TheHighCalling.org: Bible Reflections

Living a Kairos Life in a Chronos World

David Rupert — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Everything we do is marked by the steady march of time. Seconds lead to minutes to hours to days to weeks to years to decades to centuries.

The problem for all of us is that the clock is always running the wrong way, and we simply cannot stop its precipitous crawl toward the next tick. We lose moments to the past, out of our reach, never to be regained.

Where did all the years go?

The kids have grown and gone. We're muddling along in a career, making a living, just existing out of habit more than anything.

Did I miss out on my chance to make a difference?

The Greek language has a couple of words that mean "time." The first is most familiar—chronos . It means the chronology of days, governed by the carefully calculated earths' sweep around the sun. God himself ordained this measurement of days on the fourth day of Creation, spinning the heavenly lights "for seasons, and for days and years."

Boy, do I know about time. The wrinkles etched on my face; the wrinkles etched on my heart are the visual reminders of chronos.

But another word for time is also used in the New Testament—kairos . This speaks more to specific, God-ordained times throughout history, sometimes called the "right time" or "appointed season" (Titus 1:3). Kairos is God's dimension—one not marked by the past, the present, or the future.

When Jesus came, it was a fulfillment of promises past, a cosmic collision of the sacred and secular. It was an intersection of the holy will of God and the stubborn ways of man. It was a perfect moment. John the Baptist said in Mark 1:15 that "time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand."

This godly kairos pierced its way into creation at just the right time, slicing through chronos with a cry of a baby in a manger.

The cross was another kairos moment. Romans 5:6 says, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly."

Kairos moments then—and now—allow us to get a glimpse of the "other side." We peek around the corner at eternity. We actually glimpse how God works.

As the omniscient, omnipresent Deity, God is not bound by the confines of space or time. That's why He flows into our existence when we least expect Him. When we ask for something right away, it might not always come. Or when we don't ask at all. But he shows up. It can be frustrating, "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years." It can also be surprising "a thousand years as one day." (2 Pet 3:8).

We should always live our days looking for those moments, those inexplicable times when His will and his way intersect with our daily walks.

And they can happen anytime! A friend calls you out of the blue to give a good word. A child's innocent joy pierces a long, hard day of struggle. A coworker takes a moment to lend a hand. God is always surprising us with his perfect, kairos timing.

Am I ready, waiting, and watching for him to move in my life?

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David Rupert is a communication professional who also blogs at www.redletterbelievers.com. He is a very active member of HighCallingBlogs.com, an online community that focuses on work and God.

Building a Reputation

Andrea Emerson — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The other day, I was reading a best-selling author's advice on how to keep a co-worker's incompetence from damaging your reputation: "Take him down publicly," the self-proclaimed expert advised, "a little humiliation goes a long way." Ouch. Sadly, that mirrors much of today's popular wisdom for making a name for ourselves. (Have you ever watched The Apprentice?)

The importance we give to what others think, and how that relates to cultivating a reputation as competent business professionals, is a pursuit that can easily be mishandled or get out of balance. Take me, for instance. Because I still resembled a high-schooler in my twenties and was often mistaken for an intern, I obsessed over getting the business hotshots I interacted with to view me as a peer.

So I devoured books like Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office and adopted a series of comical measures to appear wiser and more credible: wearing glasses when I didn't need them, getting a grandma-type haircut, lowering my voice pitch and mastering body language, which included "power postures" and fighting a hair twirling habit. I also emailed the "power players" at odd hours (say, Saturday at 11 p.m.) in an effort to showcase my dedication to my work. At the end of the day, the whole credibility-building business was exhausting.

Then, studying the Scriptures, I came across that famous "you know a tree by its fruit" bit:

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (Matt. 7:16-18)

It was one of those moments when a familiar verse hits you right between the eyes with fresh, new meaning. It occurred to me that if the internal make-up of a plant determines the fruit it produces with automatic, scientific precision, then it followed that my character and spiritual growth would be far better business investments than my outward personal presentation. Simply put, you can't force a harvest without cultivating the soil.

Henry and Richard Blackaby put it like this in God in the Marketplace:

Christian character [or a stellar reputation] is not something you have to work up to or put on. It's the natural result of the Holy Spirit's activity in a believer's life (Gal. 5:22-23). [Godly] character is Christ expressing life through you (1 Cor. 15:10; Gal. 2:20). It comes from abiding in Christ (John 15:5, 7-8).

Along these lines, Jim Gleason, one of my mentors, is known to harp tirelessly on the importance of integrity in our business dealings. And he's right to do so, considering "a good name is more desirable than good riches" (Prov. 22:1).

Jim says you and I can easily set ourselves apart, earn people's respect and loyalty if we do this one thing: Keep our word. (On that note, if Jim tells you he'll call on Tuesday, you can bank on it, even if he has to call from a hospital room–which he's done before.) As the Bible tells us, "let your ‘yes' be ‘yes' and your ‘no' be ‘no'" (James 5:12).

Since I'm still far from perfect (and, I'm guessing, so are you), it's important to note that God doesn't expect perfection from us. But he does expect progression and a heart that pursues his pleasure above all else. In Hebrews 5:11-14, we read that "though by this time [we] ought to be teachers," many of us are still stuck on the elementary teachings of Christ. Rather, we are told to move from God's "milk" to "solid food," which "is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves." The bottom line? Immersing ourselves in the solid food of the Word of God is precisely the ingredient that produces good fruit, without fail.

As I've learned where my true value lies—that is, in fulfilling God's purpose for my life and advancing his truth—I've quit worrying about what people think so much, except when it comes to how I reflect and represent the God I serve and love. As we fix our eyes on him, there's no need to worry about a reputation: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:33). As it turns out, producing fruit according to God's design is far easier and satisfying than trying to manufacture fruit without God.

Personal Business

L. L. Barkat — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Is it okay to use business hours to email coworkers about personal things? I have a friend who's decided it is not okay. I don't know the details about the decision; maybe things were getting out of hand, and work was taking a back seat to what felt like play. But it makes me think about my new general practitioner.

Most doctors have you fill out a tedious form outlining your physical history. The nurse hands you the form. You dutifully fill it in and hand it back to her. The doctor reads it when you're not looking. But all he really knows about you is what's written on the form.

Recently, I went to a doctor who took a noticeably different approach. Before the physical exam, he sat with me for a long time, asking all sorts of questions I could have just as easily penned answers to on a form. Okay, the question about my hobbies probably wouldn't have been on the form; he was interested that I'm learning to play piano and cello. He took down the name of my book, and we had a very amusing conversation about one of the reasons I was privileged to write that book (I have 18 siblings—steps, halves, and otherwise—but that's a story in itself). We talked about the kinds of exercise I do. Oh, and that turned out to be unexpectedly important, as he had a theory that one exercise I'm doing might be aggravating my leg.

The book of Ezra reminds me of my friend's email decision, and it reminds me of my new doctor. Not long ago, I wrote in my journal, “Why is the book of Ezra in the Bible?” Usually when I ask myself a question, I try to be cordial and attempt to answer. In the case of Ezra, I decided that (issues of divine intent and inspiration aside) it's in the Bible because it's history—the personal history of Israel. At least three of the chapters out of 10 contain lists of names . . . of people who strayed, of people who agreed to make a journey home.

Ezra records that when the foundation of the temple was laid, “people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping” (3:3). We hear not only about these emotions but also about fear, when “the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and made them afraid to build . . .” (4:4). Against the backdrop of all this history, we see business. Letters to and from the king and governor, exchange of goods like salt and silver, the appointment of magistrates and judges. And through it all, the hand of God quietly moving in halls of human power.

In its way, the book of Ezra is like my new doctor. Before talking salt and silver, it talks joy and tears, frailties and hopes. It weaves personal history with the execution of a major building project. Ezra suggests that maybe it's okay for my friend to talk about kids, music, or the latest cool fiction-read in a business email. Besides, “Researchers at IBM Research and MIT's Sloan School of Management [just] found that the average email contact was worth $948 in revenue.” (See Putting a Price on Social Connections.) Did those emails talk piano, cello, books, or 18 siblings? Maybe, maybe not. But my doctor, and the book of Ezra, suggest it might not have been such a bad idea.

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L. L. Barkat is the author of Stone Crossings. Her blog SeedlingsInStone.blogspot.com is a member site of HighCallingBlogs.com.

Middle Managers Might Find This a Bit Scary

Gordon Atkinson — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

People say they love the parables of Jesus, which is understandable. Jesus was a wonderful storyteller. But I sometimes wonder if anyone is actually reading them. I find many to be rather frightening. In fact, the harshest judgment is for those who call themselves children of God and do not live faithfully in their daily lives.

I sometimes think the parables should carry a warning. “Let the reader beware.” One such parable is found in Matthew 24: 45-51. It is often called “The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Steward.”

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

The story is simple enough: A master leaves behind a servant, whom he puts in charge of the other servants. He is a steward of the workforce. He's the first century equivalent of middle management. Modern readers who exist in the business world on levels below and above middle management will probably enjoy this story. Middle managers themselves might find it a bit scary.

In the story, the steward is tasked with making sure the workers are given their proper allotment of food and drink and supplies. He has control of the schedule, keys to the supply room, and requisitions for new equipment and computers go through him. The CEO is often absent, sometimes for months. So this guy sets up quite a little kingdom for himself. He is abusive and cruel to those below him. He hogs new resources, using them for himself and his cronies, while others struggle to get their work done with aging computers and broken printers. He's pretty liberal with the petty cash too, taking himself and his friends out for long, expensive lunches. People in the office fear him and come to work each day filled with anxiety.

As you can imagine, the good times don't last forever. The manager thinks he knows when his boss is returning. Unfortunately for him, the CEO returns unexpectedly, and there is hell to pay. In the parable, literally.

There are numerous lessons in this wonderful story that have remained relevant for 2,000 years and will remain so as long as we have jobs and workers and people in charge. The abuse of power is, apparently, a thing that makes God quite angry. Woe to those who use positions of power for undue personal gain. The story also reminds us that much is expected from those to whom much is given by God.

The central meaning of the story is, however, faithfulness. God doesn't seem too concerned about what kind of job you have. Some have powerful jobs and others do not. What matters most to God is what you are doing with yourself on average days. On Tuesday mornings, say. And on Thursdays of uneventful weeks.

Happy are those whom the Lord will find obediently serving him when he returns. Happy are those who will be pleasantly surprised and filled with joy when they look up from their work and find that he has come. Happy are those who, being put in charge of others, are not seeking to benefit themselves, but instead carrying out their managerial tasks with grace and honesty and fairness to others.

Yes, happy are the faithful. For the day of the Lord always comes. In one form or another, it comes. And whether His coming is cause for celebration or trembling is determined, in part, by what happens in your life on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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Gordon Atkinson is a pastor at Covenant Baptist Church, blogger at RealLivePreacher.com, and editor at HighCallingBlogs.com a network of Christians thinking about the relationship between work and God.

