christians are more interested in giving out the right news instead of the good news. We believe we’re right, based on God’s Word, and we never compromise those beliefs. But we do it through being real, not with a know-it-all attitude or arrogance of any kind.

You and I must be approachable, real, and transparent in the way we live if we ever hope to have influence in our world today. If you project a plastic image to those around you, an image of “I’ve got this all figured out, and my life is always together,” then who can ever relate to you?

Let me ask you: Do you fake happiness even when you are sad about something? Do you share personal struggles and concerns with coworkers appropriately? Can you and do you naturally talk about how God has helped you through hard times, how he has answered your prayers?

Are you willing to be vulnerable, admit your mistakes, or talk about your struggles? Or are you trying not to show a trace of doubt or misgivings or let anyone see the pain in your life? If so, you are putting up a barrier between you and others, and they just don’t know how to relate to someone who seems to always be in control! Living a transparent and authentic life means being yourself, without any pretensions.

There was a woman who worked for me many years ago who was just always perfect. She was vocal about her faith, but she was also vocal about how perfectly she did her job. She subtly would let everyone else know they should be like her and do their work like she did. Now, she was an excellent worker, but she made everyone else in the department uncomfortable by her perfectionist demeanor. I often wondered what she was like at home with her husband. And I noticed that she really had no connections in our office; she worked in an isolated atmosphere. That’s never going to be an effective way to reflect Christ.

So, one powerful way you and I can reflect Christ—be like Jesus—in our workplaces is to be transparent, inviting, and willing to share our lives, the good and the bad, with others.

1. Reflect Christ by Developing the Fruit of the Spirit

I come to the fifth suggestion for reflecting Christ on your job, and it is to consistently display the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life. Honestly, this is an impossible assignment until and unless you become intentional about bearing much fruit. In John 15:8 Jesus said, This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. Showing ourselves to be disciples of Jesus Christ is another way of saying we reflect Christ, and we do that by bearing much fruit.

This fruit is clearly defined in Galatians 5:22-23a as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is proof the Holy Spirit controls your life, and you are like Jesus. To the world around you, it contrasts with the normal dog-eat-dog world in which everyone is out for themselves. This fruit grows when we pursue God, have daily time with him, pray this fruit into our lives, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit, who will empower us to grow much fruit.

Years ago, as I contemplated how I could make this a reality in my life, I read in Colossians 3 that we are to “put on” these characteristics of Jesus. That gave me a practice that helped me be more intentional about bearing this fruit in my life, becoming more like Jesus. I began to pray on each of these characteristics each morning, thinking of dressing myself spiritually for the day ahead. I prayed through them individually, focusing on the ones which gave me the greatest struggle.

For example, forbearance or patience doesn’t come easy for me. So, I prayed about it regularly and still do! And as I prayed for this fruit, the Holy Spirit reminded me throughout the day when I failed. He also showed me opportunities to reflect Christ by demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit—such as showing love to someone I worked with or allowing God’s Spirit to keep me peaceful during disagreements or difficult situations. Honestly, there were many times I could hear that inner voice of God warning me, “Be careful, show patience.” Or “That wasn’t such a kind thing to say.” Eventually I wrote a Bible study entitled “The Well Dressed Christian,” which goes into detail on how to focus intentionally on wearing those beautiful garments—the fruit of God’s Spirit—and pray them into our lives.

And here’s the thing: When you and I consistently reflect Christ in our lives by bearing this fruit of love and joy, goodness and faithfulness, peace and gentleness, our lights shine in our world. We reflect Christ. It is a natural outcome of bearing much fruit, and it opens so many doors of opportunity to talk about Jesus and explain the good news—forgiveness and a new life.

As a footnote, let me quickly admit there are many days and ways I don’t reflect Christ as I should. Bearing much fruit is a never-ending challenge, but I know from experience that we have the power through God’s Spirit within us to be more and more like Jesus.

I certainly don’t want to make it sound like the Christian life is a matter of following a certain formula. No two lives are alike, and God deals with us differently, that’s for sure. But for most if not all of us, growing in our knowledge of God and becoming more like Jesus requires us to be intentional about it—to instill good habits in our lives that help us reflect Christ to a dying, hurting world.