God's Plan for Work

Vera Jackson — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Everyone might like the idea of taking a permanent vacation, but in reality work has been part of God's plan for mankind from the beginning.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden." (Gen. 2:15–16)

This interaction between God and the first man took place before sin entered the earth. The Lord has always intended for us to work and eat the fruit of our labors. Idleness has never been part of his will. In fact, "having nothing to do" is part of the fall of man. We know that Jesus came to save us from sin and bring us into the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 20, he tells a parable that illustrates his call for us:

He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, "You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right." So they went. (verses 2–5)

God is calling us to labor in His vineyard. He wants to rescue us from idleness by calling us to work, and he has enough going on to keep all of us busy. Not only that, he has promised to reward us for our labor. It just does not get better than that!

It is easy to imagine that we are laboring in God's vineyard when we volunteer for our church or do other ministry work. Yet God intends that the marketplace jobs we do every day be set apart for his glory just as much as if we were pastoring a church or traveling as an evangelist. God wants us to see all the work we do as a holy calling. Paul said it this way: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23).

Work is a blessing. We all understand this when we are out of a job and need to find employment to keep the bills paid. Yet God's purpose for our work goes so far beyond meeting our financial needs. Each job or "assignment" we receive from Him is part of His divine plan to expand His Kingdom. Unfortunately, there are still people—and some believers are among them—who stand idle in the marketplace just like the men in the parable. Some are lazy, but others simply do not understand why they are there. They do not know God's plan for work.

God wants to make sure we are fulfilling the roles he prepared for us before we were born. The Bible teaches us that God judges us based on our stewardship of what he entrusts to us in this life. When it comes to our professional lives, we know he is interested in how we spend the money we earn and how we treat the people we meet. Do we also realize that he is just as interested in the quality of the work we do?

Passport to the Lost

Think about the lives of missionaries. They leave the comfort of their homeland to take the Gospel to people who would never have the chance to hear it otherwise. Missionaries know when they enter a new land that they may be the only representatives of Jesus Christ that the people ever see. They conduct themselves in a way that is above reproach to avoid hurting their Lord's reputation. In short, they live their lives on the mission field exactly the way we should live our lives when we go into the marketplace.

The most obvious meaning of the word missionary is "someone on a mission." That is who we are! First and foremost, our work in the marketplace is a passport that affords us entrance into the lives of lost people we would never otherwise meet. They may be struggling in their families, suffering from past hurts, or simply searching for purpose and meaning in life. They are people made in the image of God, people whom he loves dearly.

Think of it—you may be the only real Christian that the people on your job ever get to see. With every breath you take and every step you make, he is calling you to fulfill the Great Commission. Certainly our Sovereign God does not need our help, yet in his mercy he has chosen to use you and me. When we cooperate with God's plan for us to live out our faith on the job, our lives become enormously full, joyous, and purposeful.

God is calling us to take the Gospel to those we supervise, to our coworkers, and even to our superiors. That is what it means to be salt and light in the marketplace! Just as God sends missionaries overseas to bring the Gospel to other cultures, he sends each one of us to our unique professional subculture to carry his Good News. When men and women see us as loving and compassionate people who set a standard for excellence in all we do, they will be drawn to the God we serve.

In order for us to accomplish our mission, however, we must understand the importance of the positions we hold and the professional roles we play. We must understand that God will give us the wisdom and strength to please our earthly bosses and our heavenly Boss! We do not need to compromise one for the other. When we are focused on faithfully representing Jesus in our character, conduct, and work ethic, we cannot help but perform on the job with excellence.

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Used by permission. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Excerpted from:
Taking Jesus to Work: Living Out Your Faith on the Job by Vera R. Jackson
Copyright © 2008; ISBN 9780800794613
Published by Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Void Where Prohibited

Robert Hruzek — Sun, 31 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

You know what "the fine print" means, don't you?

It's that ridiculously dense paragraph you find on coupons or contest notices, usually in a font so tiny you need a 40X magnifier to read. Or, in the case of TV or radio, it's those 853 lightning-fast words they rattle off in the last four seconds of a commercial.

Often called a disclaimer, it's the detailed listing of every conceivable circumstance in which whatever you want to do—whether it's to enter a contest, get 82% off your purchase, or obtain multiple items for the price of one—can somehow be disallowed. Adding insult to injury, they're usually written in legalese, a language most of us don't even speak!

The disclaimer I find most puzzling, though, is "void where prohibited." It makes me wonder what possible circumstances would make it illegal for me to, say, win fifty bucks or to finally attain that Holy Grail of fast food: five giant Bubba Burgers for a dollar? How could something so innocuous be so wrong? Is there some vast shadowy organization out there whose sole purpose of existence is to prohibit folks like me from getting a good deal?

Rules and Regulations

There's no doubt about it, my friends; life is all about rules and regulations. Do this; don't do that—it's a full-time job keeping track, isn't it? The irony is, even if you can get all you want—of whatever it is you're after—you may find, like the kid in the candy store, that too much of a good thing really isn't so great after all.

But what if I could point you toward something that is never void, and never, ever prohibited? That's right; you can have as much as you want! Wouldn't you be interested? If so, then read what the Apostle Paul wrote in the fifth chapter of his letter to the Galatians:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23; emphasis mine)

The Fruit of the Spirit

So what exactly is the fruit of the Spirit?

Perhaps best described as character traits of the Spirit-led Christian, they are positive, desirable qualities God desires to produce in us as we grow in him. Here's what I find most amazing: we don't even have to develop them ourselves; he promises to grow them in us, if we'll just follow him.

It's no accident that Paul uses the metaphor of a fruit tree; it's a beautifully clear picture of how God grows these qualities in us. After all, have you ever seen an orange tree strain mightily to produce an orange? Of course not! It's an inherent characteristic—orange trees, when planted in good soil, just naturally produce oranges.

The fruit of the Spirit comes about in the same manner: Christians who live and grow in Christ just naturally produce fruit. It's the way he made us!

Alas, the truth of this passage painfully smacks me in the face. Do I personally exhibit these characteristics in my daily life? Do the folks I work with know I'm a walking fruit stand? Do I bless folks around me by my words and actions? And even beyond the workplace, what about folks I encounter at the restaurant, at the corner store, or at the garage?

Note, too, how Paul points out "there is no law" against these things. That's good news, because it means here is something for which there is no fine print! You won't have to drag out a magnifying glass, break out your legal dictionary, or even listen closely so you won't miss anything. When it comes to the fruit of the Spirit, you'll never have to wonder if they're "void where prohibited."

It begs the question, though, doesn't it? If all we have to do is let God do it, then what's stopping us?

What To Do With Vocational Honors?

Jonathan Dodson — Sun, 24 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Nothing beats an honest day's work, so the saying goes. In an age of unethical business schemes and get-rich-quick internet commerce delusions, an honest day's work is harder to come by. The new saying might go something like: "Nothing beats a quick, lucrative day's work."

But there is a vocational reward greater than wealth or honor, a reward grasped centuries ago by St. Augustine. In Confessions, he writes: "I looked with longing at honors, wealth and marriage, and you laughed at me." Does God laugh at our longing for honor and wealth and relationships?

Imprisoning Honors

Augustine was an immensely successful teacher and rhetorician, but he felt imprisoned by his awards and recognition. Is it possible that these honors are inherently bad or oppressive? A glowing review, a congratulatory comment, published research, or an endorsed product? It seems right to recognize goodness in some person—a purple heart for a soldier wounded in battle recognizes courage and self-sacrifice, noble qualities indeed. I think of remarks I have received after a sermon, emails regarding articles I have written, comments on a blog post. Have I been ensnared by these honors, awards, and recognitions? What was it about Augustine's honors that imprisoned him?

False Joys

Augustine continues his reflections by describing an encounter with a beggar, whose fleeting happiness over a few coins outweighed the joy of Augustine's ambitious plans. Augustine sees in his own efforts a joy that was "much more false" than the beggar's financial delight. The beggar was "free from care, while [Augustine] was full of fear."

Every day I drive by homeless beggars on our highways, often cynically imagining how stress-free their jobs are, as they hold up signs that read "Why lie? I want a beer." I then reflect on the stress—dare I say fear—many of us carry due to the demands of our jobs and employers. We are consumed with pleasing people at work and in life, while at the same time fearing that we might displease them. What's worse is that very often the "them" we aim to please are anonymous.

What was so wretched in Augustine's soul that required a spiritual freedom? Was it his honors for fine learning, teaching, and instructing? If not, what was it about his honors that bound him, leading him down the path of falsehood and soul-wrenching deception? His fear led him to take pleasure in winning approval of men "not to instruct them, but only to please them." Augustine's heart was imprisoned by lesser affections, by his inordinate desire to please men over God. He looked "with longing at honor, wealth, and marriage," expecting these from men not God.

Toward True Joy

Do we take hollow comfort and empty joy in anonymous approval of those around us? Do we fear that we will not be honored or rewarded for our performance or appearance? All too often my joy rises and falls with the numbers of compliments I receive, comments on my blog, or recognition by a colleague, spouse, or friend. Our longings and desires rest too firmly upon the approval or rejection of finite men and not in the unfathomable pleasure of an infinite, loving, accepting God. With Augustine, we seek only to please men, not instruct them.

How can we move toward true joy? What do we do with the honors we receive? How do we avoid making compliments a basis for our confidence?

•   Identify the particular recognition that can imprison your soul. Think about the kind of recognition you cherish most. Who does it come from? What does it look like?

•   Receive recognition without cherishing it. Accept the compliment without savoring it for significance.

•   Deflect the honor and recognition to God. Give him the credit for your performance, since we are to glorify God in whatever we do (1 Cor. 10:31).

•   Repent where you have cherished the honors of men over honoring God. Exercise faith in God's all-sufficient love and grace as the only place your soul is satisfied.

•   Rejoice in the privilege of work, the favorable results, and the greatness of God to give you the capacity to produce God-honoring results.

Nothing beats an honest day's work, especially when we are honest about who is worthy of the credit for our honorable work. By pointing away from ourselves to the strength, creativity, and wisdom of our Creator, vocational honors can be a reminder of the sufficiency of the gospel for our significance. When we identify and deflect honors that woo us, we can learn to rejoice in God's grace, not man's compliments.

Of Loaves and Fishes

Heather Goodman — Sun, 17 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

We've heard the story dozens, maybe hundreds, of times. Five thousand men (not to mention the thousands of women and children) listen at the feet of Jesus. They get hungry, as humans tend to do, and Jesus decides to do something about it. He turns to his disciples and inquires as to their suggestions. Using logic and simple math, they respond with the impossibility of the situation. Jesus works a miracle, and everyone eats.

Pastors and teachers elaborate on different points, mainly around God's sufficiency and power.

All very well and good, but what about the little boy, the one who offered up his five loaves and two fish? What happened to him? Sure, he ate that meal along with everyone else, but then what?

Truth be told, that little boy would have eaten a hearty meal anyway, one of the few—perhaps one of the only—able to do so. And his five loaves and two fish might have fed him for another couple of meals. That boy had planned ahead.

So I wonder, did Jesus give him a basket or two of the leftovers? Or did the boy walk away wonder-eyed and empty-handed?

How could these gospel writers omit such an important detail?

Recently, my husband and I joined the ranks of those experiencing reduced income. We scrutinize every nickel that leaves our hands. "Could we have saved it?" we ask, and "What can we cut?" Superfluous expenses fall to our feet like branches from a pruned tree. We figure and refigure our budget on spreadsheets, trying to make the numbers match.

And in our examination, we consider our giving. We need this meal. We need it for lunch, and we need it for the next few days. How can we afford to offer up our last bit of fish and loaves?

So when I read this passage, the question nags. What happens to the boy on the other end of the miracle?

The biblical writers offer no answer to the question. What they don't say:

"And the boy left with a basket forever filled with fish and loaves."

Or, "As Jesus lifted the food from the boy's hand, he promised the boy a secure future of full fishnets and in-demand business."

Or even, "After the disciples collected the twelve baskets full, they returned five loaves and two fish to the boy who gave his lunch."

Given these lines, dropping our check into the offering plate would present no problem. But God doesn't promise a comfortable life. He doesn't promise cable or sushi or new books. Instead, he promises life, and life to the fullest. Christ said, "I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10 , NET). This life abounds in the hope of the resurrection, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the peace of Christ that transcends all understanding. We give out of this abundance. We give joy, peace, kindness, love, but we always give time, commitment, and money.

At some point in our lives, we all step into the well-worn sandals of the boy in the story. Times are hard. We barely have enough for ourselves, but Jesus asks us to give anyway. We don't know what happens economically on the other side of the giving, but our hope is not in economics. Our hope is in Christ.

Do You Feel Broken and Fragmented?

Ann Voskamp — Sun, 10 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

God has only one loom.

You wouldn't think so by the fragmentation of our lives. Our days look like the scrap floor of a studio, frayed bits of work, remnants snipped off family, a heap of countless fabrics—ministry, creativity, worship, volunteerism. We're ripped into pieces, and putting our lives together again is like turkey stitching a crazy quilt—driving us a bit crazy.

We've sheared the textile of our own lives. And it's time to put down the scissors. Why cut up 100% pure avodah?

That's what God's weaving. God doesn't experience a disconnect between our screens and our sanctuaries, between the people on our street and the paintbrushes on our desk. We have these labels for the bits and pieces of who we are and what we do. But God takes up the all the threads of being and weaves them into a seamless silk. He calls it avodah.

The Fabric of Work

He began the weaving in the beginning. "The Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:15). We read the translated word "work" and think that is what God meant for us to do. The Hebrew word is avodah. It is the same word in Exodus 34:21, in the writing of the Ten Commandments, "Six days you shall work…." Six days you shall avodah.

The Fabric of Worship

But we know we're meant for more than work. We know we're meant to glorify God, to worship with our lives. Exodus 3:12 speaks to God's serious call to this life of worship: "When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." We read "worship." In Hebrew, the word reads avodah.

The Fabric of Service

And yet God Himself calls us to even more than work and worship. Deuteronomy 10:12 records the question and answer: "So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." We read the English translation: to serve—to minister unto God, unto his people, unto the needy, the seeking, the hurting. The Hebrew original: avodah.

The Fabric of Creativity

We work. We worship. We serve. But there's another integral element to our identity as human beings, the part that we've inherited from our Father who can't stop creating, producing designs, dreaming beauty. 1 Chronicles 28:21 refers to these innovative, imaginative efforts: "The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing man skilled in any craft will help you in all the work." The text renders it as craft—creative acts, the arts—and God whispers again: avodah. He emphasizes his singular loom by whispering avodah twice in this one verse: work and craft are both expressed as avodah in the original Hebrew.
The ancient Hebrews even used the term avodah to describe the sacrifices offered in the temple. And that is the key. To live a fully devoted, interwoven life, we must see everything as a sacrifice to God.

Nearly four hundred years ago, a man peeling potatoes as an act of worship, Brother Lawrence, said, "Our sanctification does not depend as much on changing our activities as it does on doing them for God, rather than ourselves." We don't need to change activities from monetary work to missionary work to be devout. That very construct is false. All Christians are in full-time ministry. So we can stop tearing our lives into the categories of worldly and spiritual. We can put away the scissors of selfish ambitions and self-seeking comfort and self interests. If our lives feel fragmented, it's because we are tearing up God's one-piece fabric.

We wear God's seamless silk when we mindfully offer everything we do as a sacrifice to God. Paul explained this clearly to the Romans: "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering" (Rom. 12:1 MSG). When we see our lives as a sacrificial offering unto the Lord—avodah—our work becomes art and our art becomes ministry and our worship becomes serving and our serving becomes work.

Just as the "LORD our God is one LORD" (Deut. 6:4), so our God weaves all of life on only one loom, and there is only one word for the whole of lives rightly lived in sacrifice to Him.

100% pure Avodah.

Redefining Attitude

Al Hsu — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

In the business world, "attitude" is a bit of a buzzword. One's mental attitude, whether positive or negative, healthy or unhealthy, is said to be a key factor in the success of our work projects and professional relationships. You've seen the motivational posters:

•   "A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes."
•   "A positive attitude is a powerful force."
•   "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

While all this seems to be helpful, it is not distinctively Christian. In fact, the emphasis on an internal positive attitude can devolve into mere selfism, since it doesn't require dependence on God or others.

On the other hand, at my high school church camp, someone would occasionally yell, "Attitude check!" and all of us would respond, "Praise the Lord!" In the Christian world, it's often assumed that the proper Christian attitude is one of always being happy or joyful in the Lord—sometimes in seeming denial of challenging realities. That view also seems somewhat insufficient. Attitude has to be more than just happy feelings.

Is attitude primarily an issue of one's temperament, personality, emotion, or cognitive thinking? Is it just a mood? Can we cheer up and have a better attitude—or is it something more than that?

Our modern notions of an attitude don't seem to show up very much in Scripture. Bible versions only have a handful of references to words that are translated as "attitude."

1) Phroneo – to be like-minded

This is the most familiar, perhaps, and it occurs in Philippians 2:5, where Paul exhorts his readers that "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (NIV) or that "In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had" (TNIV). The Greek word used here is a form of the verb phroneo, which is translated in various contexts as "have in mind" or "being like-minded" with someone else. The root word usually relates to thinking and planning with an intellectual focus.

2) Ennoia – what takes place in the mind

This word is also translated as attitude. Ennoia is in the same family as nous (meaning "mind" or "understanding") and noema ("thought"). You may be more familiar with the related Greek word metanoia, meaning "change of mind" or "repentance." Ennoia is en + noia, or "in the mind," referring to what takes place in the mind. This shows up in 1 Peter 4:1 ("Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourself also with the same attitude") and Hebrews 4:12 ("For the word of God . . . judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart").

3) Pneuma – the spirit of your mind

Bible translators have sparingly rendered this word as "attitude." Pneuma is most frequently translated as "spirit." So in Ephesians 4:23, where Paul calls us to "be made new in the attitude of your minds," that "attitude" would more literally be rendered as "the spirit of your minds."

In each of these cases, the emphasis is more mental and cognitive rather than emotional. It is something we think, not merely something we feel. Furthermore, there seems to be a strong connection between one's mental thinking and one's moral character and activity. Our attitude should be like Christ's, not merely in being mentally humble, but in taking the nature of a servant and being obedient to death (Phil. 2:7-8). It's significant that both the Philippians 2 usage of phroneo and the 1 Peter 4 use of ennoia connect a Christian's attitude with Christ's suffering.

If anything, Scripture's discussion of attitude is less about projecting a positive outlook on life and much more concerned with having a willingness to suffer as Christ suffered. For the Christian, attitude is directly connected with action, especially in taking on service-oriented, sacrificial acts.

As Max De Pree said in Leadership Is an Art, leadership means bearing the pain of the organization. That's a more biblical sense of what it means to have a Christlike attitude. Having a good attitude doesn't mean that we are chipper and happy in the face of adversity. A Christlike attitude means that because Jesus suffered, we too are willing to suffer. We do not avoid pain and difficulty; rather, we resolve to face it and bear it on behalf of others, because we know that it will serve the common good.

For the Christian, attitude is more than singing "Don't Worry, Be Happy" or "Hakuna Matata." A biblical, Christian attitude is a commitment to being more like Christ—regardless of whether that generates "positive" results in our lives. And we have hope that the more Christlike our attitude, the more we will be able to live out God's calling in our lives.

Overcoming Discouragement

Mark D. Roberts — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

"Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you" (Psalm 39:7, NLT).

When "Jim" left my office at church, I was elated. Our meeting had been a tough but productive one. As his boss, I worked hard to help Jim understand my expectations and where he had been falling short. I tried to be gracious as I spoke critically, and Jim received my counsel with a willing spirit. Months of supervisory effort seemed finally to be bearing fruit. An immensely talented young man, Jim had great potential to be an outstanding member of the church staff. Thus I was encouraged by his response to our meeting and looked forward with hope to our future together.

When I arrived at my office the next morning, a blank envelope sat ominously on my desk. It contained Jim's resignation letter. He was finished at the church. There was nothing I could do or say to change his mind.

At that moment I felt deeply discouraged. My hope for Jim's fruitful future at our church shriveled on the vine. I felt like a dismal failure as a boss. Who was I to think I could manage a large church staff? Maybe I should just pack up my bags and find more suitable employment.

You may not have faced something just like my experience with Jim, but I expect you have felt the heavy weight of discouragement. Maybe it came at work, as a project for which you had high hopes fell apart. Perhaps it had to do with a close relationship that splintered owing to a misunderstanding. Or your discouragement might have resulted from frustration with your inability to be the kind of person you know God wants you to be.

Discouragement . . . such a common emotion . . . how can we overcome it? How can we get beyond discouragement, and even learn from it?

Go Ahead and Feel Discouraged

First of all, if you want to overcome discouragement, allow yourself to feel discouraged. No, I don't recommend that you rev up negative feelings that aren't there. But if you are truly discouraged, don't pretend otherwise. Trust God enough to feel what you really feel.

Some Christians think that discouragement itself is something about which to be ashamed, almost as if it were a sin. One of my favorite hymns, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," urges: "Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer." Perhaps in an ideal world we should never be discouraged. But in reality, discouragement is a normal part of human life. The Psalmist asked for God's help with despair (see Psalms 42-43). The Apostle Paul admitted his own deep discouragement (2 Cor. 1:8-9). If we deny our discouragement and pretend we're "just fine," we won't be able to overcome it.

Understand Your Discouragement

If you're discouraged, why? Generally, discouragement follows on the heels of hope that doesn't pan out. For example, I had hoped that Jim would become a valuable employee. Instead, he quit, so I felt discouraged.

Knowing the source of your discouragement is essential to overcoming it. Maybe you were unrealistic in your hopes and need to learn to be more astute in your judgment (as in my situation with Jim). Maybe people you trusted let you down. Or maybe your discouragement is more generalized, a sign of burnout or broad dissatisfaction with your life. Discouragement could reflect underlying depression that is itself the symptom of deeper emotional discord. If you can accurately identify the cause of your discouragement, you'll be on the road to alleviating it.

Share Honestly with Trusted Counselors

If you're discouraged, don't keep it to yourself. Don't let pride or shame prevent you from sharing honestly with people who will listen empathically and respond wisely. Your gutsy openness will bring relief for you and freedom to others.

Throughout the years at Laity Lodge, we have followed the example of Howard Butt by sharing our lives openly, including our joys and our sorrows, our successes and our disappointments. Such honesty has opened our hearts to new experiences of God's grace. In my own life, I have found that the very act of sharing my disappointment at work with my wife or another close friend often leads to a lessening of my discouragement. Their input also helps me understand why I'm discouraged and what I can do about it.

Share Honestly with God

Or, to use more common language, pray about it. Here's where I agree completely with "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." If you feel discouraged, "take it to the Lord in prayer." We can tell him everything, including the fact that we're discouraged. When we do, we begin to experience God's gracious peace.

Moreover, when we share our discouragement with the Lord, we are open to discovering his presence in the midst of our unhappiness. Perhaps God is wanting to teach us something essential through our discouragement. Maybe he is redirecting our energies, our work, or our lives.

When we take our discouragement to the Lord in prayer, we find that our hope is redirected and rekindled. With the Psalmist, we confess, "And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you" (Psalm 39:7, NLT). This doesn't mean we never trust others or expect their help. But it does remind us that God alone is fully trustworthy and that his help is both necessary and utterly reliable. The more we hope in God, focusing on his trustworthiness, the more we will find our discouragement melting away, replaced by confidence in God. Thus we not only overcome discouragement, but also it becomes an avenue to spiritual growth.

Temp for Christ

Tod Bolsinger — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Back when we were first married, we lived in Hollywood and my wife worked for a major entertainment company. That sounds more glamorous than it was, I'm afraid. Beth will be the first to tell you. She was "just a temp," a temporary worker, sent to the company from the temp agency. She ended up staying for eight months.

At the time, I was a minister to young adults at a church in Hollywood, and many of them were "temping" as well. Like Beth, they answered phones, sorted the mail, brewed coffee, and did everything that nobody else wanted to do.

Temping, for some like Beth, was just a way to pay the bills until the next phase of life. (We were trying to get me through seminary.) Others were trying to make it in another industry and were temping until they got a "real job." Indeed, most "temps" complained about how they were treated with low pay, long hours, and the like, but secretly they hoped to follow the road of the famous TV temp, Ryan of "The Office." Ryan went on to become a corporate executive for the Dunder Mifflin paper company (before he got arrested and fired, but that's another story . . .)

There's just something transient about temping. It is so temporary. No matter how bad a real job may be, at least it isn't a temp job. No matter how much you really want a dream job, it's hard to turn down the security, benefits, title, and potential future of working full time for a big company.

In many ways, we Christians are always temps no matter where we work or what we do. It is natural to want the security, position, and perks of belonging to the world, (or even a little part of the world like a corporation). We may work for a company, but Christians are called to see ourselves as temps who actually are owned by someone else. We have been bought with a price. Sure, we make it a priority to serve the company where we are temping, but we serve in the name of the one who bought us. Paul gave instructions to "slaves" regarding their earthly "masters." His language sometimes sounds odd in our ears today, but it is quite helpful: Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. (Col. 3:22b-24, NLT). Once we realize that our true Owner is the one who owns everything, then our work in any setting demonstrates where our true priorities lie. But of course, that raises a bigger issue: Does our work reflect our priorities? Do we intentionally seek to demonstrate the difference that Christ makes in our lives through our work?

Many of us, instead, live out a split-existence: We work for "the man," "the company," or the "corporation" Monday through Friday during business hours. And we serve our "Master" on Sundays and during "free time." (Of course we mostly serve ourselves, through both, but that's another issue, isn't it?) And that split-existence diminishes the effectiveness of our witness.

Instead, we are called to be those who serve in every sector of society, including our careers and in our workplaces as vastly different "workers":

We are to be more in "awe" of God (which is what "reverent fear" in the passage above means) than we are fearful of those who have the power of the payroll.
We know that whomever we serve, we are actually serving the Lord himself (consider that next time you abruptly put a person on "hold" when they call!)
We know that our ultimate "payment" is our Lord's pleasure ("Well done, good and faithful slave!" Matt. 25:21).

Ultimately, no matter how long we work someplace, or for that matter how long we live, we are all "temps" who belong to Christ and are working for the Kingdom of God. May God's Kingdom come and his will be done, in us . . . at work.

The Answer in Economic Famine—Serve First

Marlo Schalesky — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The economy. It's on everyone's mind. Will I get laid off? Will I be able to find a new job? Will my business go bankrupt? Will I be able to pay my bills? How can I make the money stretch? Those are just a few questions facing business people today.

In the fourth quarter of 2008, real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, according to this report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. Since December 2007, employment has gone down by 3.6 million, with approximately half of those jobs lost in the three months of November 2008-January 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that the unemployment rate spiked to 7.6 percent in January 2009. And in the midst of these economic downturns, a November survey by the Barna Group shows that giving to churches and other charities has sharply decreased.

But is that how the Bible tells us to respond to economic hard times? Is it okay to pull in, look out for number one, take care of ourselves before we take care of others?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:31, 33, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' . . . But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

But what does that look like in real life? How does it apply in an economic famine? Perhaps the story of Elijah and the widow from 1 Kings 17:7-24 can shed some valuable light.

Elijah tells King Ahab that there will be no dew or rain for the next few years, except by Elijah's word. The lack of rain causes a drought, which causes a famine. Economic hard times, indeed.

When Elijah's brook dries up, God sends him to Zarephath, a town on the Mediterranean, outside of Israelite territory. There, he meets a widow, the poorest of all society, and asks her for water and bread.

She responds, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die" (v. 12). She has nothing saved up, so how can she be expected to give to Elijah? Surely God would want her to take care of her child first.

Yet, Elijah says to her, "Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son" (v. 13). He asks her to serve first, before she takes care of herself and her son. He asks her to believe that God's word is true not only in good times, but especially in bad ones.

Despite her economic circumstances, despite the fact that she's a Gentile and he's a Jew, the widow chooses to serve. The Bible tells us, "She went away and did as Elijah had told her" (v. 15). She chooses to not worry about tomorrow. Instead, she obeys before she sees God's provision. Only after she obeys do we discover that, "there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family" (v. 15).

Like the widow, God also asks us to serve first, even in economic hard times. So, what might this look like for us?

First, like the widow and Elijah, instead of pulling back, we can seek to invest more deeply in relationships. In our personal lives, we can invite more people over to share meals, share times of entertainment, and give our time more freely to help others in our areas of expertise. Can you help solve someone's computer problems? Can you help clean their house? Can you advise them with financial issues? How can you use your particular skills to serve others?

Businesses can seek to serve customers more, rather than less, during these times. We can offer extra services at reduced prices. Employees can choose to take pay cuts in order to avoid layoffs.

In tough economic times, God calls us not to draw back into ourselves, but to give more, care more, and invest more in relationships with those around us. He calls us not to worry about tomorrow, but instead to love our neighbors as ourselves, personally as well as in our business relationships.

Life on the Slippery Slope

Steve Gibson — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Bill was at one of those defining moments. He didn't know at the time, and I doubt he realizes it now. But I remember it well.

Sales were down and the stress was high. In fact, I couldn't remember tension levels being so high. Employees worried about their job security. Others feared pay reductions. No one felt secure, from top to bottom. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Then one day in the midst of this company-wide trial, manager Bill made a business error in judgment, one that seemed to rise above all the rest. Actually, it wasn't that horrible, but it wasn't a good time to slip and fall. Once discovered, I waited to see his response—there was no hiding this gaff—and I wondered about what he might do. Blame his staff? Target his difficult workload, and thus indirectly blame his boss? With all of the uncertainty flooding the workplace, I knew he faced a world of fears. And I really wondered, "How strong is his integrity?"

Integrity represents the sum of a number of virtues. The term can be applied to many different life situations, from honesty to loyalty, from an act of humble service to forgiveness. As Christians, we define this sum of virtues by what we learn from God's word. In some sense, integrity represents a value system by which we can measure our own spiritual growth.

However, it's often far easier to meet a high standard of integrity when faced with few or no problems. Integrity is less about what you do in the good times and more about what you do in the bad. Life on the slippery slope is self-revealing.

Saul found that out the hard way. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul and the army of Israel faced the powerful Philistine army. Samuel instructed Saul to wait seven days for him to arrive so that burnt offerings could be made to the Lord. But when Samuel didn't show at the appointed time, Saul found himself on a slippery slope. The odds looked bad, really bad. In fact, his men were fleeing and hiding. Was Samuel going to be a no-show? Instead of waiting patiently for Samuel, Saul could stand it no longer and offered the burnt sacrifices himself.

Of course, Samuel did show up.

But the real problem was Saul's response to getting caught. Samuel expressed disgust over Saul's decision to proceed with the sacrifice, and he asked, "What have you done?"

Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time . . . I felt compelled to offer the burnt offerings" (1 Sam. 13: 11-12).

These words revealed Saul's integrity, his value system. Although Saul continued as king, he lost the kingdom that day. Perhaps a more honest answer could have softened the end result, I don't know. Certainly, King David would fess up to big mistakes. He suffered for his bad decisions, but David remained king and a "man after God's heart."

And Bill? There are times when bosses give authority to staff members and if they do not perform as asked, rightfully so, the blame should be on their shoulders. On the other hand, sometimes people take blame when there's no need to take it, which can be unwise. However, in this case, it was clear that Bill made the fateful decision. He had pulled the trigger.

When Bill was confronted with the error, he didn't hesitate. "Hey, this one is on me," he said. "It's my fault."

We'll never know how much courage it took for Bill to give that answer, especially under such dire circumstances. It would have been much easier to try and deflect fault in some other direction, but he didn't. I was proud of Bill for that. In fact, I wrote a very positive note to his boss.

Such decisions are rarely black and white—which is why they are so difficult. So we must call on God to direct us and give us wisdom. Perhaps that's the final element of true integrity. We move beyond cookie-cutter solutions, because they can sometimes create more problems than they solve. Instead, we call on God to help us make the right choice. It's never easy, and we may make a bad decision every now and then. But that's life on the slippery slope. Through it all, we trust God to change us as we look to him and desire to live a life in his Kingdom.

Jesus Didn't Teach Us to Juggle

Al Hsu — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Remember the parable about the bad servant who spent too many hours at the office and the good servant who had a flexible work-from-home telecommuting arrangement so he could spend more time with his kids? No? Jesus didn't tell any parables like that. You would think the Bible has a lot to say about work/life balance. But it is hard to find passages that speak directly to the issue. There is no verse that tells me when I'm traveling on the road too much and neglecting my family.

I leafed through a book by a respected Christian businessman to see what he said on the issue of work/life balance. He offered various nuggets of practical wisdom: try to limit travel, have frequent and meaningful communication, attend children's school events and so on. But the author didn't quote any biblical passages to support his points. Maybe he couldn't find anything in Scripture on this either!

In fact, the Bible doesn't make a dichotomy between work and life because in the ancient world, work life and family life were often integrated. Families worked together in their family trade, whether in agriculture or commerce. For much of human history, people worked on the family farm. Or your home also served as your butcher shop. Jesus probably didn't have to leave the house to do his carpentry with Joseph; they likely worked together within their own house. It wasn't until the industrial revolution and the rise of factories that more people worked outside the home.

Even though the modern world is significantly different from the biblical world, Scripture still speaks to our need for work/life balance. A key passage for me is Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." So all our work is done on behalf of Christ.

A parallel verse occurs just a few verses earlier, in verse 17: "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Again, whatever we do, in work or business, it is to be done in the name of Jesus, with integrity and a sense of Christian service.

But something jumped out at me that I hadn't really noticed before. The verses sandwiched in between those two verses are all about healthy family relationships. Wives and husbands are to be in loving relationship to one another. Fathers are not to embitter or exasperate their children. In other words, good work situations and healthy family relationships go hand in hand. This would have made perfect sense in biblical times when your coworkers were probably also your family members. Even today, unhappy family situations can prevent you from doing good work, and problems at work can cause conflict at home.

So what practical steps can we take to have better work/family balance? Paul isn't very specific in the details, but he is very concerned with the big-picture principles. In verses 12-15, he tells us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, to forgive one another and to love each other, and to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. There's no quick fix here. Paul is more interested in the long-term character of who we are as Christians, that we might become more like Christ in who we are and how we treat one another.

The people in the biblical world integrated their work and family life more closely than we usually do today. One practical implication is that we might try to reintegrate our worlds so that we don't have too strict a barrier between work and family. Instead of keeping long hours at the office away from the family, we can look for opportunities to work from home.

Technology now gives us more options for flexible work situations like telecommuting. I work at home several afternoons a week, and that allows me to spend more time in closer proximity to my children. They can see that work does not necessarily keep me away from them, and they get a better understanding of what I do to earn a living.

Also, Christians can work alongside their family members. This already happens in countless family-owned small businesses across the country, where your business partner might also be your uncle, sister, or cousin. My wife and I both work at the same company, and both we and our company benefit from our sense of partnership as a couple and as coworkers. We find that working together strengthens our marriage, and that our marriage improves our contributions as employees.

And perhaps companies could be more inclusive of their workers' families.

Many of my colleagues' teenage and college-aged kids have worked in our warehouse or office during summers or winter breaks. Spouses and children are welcomed at company picnics and parties. Some companies even allow nursing mothers to bring their infants to the office. All this can help foster a family-friendly corporate environment, where work is not the family's enemy.

Not every family or workplace will lend itself to these kinds of situations. But however you figure out the details, try to lessen the dichotomy between work and family life. They don't have to be adversaries. They can be collaborators—parts of the same organic whole life that God intended us to live.

Overcoming Spiritual Disappointments, Part 2

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Over the years, I've discovered two very simple, yet powerful, antibiotics for the spiritual blues. Neither requires hours of study or days of labor. Neither will cost you a fortune—not even a single dime. Yet, when it seems as though God has abandoned you, put the two together and you will discover a formula filled with hope.

I. GOD INHABITS PRAISE

The biggest cure for spiritual disappointment is praise. When we feel God is not with us, that he's absent, that he's let us down, or when we feel our spiritual lives aren't clicking, we need the discipline of praise! Whenever I'm down, praise helps me give thanks in advance for the good that is going to come. Start thanking God for the victory ahead for you in every downer situation you're in. Praise his awe-inspiring attributes. Praise him for loving you as a Father. Thank him for his trustworthiness. Praise him for answering your prayers.

In Psalm 22, David starts with a prayer of disappointment but moves into praise:

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."

God inhabits praise!

II. GOD INHABITS HISTORY

The second cure for spiritual disappointment is history. Review your own history, and review the history of the people of God. Review the story of your own beginning with Christ and incidents where you were sure of his faithfulness. Then when you pray, think of Abraham, Moses, David, the story of Jesus, and the birth of the church.

I often look back on the long up-and-down history of the church and God's people, the many struggles and trials. Yet, through it all, God consistently kept his promises. When I consider such history, it propels me past feelings of hopelessness—because I begin to sense the bigger picture of God's vision.

After questioning God in Psalm 22, David starts into the history of Israel and how God has graciously watched over his people. He continues with a clear picture of Christ's death and resurrection.

There's a powerful lesson in David's formula. First, we are honest before God. Then, we remember what God has done in our lives, in the history of all his people. Then, we look forward to God's ultimate redemptive plan. When we pray like this, we may even feel like we are in a "thin place"—here our earthly lives draw nearer to heaven. God will meet us where we hurt and help us see more clearly through the fog. God always inhabits history!

At some point in all our lives, we will face spiritual disappointment. But when we are honest with ourselves and with God, when we cry out to him, when we praise him and remember his work in our lives and in the story of his people, an amazing thing happens. We stop focusing on ourselves and our own disappointments and start focusing on God . . . never forgetting the promise in Romans 8:28: "We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Overcoming Spiritual Disappointments, Part 1

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

During his earthly life, Jesus had no intention of destroying the Roman Empire. When his friend and disciple Peter finally realized that, I'm sure he felt a sting of disappointment. Jesus' vision had sounded so good. But deep inside, Peter had his own agenda. At that critical point, I wonder if Peter questioned God—if he thought, “What have I been doing wasting my time with this guy?”

One thing we know for sure: the Roman Empire was small potatoes in God's big picture. Peter grew to understand this. When the new Kingdom arrived, Peter was there to help usher it in. We're no different than Simon Peter. We feel disappointment so keenly, and it can come from all directions. People and circumstances disappoint us. Sometimes we disappoint ourselves. Particularly painful are the times when our cherished visions and goals don't work out . . . when we felt we were trusting God. So we feel abandoned by God. We feel rudderless, becalmed, and completely alone. However, such disappointment is universal. Jesus felt it on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” David wrote about it many times in the Psalms. And he did so honestly and bluntly. So it's important not to single yourself out as the only person in the world ever to experience such feelings. Nor should you feel guilty about such disappointment. Such experiences are inherent in our humanity.

When my own goals don't come to pass in a big way, I question the very vision that inspired those goals. When my plans creep along at a much slower pace than I'd hoped, I'm troubled. But once I process it all, I realize my goals were unrealistic and premature. Like Peter's desire for Jesus to overthrow the Roman Empire, some of my goals are mere fantasies. With other goals, I've miscalculated the scope and timeline of the vision. We're taught from youth to think big . . . but we fail to realize that a true vision is always greater than we are.

BIGGER THAN ONE MAN'S LIFETIME

A good example of this is my vision of an empowered laity. It took me a while to understand that such a vision is a lot bigger than one man's lifetime. In fact, the vision for the widespread priesthood of all believers—understood and practiced—is something God has been working on for centuries. It was a part of John Wycliffe's vision in the 14th century. It was basic in the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin shared this vision . . . as did the 17th-century Puritans. Today, our emphasis on the laity here at the Foundation is simply plugging into the historic vision of the church. So we should not give up our visions. Rather, we pursue them through prayer and wisdom, knowing that they are all incomplete. This pursuit takes perseverance and endurance. Through prayer, we may realize that parts of our vision are overblown, ballooned by our own pride. Paul calls us to humility in Romans 12:3: “Let no man think more highly of himself than he ought to think. But let him think soberly as God has given to every man a measure of faith.”

The good news is this: In God's timing, godly visions will come true. Peter didn't see clearly what God had in store for him until much later. We too must often deal with spiritual disappointment for a period of time.

Leadership Temptations in Tough Times

Todd Lake — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

"There are no atheists in foxholes." However, when times are really tough, there may be few genuine Christians in foxholes either. When times get tough, people certainly want enough of God to get them through. But perhaps it is also true that, in the worst of times, we may not want God to get in the way of anything we think might get us through.

How should one lead an organization or team of people through difficult times? I once heard a leader say, only half in jest, "When times get tough, I am willing to rise above principle to get the job done." When things are going well, one has the luxury of doing the right thing even if it costs a bit more in time and money or decreases the efficiency or bottom-line productivity of the team. But when tough times come, the stakes are higher and there is a strong temptation to do whatever it takes to prevail.

In the seemingly endless stories of the leaders of Israel in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles, one notices a sad pattern. King after king is rebuked because "he did not remove the high places." Notice that these kings never stopped worshipping the one true God. But they wanted to hedge their bets, so they never got rid of the pagan altars to the practical gods of rain and fertility.

Like the kings of Israel, we don’t want to give up on pagan ways that may save our skin if the true and living God doesn’t come through. Just in case the gospel way of living proves impractical, we still have access to idols in "high places": selfishness, if generosity is too expensive; intimidation, if kindness doesn’t work; outbursts of anger, if gentleness fails; vindictiveness, if forgiveness doesn’t cut it; and gossip and conniving, if honesty and sincerity aren’t working.

When budgets and salaries are on the rise, even a mediocre leader can bank on some enthusiasm for the tasks at hand. But when budget cuts come and salaries are frozen, outstanding Christian leadership becomes essential. Jesus led a group of disciples who accomplished the mission he had set for them against all odds (and with God’s help). Yet he offered little of worldly value to them, except his assurance that they were colaborers with him in building God’s kingdom.

First, we must show that it’s about them, not us. After Jesus fasted for forty days, the devil said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." The temptation isn’t to break a 40-day fast; Jesus was going to do that anyway. The temptation is to use our power for our own benefit. The perks, privileges, and pay that we steer our way as leaders will quickly undermine our ability to lead in difficult times. Later in his ministry, Jesus gladly made bread for thousands, but he never did a miracle for himself. Neither should we.

Second, we must show that we’ll share the struggle, not float above it. Scripture says, "Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, 'throw yourself down.' " It takes a Christian vision of leadership for us to be willing to share the lot of those we lead. We can delude ourselves into thinking that we should be spared the pain and struggle that others on our team are experiencing. Yet Jesus did not float above the struggles of his "team."

Finally, we cannot take God-displeasing shortcuts to achieve a God-honoring goal.

The story of Jesus’ three temptations concludes: "the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,'he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.' " In the end, Jesus will rule the world, so that is not a temptation. The temptation is to kowtow to the devil to achieve our worthy goal. Leaders who cut corners and compromise their ethics think they are getting the team to the goal more quickly. But it has been rightly said, "The ends don’t justify the means; the means are the end."

May God’s grace show us that tough times in our daily work never require us to abandon our high calling.

21st Century Samaritans

Sam Van Eman — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Are you sitting down? Good.

I don't have shocking news, but I do want to know something about the chair you're sitting on: Who brought your chair into this world?

I'm guessing there was a designer. And an advertiser to promote it. And how about a seamstress to sew the upholstery, and a chemist to mix the colors and another to make the synthetic polymer (plastic). Then a metal stamper and die caster, welder, plastics injector, miner, accountant, ergonomist, assembler, farmer (leather), office supply store clerk, lumberjack, the engineer who designed the lumberjack's chainsaw to cut down the tree, and the captain of the ship who transported the oil to run the chainsaw, and the boiler mechanic who kept the ship running . . .

Okay, it's an endless list. But here's the point: Work is not separate from community.

Thousands of employees helped bring your chair into the world. Most of them probably never thought about being connected to each other in this grand chair-making community, but they are connected. This means they affect each other. This means their jobs are not self-contained personal enterprises. In fact, none of us have jobs that belong to us exclusively.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, robbers attacked a man and left him for dead. After two passers-by ignored his plight, a third traveler—the Samaritan—stopped to bandage the man and then carried him to town for further medical help and safety. If that weren't enough, the Samaritan also picked up the hospital tab. Most of us lack medical expertise or sufficient funds to pay for someone's lodging and recovery expenses. So this story seems to be about more than helping people in ditches. Jesus is answering a broader question about how to care for others. He is teaching us to employ our skills—our very jobs—to serve the community in a fitting way.

The need to respond to emergencies is apparent. But what if your job description has nothing to do with serving victims of crime? The challenge, then, is figuring out how to jump into this story vocationally.

Ten years ago, I joined the Coalition for Christian Outreach, an organization committed to helping college students face this challenge. In fact, for thirty years the CCO has partnered with colleges, churches, and other organizations to develop men and women who live out their Christian faith in every area of life. For me, that area of life is advertising. I wonder from time to time how students and practitioners can be faithful to God in this notorious field, but I believe a new breed of advertisers is possible. So I blog about marketing ethics, encourage graphic designers, email art directors, and stand before Consumer Behavior classrooms. I continually pray for all of them to see creativity and sociology and communication as instruments of praise and customers as children of God.

Regardless of the major, students are fairly good at seeing others' needs. Many of them enter service-oriented majors like medicine or counseling. Most of them still fail to see the connection between doing good work and loving their neighbor. Too many of us view work as an obligation or selfish pursuit. We think Good Samaritan behavior is an avocation for Saturday morning volunteerism, mission trips, and the occasional opportunity for heroism.

One of my favorite activities addresses this disconnection. I ask students to imagine how their future jobs connect to the wounded man. First I have them read the story in Luke 10. Then I tell them to draw the basic landscape, without the characters, as they imagine it from the Scriptures. Finally, I ask them to draw the characters in a way that their particular majors can address. Here are a few results:

Foreign Language majors talked about educating the passers-by on cross-cultural differences. They understand how to dismantle social barriers such as fear and stereotyping between people groups. Their work also improves communications and increases the probability for compassion to triumph over neglect in the future.

Urban/Regional Planning majors talked about designing a safety corridor along this dangerous stretch of road. Such a project might involve installing street lights and emergency call boxes. They would collaborate with other engineers to reroute road segments that contain narrow passages and popular criminal hideouts.

PR/Marketer majors said they would develop a campaign to improve public sentiment about the road. Such a campaign would employ flyers, billboards, TV commercials, roadside kiosks and community publicity events to warn evildoers, encourage traveling in pairs, and promote monthly Safe Corridor walks.

It's amazing what you can discover when you connect how your degree trained you with how Jesus calls you. The key is recognizing that your job is not yours exclusively. It belongs to the community. This week, as you sit on your chair, think about the connections your work has with the larger community. Then turn your attention toward the Kingdom. Turn your skills toward the needs of others. And ask how Jesus might retell his parable with you—in your job—as the Good Samaritan.

No Clear Choice

Camy Tang — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. (Prov. 9:10-11)

I can't count the number of times I wished God would just zap me with the right answer to a problem. Sometimes I need to make a decision in a sticky situation at work, and while I'd like a clear signal what to do, more often God simply gives me wisdom.

One weekend, I was growing cells for testing compounds. I had to set up an experiment on a weekend evening because of our fast-paced testing schedule.

After I painstakingly harvested the cells and counted them, I realized I didn't have enough cells for the experiment.

I had two options:

(1) I could reseed the cells and wait for them to reach the correct number, but that would mean delaying the experiment and messing up a very rigid test schedule.

(2) Or I could go ahead with the experiment, but the lower cell numbers could possibly compromise the results.

It was ten at night on a Sunday. I couldn't call my supervisor because she and her entire household were asleep. What was I going to do?

Why not pray? I have absolutely no one else to ask. God is always awake. I don't always hear God clearly, but I have nothing to lose now. Maybe he'll give me some weird sign to tell me what to do.

I prayed. I waited for a clear sign from God, a "nudge" in my spirit or a fantastic idea that just popped into my head.

Nothing.

I prayed again.

Nothing.

I started to panic. The cells were going to die soon if I didn't make a decision.

Maybe God just wanted me to make the decision on my own. If so, I still needed help. I prayed for wisdom. I thought about the two choices. Then I chose option one as the lesser of two evils and messed up the test schedule. I wasn't sure about the decision, but I trusted God had given me the wisdom I needed to make the better choice.

My supervisor wasn't happy when she heard about it on Monday, but she also realized I had no good choice, and said she'd have done the same thing I did.

So what did I learn from this?

Sometimes God doesn't give clear direction (like a sign written in cells under the microscope: "Reseed"), and that's okay. He has given his children wisdom to help them through certain situations, even those as trivial as deciding what to do about a low cell count.

I honestly believe God did direct me at that time, even if it wasn't a handwriting on the wall. It opened my eyes to more ways God can guide me, in ways not so obvious.

The Romans 12 Employee Handbook

Tom Petersen — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

How do you make your workday fruitful and serve God at the same time? Should you focus primarily on doing quality work? Should you try to strengthen relationships with coworkers? Should you only speak in scriptural parables?

Sure, the Bible is a treasure trove of wisdom, but sometimes biblical examples seem more applicable to life two thousand years ago. Yet when Paul writes the 12th chapter of his letter to the Romans, his advice on relating to Roman society contains some practical tips for today. Fifteen practical tips, in fact. Consider it a handy condensed employee handbook for modern working Christians.

1. Love must be sincere. (12:9a)
(Whom do you need to sincerely love at work? If no one comes to mind, start with the legal department.)

2. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (9b)

(Don't allow everything to fall into that nebulous moral gray area. Know your right from your wrong, and follow the right path consistently.)

3. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. (10a)

(It's tempting to only relate superficially to coworkers. After all, it's not like they're family. On the other hand, name a family member that you spend eight-plus waking hours a day with.)

4. Honor one another above yourselves. (10b)

(Seek out opportunities to give your teammates credit for their good work. It's unlikely that you did every project, presentation, and paper all by yourself. Even Jesus delegated important tasks.)

5. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (11)
(On Monday morning, "zeal" may not be your predominant attitude. But it's a lot easier to be zealous when you see work as worship.)

6. Share with God's people who are in need. (13a)
(Who among your fellow Christian coworkers needs encouragement? And be careful you aren't only "encouraging" people who are in a position to promote you. That kind of encouragement is called something else.)

7. Practice hospitality. (13b)
(Think of every day as the office Christmas party, and you're the host. How would your workday be different if you worked hard to make sure everyone was comfortable, well-fed, and having a good time?)

8. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (14)
(Find ways to bless those who criticize you, see you as competition, or just derive some strange pleasure by making others unhappy. You can take some comfort knowing that these types of jerks have been around since Roman times.)

9. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (15)
(Be so sensitive to your coworkers that you are attuned to their life events. Simply attending the birthday cake cutting in the conference room doesn't count.)

10. Live in harmony with one another. (16a)

(Pointing out the shortcomings of someone else's work may make you feel superior, but helping create an environment where you and your colleagues get along will have much longer term benefits.)

11. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. (16b)

(Don't spend your workday angling for your next promotion. Do your best work right here.)

12. Do not be conceited. (16c)
(Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought. God cares more about your heart than your employee-of-the-month plaque.)

13. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. (17a)

(Every day brings a million opportunities for offense. Instead, have an attitude of grace—even when someone drains the last drop of coffee and doesn't make another pot.)

14. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. (17b)
(While God's opinion trumps all, your coworkers expect "good" people to act a certain way. Doing right by your coworkers may be the best way to get their attention.)

15. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (18)
(Don't pick fights. Especially not with anyone in the legal department.)

Paul amplifies his last instruction, urging us to overcome evil with good. As a result, we set ourselves apart from society and point others to Christ.

Those are great ideals. But where do you find the strength, courage, and discipline to do these on a daily basis?

Paul provides guidance here too. In the midst of all these instructions for interacting with others, he calls the Romans—and us—to follow three inward, personal activities: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (12).

Take strength from the hope we have in Christ, persevere even when it's challenging, and actively pray to keep your own zeal. In the process, you may even make some friends in the legal department.

Be Authentic About Your Work

Bradley Moore — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

One Sunday morning while attending a church in the suburbs of Boston, I had a surprisingly authentic moment with a complete stranger. It was that point early in the service when we turn to the person next to us, introduce ourselves, say hello, and try to be a little friendly.

So on this particular Sunday I turned to the woman sitting next to me, and I immediately recognized her. She was a local rock star in the Boston area. I had heard her on the radio a few times, and I told her that I knew of her music.

She thought that was cool.

”So how are you doing?” I asked kind of casually. We only had two minutes before the pastor would tell us to sit down, and I wasn’t trying to be nosy. But I’ll never forget her response.

Rather than glamorizing her life as a well-known, critically acclaimed musician, she looked me squarely in the eyes. “I’m a single mother trying to make a living as a musician,” she said.

We stood there in silence while the white noise of the congregation’s trite exchanges swirled around us like an audible blur. Then, she said, "Really, I’m just hanging on by the hem of His garment."

That sounded so beautiful and sad at the same time. I pictured this woman with her guitar strapped over her shoulder, one arm reaching up, hanging on for dear life to the hem of Jesus’ robe as he floats randomly through the sky, her other arm pulling along her little girl who is gripping Mom’s wrist with both hands, desperately hoping that she doesn’t slip off. I wanted to help her somehow.

Maybe she was thinking about the story of the woman in the gospel who was suffering from a bleeding condition for all those years. You can read it in Matthew 5. She pushed her way through a huge crowd to touch Jesus’ robe because she knew he could heal her.

Imagine this. Jesus is walking down the street, mobbed by people all around him, like chaotic paparazzi following his every move. This woman keeps pushing, persisting, getting bruised from being kicked and shoved as she presses through the crowd. Finally she gets close enough and desperately grabs out for him.

And then Jesus says, "Who touched me?"

The disciples are trying to be good bodyguards, and they say, "What are you talking about? Everyone touched you! You’re in a huge mosh pit of people trying to get a piece of you!"

But Jesus knew some kind of power went out of him. He stops walking. He turns around. Everyone stops. What is he doing? Something is going to happen. He sees the woman, focuses on her, and tells her she’s healed.

The woman sitting next to me in church that morning just wanted the same attention. She wanted to push through the crowds, the noise, the pressures, and have Jesus pick her out. She desperately wanted him to see her pain, to notice her cries, to stop the bleeding. She’s hanging on by the hem of his garment.

And it’s a beautiful way to describe the chaos, the pressures, the barely-making-ends-meet periods we all go through in life. We question how we got here, how it all ended up like this. We plead with Jesus to save us from these wretched conditions, and sometimes it seems like he is walking past us or floating away, randomly pushed along by the masses of needs in the world other than our own. But we reach out to grab him—and all we catch is the hem of his garment. We clutch on to it for dear life and won’t let go until he takes notice.

This woman’s act of transparency gave me permission to tell her that I was struggling too. We all are. I have grown to appreciate people who are not afraid to be raw and realistic about the challenges and disappointments they are experiencing. Their openness gives others permission to be real and transparent too.

I don’t know how else we can expect to develop true relationships.

Living as Faithful Stewards in a Fallen World (Leadership Is Stewardship, Part 3)

Bill Peel — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

3. The principle of accountability. As we've learned, when a leader is given responsibility, he is accountable to the one who gave it. Paul reminds us "it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy" (1 Cor. 4:2, NASB). Jesus told several parables in which he used stewardship as metaphor for how his kingdom operates. Each one ends with the steward giving account of what he had done with the master's property. In the same way, we are stewards of everything we have been given, including our time, money, abilities, information, wisdom, relationships, and authority. And we will all give account to the rightful owner as to how well we managed the things he has entrusted to us.

Adam didn't do so well when God called him to account for violating a direct command not to eat from a certain tree. True to form, those who want to avoid being held accountable blame others. She did it. Or even, God, it's your fault. I don't know about you, but this tendency toward blame runs pretty strong in me and many people I know. When something goes wrong, my default response is to look for someone else to point the finger at. Not that it's always my fault, but that's usually the last place I look. However, personal accountability must be a core value of leaders. Paul reminds us, like it or not, that we too will be held accountable.

For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Rom. 14:10-12)

When we stand before God at his judgment seat, he won't be interested in how difficult our spouses were to love, how uncooperative our children were to parent, how difficult our boss or employees were to deal with, how obstinate the people were at church, or how corrupt a culture we had to endure. We'll give account for what we did with what he gave us.

4. The principle of reward. According to Jesus' parables of the Kingdom, faithful stewards who do the master's will with the master's resources, can expect a payday. We want to hear the master say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matt. 25:21)

Interestingly, this promise of reward in the New Testament applies not only to the stewards of the huge estates described in Matthew 25, but also to slaves working in a household. Everyone is a steward in God's household, and everyone can look forward to a reward for faithful service. Notice what Paul says to slaves in Colosse: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Col. 3:23-24)

Often we don't consider ourselves leaders unless we've been given some position of authority in an organization. Yet no matter what level or position you hold, you need to recognize that God has given you some responsibility of leadership—at the very least, you are a steward responsible to lead yourself and use your own gifts for his purposes and glory. If you have a family, you have been given a stewardship to lead them well—not for yourself, but for God.

So how do you think you are doing? The Parable of the Talents gives us a clue to the "reward" an unfaithful servant can expect.

Then the man who had received the one talent came. "Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you." His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 25:24-30)

This parable is a commentary, not on God's character, but on an unfaithful steward's perception of God's character. If we believe that our Master is harsh and exacting, we will act accordingly. Maybe we won't bury the vast resources that a talent represented (fifteen years' wages), but we will serve our own self-interests, not our Master's. And, in doing so, we will deserve to be thrown "outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Let's be honest. We know that's what we deserve. I've blown my leadership responsibilities and been less than faithful too many times to count. I've misused my gifts, mishandled finances, mistreated my family, and misappropriated praise. I still drive too fast, wasting gas and polluting the environment. Hopefully, I fail less often than I used to. The good news is that, although our Master is an exacting judge, he is also a loving Father. The penalty deserved by faithless stewards was absorbed by the Master's own Son. Jesus, the faithful Steward, received the judgment we deserved. He was thrown outside the Father's household and felt the hellish darkness of separation from his Father for our sake. He offers to exchange his faithfulness for our faithlessness, so we can be welcomed back into his Father's household. As we serve the Master, we need not fear the outer darkness ever again. Look at Paul's amazing statement: "If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself" (2 Tim. 2:13).

Jesus' humiliation on the cross not only removed the fear of ultimate failure, it provided the example of selfless leadership. Jesus was the ultimate steward. He did not accumulate power for Himself, but gave it away.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Phil. 2:4-8)

Thoughts for reflection and discussion:

Move on from failure. Jesus made it possible for us to lead without fear. If we've made mistakes, there is no reason for those who know Christ to "bury our talent." Instead, we can make the changes we need to make and freely invest all we've been given in the Father's work as faithful stewards.

If you stood before God today and had to give an account, would He tell you, "Well done, good and faithful servant" or something more severe?
In what areas do you need to claim God's forgiveness and move toward faithfulness? A good start would be to look at the areas where you tend to blame others.

Editor's Note: This article is part 3 of a 3- part series called "Leadership Is Stewardship."
>> Read Part 1, Leadership Is Stewardship
>> Read Part 2, Not Ownership But Responsibility

_____________________________________________________________
This article has been adapted from Bill Peel’s book What God Does When Men Lead. A Group Study Guide for What God Does When Men Lead is available for free download. You can also read more of Bill Peel by visiting 24SevenFaith, one of the many sites in our network at HighCallingBlogs.com.

Not Ownership but Responsibility (Leadership is Stewardship: Part 2)

Bill Peel — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

To be faithful stewards, we must understand four important leadership principles.

1. The principle of ownership. A leader has privilege, responsibility, and authority because he has been given these by his master. A steward doesn't own; he holds in trust and uses what he has been given for the one who owns it. Arrogance and pride don't have any place in this equation. The title deed to our lives and the entire universe is in God's name. He holds all the rights of ownership.

No organization—be it a family, company, or church—is created for the leader, nor is it created by the leader. Everything we have comes from God. The Bible is clear. He owns it all:

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Ps. 24:1)

In response to this divine claim, Abraham Kuyper, prime minister of the Netherlands at the turn of the twentieth century, proclaimed: "There is not one square millimeter of this entire creation about which Jesus Christ does not cry out, 'This is mine! It belongs to me!' " Everything in this world is God's by right of creation and by right of preservation as well. All that we have added to Creation—the skills and abilities we've used and the things we've developed—are from God. We don't even own the fruit of our own work. He reminded the Jews of this before they entered the Promised Land.

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth (Deut. 8:17-18).

Every individual is also His by right of creation and by right of redemption.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

Nothing belongs to us, not even our lives. As much as I might like to define myself by the size of my home, the speed of my car, or my title at work, everything I am and everything I have is God's. As leaders, we must be constantly aware that our time, skills, and energy, and every resource, person, and opportunity comes from God. These are not ours to use as we wish, no matter how hard we may have worked and no matter what we have contributed. We are stewards, not owners. I like how C. S. Lewis puts it.

Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. So that when we talk of a man doing anything of God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what it is really like. It is like a small child going to his father and saying, "Daddy, give me sixpence to buy you a birthday present." Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child's present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction.

2. The principle of responsibility. When I was a college freshman, I borrowed my resident assistant's car to drive a friend and myself on an off-campus errand. To impress my friend, I hit the accelerator when the light turned green and left no small amount of rubber on the pavement. Rather than being impressed, he said to me, "Remind me never to lend you my car."

That was not only a blow to my pride, but a memorable lesson in stewardship. The Bible teaches us that the human race was created to exercise stewardship over our planet. Just like the car I borrowed, this planet doesn't belong to us. We were given authority and are held responsible as God's stewards for what happens here, to the physical world and the creatures and people who dwell here. Whether or not we like it, we are responsible for what God has given. Paul understood this principle. That is why he preached the Good News whether he expected payment for his work or not.

If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust (1 Cor. 9:17, NLT).

Although God gives us "all things richly to enjoy," nothing is ours. Nothing really belongs to us. God owns everything; we're responsible for how we treat it and what we do with it. While we complain about our rights here on earth, the Bible constantly asks, What about your responsibilities? Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities.

Though we don't own anything, God has graciously entrusted us with the care, development, and enjoyment of everything he owns. As his stewards, we are to manage his holdings well and according to his desires and purposes. And it stands to reason that if everything belongs to God, then every decision a leader makes has spiritual implications. Whether we consider something "spiritual" or not, there are no spiritually neutral decisions. Michael Novak puts it like this:

We didn't give ourselves the personalities, talents, or longings we were born with. When we fulfill these—these gifts from beyond ourselves—it is like fulfilling something we were meant to do. . . . The Creator of all things knows the name of each of us—knows thoroughly, better than we do ourselves, what is in us, for he put it there and intends for us to do something with it—something that meshes with his intentions for many other people. Even if we do not always think of it that way, each of us was given a calling—by fate, by chance, by destiny, by God. Those who are lucky have found it.

Most of us can grasp being a steward of money and tangible property. But when it comes to taking responsibility for the intangible things, such as our abilities—and especially our relationships—things start getting a little fuzzy.

I have a friend who has done a magnificent job of providing for his family. He has been an excellent steward of his own talent and the financial resources God has given him. However, he often treats family members as if they exist for his convenience. A lot of people tell me they've never considered that they are responsible before God as leaders for the way they deal with others. But we are. When it comes to people, God is very clear. They belong to him, not the leader, and they must be led according to his purposes. Every person has been given abilities to serve the purposes of God. Peter reminds us,

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Pet. 4:10, NASB)

It follows then, that we have responsibility for other people in our homes, companies, churches, or communities. We are not only responsible for using our own gifts for God's purposes, but for helping others use their gifts as well. This means our most important responsibility is to empower the people under our authority to discover, develop, and use the abilities God has given them. This includes our family, those who work with or for us in the workplace, and men and women in the church and community we serve.

Thoughts for reflection and discussion:

Do a preaccountability assessment. Look at each area of responsibility. How are you doing?

Editor's Note: This article is part 2 of a 3-part series called "Leadership Is Stewardship."
>> Read Part 1, Leadership Is Stewardship
>> Read Part 3, Living as Faithful Stewards in a Fallen World

Leadership Is Stewardship, Part 1

Bill Peel — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

We live in the Age of Quantification. We want to know how many, how much, and for how long. When it comes to leadership, we like to grade skills, measure behaviors, and add up accomplishments. However, the essence of leadership is broader than possessing certain skills and expertise. It's deeper than what any leadership assessment can reveal. And it's much more profound than being accountable to shareholders to impart vision and reap financial results. Business consultant Peter Block suggests that leadership should be viewed more as stewardship.

If the term stewardship makes you think of sermons you've endured about church budgets and building programs, think again. In the ancient world, stewardship was not a religious term. Rather it was a key component of commerce. Almost every business concern had a steward who served like an ancient chief operating officer, running the daily affairs of the master of the house. Simply put, a steward was someone entrusted with the management of someone else's affairs.

In a business setting, Peter Block defines stewardship as “the willingness to be held accountable for the well-being of the larger organization by operating in service, rather than control, of those around us.”

More and more global enterprises are embracing this “new” concept of leadership, but many churches seem stuck in the 1980s. Command-and-control pastors emphasize their own vision and authority when they should be stewarding others' individual talents and potential leadership. Vision is important, but the church seems to be the last to catch up to what the business world has rediscovered—and the Bible clearly teaches.

In the Bible, stewardship is the inherent standard to which God calls leaders—whether we're leading a country, business, church committee, community organization, pack of Cub Scouts, our family, or ourselves. Paul's exhortation to Timothy on the topic of leadership selection for the early church is applicable to leaders in all these areas.

Contrary to popular understanding, the opposite of a leader is not a follower. It is a passive spectator—someone who waits for others to take responsibility. Rather than stepping forward, a nonleader steps back. Leaders don't wait for someone to tell them what to do. Leaders take the initiative and responsibility to be a faithful steward in God's Kingdom in both public and private life.

In Greco-Roman culture a household [oikos] was not just a family group or dwelling but the basic economic unit of the community, and it included everyone who lived in or worked at the house or estate. An oikos included immediate and extended family members, slaves, hired servants, skilled workers of various sorts, teachers, and tutors. The influence of an oikos extended into the community to those who did business with the household. And if a church happened to meet in a house, the influence of the oikos extended to the members of the house church and each of their oikoi too.

The Greek word for stewardship, oikonomia, is a compound of two words: oikos, household, and nomos, which means law or rule. In ancient culture, the words used together meant the administration or management of a household. (We get our English word economy from this compound word.) The translators of the King James Bible used the English word steward to translate oikonomos. The New International Version uses more modern terms, such as manager, management, administering, those entrusted with, and those being given a trust. But none of these English words capture the rich picture of leadership, authority, and accountability that the original Greek words portray.

An oikonomos, or steward, was indeed the “ruler of the house,” but he was not the ultimate ruler. In fact, in New Testament times the steward was almost always a slave to the head of the house. Although he was a slave, he was second in command, entrusted to manage the family and affairs. He was in authority as well as under authority. But—and this is the point of this Greek lesson—the authority granted to him was never to be used for his own self-interest. He was to use it to advance the interests of the master to whom he was accountable.

Looking at leadership through the lens of stewardship—authority over people and accountability before God—is the key to understanding what it means to lead from a biblical perspective.

The essence of stewardship implies a two-party proposition. One person owns the resources and the other person is entrusted with the resources. By definition, a steward is accountable to his master for how resources are invested. So how does this apply to us today? Since God owns all things, he is the Master; he distributes gifts and resources at his discretion. We are stewards, accountable to him for all that we do with all that we are given.

Thoughts for reflection and discussion:

Get the Master's instructions. If we are responsible to God as our Master, then learning his desires is one of the steward's chief responsibilities. Making decisions that honor him, as good stewarship demands, means knowing his likes, dislikes, vision, and values.
Do you know what God expects of you in each area of your life?

Editor's Note: This article is part 1 of a 3-part series called "Leadership Is Stewardship."
>> Read Part 2, Not Ownership But Responsibility
>> Read Part 3, Living as Faithful Stewards in a Fallen World
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This article has been adapted from Bill Peel’s book What God Does When Men Lead. A Group Study Guide for What God Does When Men Lead is available for free download. You can also read more of Bill Peel by visiting 24SevenFaith, one of the many sites in our network at HighCallingBlogs.com.

What's Your Spiritual Latitude?

George Cladis — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Quaint winter scenes often depict skaters on scenic New England ice or bare aspens framed with Rocky Mountain grandeur. But a common La Guardia winter picture is New Yorkers dressed in knit black, boarding planes like migratory birds headed south for the warmer climes of Florida. Spilling out into Miami, they soon take on the look and sound of the native folk: bright floral shirts and stunning white pants, the click clack of golf shoes and whoosh of a tennis stroke. Along with the change in wardrobe comes a change in attitude. They trade in sour looks caused by a winter dragging on too long and exchange them for red-faced, cheery faces of urbanites playing in the glittery Southland sea.

This is, as they say, the Attitude of Latitude.

But must it be this way? Are we, as a human race, doomed to live a range of attitudes mercurially determined, whirling like a passive weather vane, dependent on external circumstances? Are roller-blading Santa Monicans actually happier than Buffaloans shoveling through the wind-blown snow?

I am reminded of those who populate the pages of Scripture who found within themselves spiritual resources to face insurmountable odds. They cultivated a Spiritual Latitude that actually changed the attitudinal climate of those around them. Moses moved with sunny confidence through Pharaoh's dark, intimidating corridors of power. He was determined to announce God's liberation of slaves to the most powerful human being on earth. Moses was himself a breath of fresh air (Hebrew ruah) in the otherwise stifling humidity of tyranny. In Exodus 1, Puah and Shiphora were midwives who should have shivered in the cold of Egyptian oppression. Instead, they appear remarkably emboldened by a warmer Spirit of God to disobey Pharaoh's icy commands of genocide.

The gist of all this? The Master said, "Go forth and make disciples." Yes, that means he empowers us to actually change the weather of a tempestuous world!

In the dead of winter, something heartwarming happens every year in Worcester, Massachusetts, called Dreams and Wishes. Hundreds of children from impoverished families are given a brand new toy and a winter coat during the holiday season. The toys range from Wii game consoles to board games, including hundreds of bikes. The toys are bought by the members of Liberty Churches of central Massachusetts and various corporate sponsors and supported by Toys"R"Us who allows for a discount on toys bought for this ministry. A sophisticated database is used for screening families and even keeping track of toys received by any given child in prior years' events (you can get a bike only once). "It is wonderful to see the partnership between corporations, workers, and churches in support of this ministry," declared Pastor Will Bard, the founder of Dreams and Wishes.

Changing the temperature and warming things up—such is our calling as followers of Jesus.

Your Boss Is Counting on You

James Bohn — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Don't ask "What would Jesus do?" That's a bad question.

It leads to theological abstraction, endless debate and little or no action. The real question is "What did Jesus do?" In the gospels we have a record of Christ's completely human life lived out before his Father. We know what Jesus did. It's an excellent place to discover what Jesus had to say about work.

"My food," says Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34).

When he said this, Jesus had just finished speaking with the woman at the well in John 4. His disciples urged him to eat something. The disciples were big men with big appetites. Their food was probably some nice Mediterranean Olives with a few grilled fish and some bread.

Jesus says, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me." Doing his Father's work was more important than eating his daily bread. Jesus says something similar when he is tempted in the desert, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

In other words, Jesus does not approach his work as a grumpy malcontent.

In the eternal decrees of God, the intent of the Father was that the Son should be incarnate and redeem his people through perfect obedience. Jesus was completely human – completely obedient – working to please someone else, working to do someone else's will, and finding pleasure in it.

Our obedience in the workplace is a dim reflection of our obedience to God. What is more difficult: finishing a project for your boss or not lying? Completing a design on time or removing pornography from your computer? Meeting budget requirements or demonstrating sacrificial love to the unlovely? In truth, the requirements and demands of God far outweigh any demand of the workplace.

Your relationship to authority in the workplace speaks volumes about your spiritual maturity. If we cannot answer to the authority relationships all around us, can we truly fool ourselves into believing we are obedient to God?
Ultimately, managers do not like to work with people who fight them every step of the way. After being in the workforce for over 35 years, I have observed even the most difficult manager show grudging respect for people who cooperate with them.
If you claim to be a Christian, you should not be a chronic, habitual pain in the neck to your boss. Short of ethical challenges, your job, until you find another one, is to work with your boss and support their plans and thinking.

The first principle of work we learn from the life of Jesus is the principle of doing what someone else has sent us to do. It is the principle of cooperation. Christians should be the most willing and cooperative workers. This does not mean we blindly comply with every request, or conduct unethical behavior. But our bosses should know they can count on us to support them and work with them.

If God were to conduct a performance review for you today, on a scale of 1-10, how well would He say you are cooperating with your boss?

Right or Wrong? You Can't Have It Both Ways

Helen M. Mitchell — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:00:00 GMT

A handyman and a mortgage broker built their businesses with a heart toward serving the Lord through their work. This was easy enough as long as business was profitable, clients many, and problems few. Of course, problems always show up eventually, and often they present an opportunity to choose Christ's way.

For the handyman, going into business for himself had been the perfect choice. It allowed him to put his years of construction experience to work taking care of his community's many unmet "honey-dos." In the process, God used him to mend fences as well as broken hearts through his living testimony of God's grace. His reputation was how he did business, and Jesus was the reason why he did it that way.

When a difficult and demanding client challenged the handyman's integrity, the unexpected accusations against his work ethic, honesty, and reputation came like a gut-punch. Beyond the quality of his work, she was challenging his values.

He knew the client was wrong. With all his might, he wanted to tell this unreasonable woman he was done and just walk away.

But he found himself drawn to God's Word.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of God. (2 Tim. 2:15)

OK, so what should I do, Lord? he asked.

. . . first go and be reconciled to your brother . . . settle matters quickly with your adversary . . . (Matt. 5:23-26)

And then what, Lord?

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:21)

How do I do that, Lord?

Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28)

It cost him something to do good to this woman who was cursing him. He paid with his pride. He paid with lost wages. In his mind, his actions were about representing a God who is true and right. God won.

A mortgage broker was faced with a choice to write popular mortgage loans that were legal, but just didn't feel right. He found himself forced to choose between serving God and serving money. "I refuse to write those loans," he told one prospective homeowner after another. But really, who would blame him? Refusing these loans would cost the business millions. And everyone else was doing it, so it must be okay—right?

One night, with the questions tossing and turning through his mind like a tennis match, he got up and sat with his Bible, daring to see the truth in God's Word.

Use honest scales and honest weights . . . I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. (Lev.19:36)

Cheating others would be cheating God of his glory in the business. That would not be right.

No matter what the financial profit, writing these loans would cost him favor with the Lord, since

The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight (Prov. 11:1).

In the end, it did cost his business millions. It also cost him his lifestyle. But when the mortgage industry imploded soon after, he knew he had made the right choice for his relationship with Jesus.

Let God weigh me in honest scales, and he will know that I am blameless (Job 31:6).

Integrity always costs us something. But isn't a healthy relationship with the Lord worth the price?

Following God in a Secular Workplace: Part 3 of 3

Matt Dickerson — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:00:00 GMT

<< Read Part 1, Conform or Transform

<< Read Part 2, Rise to the Top

At work in a secular workplace, Daniel and his three friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah face a number of challenges. When their nation is defeated and the temple of their God is plundered and the plunder taken to the temple of a Babylonian god, it would have appeared to them that the gods of Babylon were more powerful than the God of Israel.

In the workplace today, it is difficult not to be awed by—and bow down to—the power of those who control our paychecks, or those who determine whether or not we get that promotion. It can be hard to believe that our God is more powerful than our boss.

Daniel and friends also had their very identity as God's people challenged—by the changing of their names, by their secular education in Babylonian ways of thinking, as well as by a diet of nonkosher meat that had almost certainly been sacrificed to Babylonian gods. They were promised a life of luxury if they only were willing to compromise God's moral code (for the good of the company).

However, Daniel and his friends refused to compromise. They chose a life of integrity and obedience to their own God—no matter how unpowerful their circumstances may have made God seem in comparison to Nebuchadnezzar and his gods. And through these four men, God's glory is proclaimed across the known world by the most powerful king on earth. What a story about four men having a workplace influence!

Daniel and his friends, rather than conforming to the culture of their workplace, are transformed by God. They even become transforming influences. How? There are two more parts of this story—two principles lived out by the four heroes—that we must explore.

First, none of these men go it alone. They have a community of like-minded believers who support one another. Indeed, they are fortunate enough to have that community and nurture it within the workplace environment. Consider that the names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego are never heard individually. They are a trio. Inseparable. Say the name Shadrach and anybody around you who knows the biblical stories will immediately think of the other two. When these three refuse to bow down to the idol, they do so together. When they go before the king and give their famous defense, they speak with one voice: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king." Together, they are thrown into the fiery furnace. And they come out together also.

Daniel experiences some of his trials alone, but we know from the first few chapters just how important this community of four men is. When Daniel resolves not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, he does so with the aid of his friends (Dan. 1:8-17). When Nebuchadnezzar has the dream that his wise men cannot interpret and threatens to put them all to death, Daniel doesn't just try to handle it alone. He again goes back to his friends and explains the situation and urges them to pray together (Dan. 2:14-18). When Daniel is promoted, he makes sure to get promotions for his friends also.

Second, Daniel is committed to prayer. This is perhaps the most important principle in the book of Daniel, especially in understanding how it was that our four heroes not only survived in their faith, but actually thrived. A prayer of petition is their first response to the king's threat to put his wise men to death. When God answers that prayer, Daniel's next response is a prayer of praise (Dan. 2:19-21). Daniel is a man of prayer—of fervent regular prayer (Dan. 6:10). One of the most amazing visions and prophecies of the Old Testament comes to Daniel in response to his commitment to fervent prayer (Dan. 9).

Even when prayer is outlawed and punishable by death, he does not cease to pray (Daniel 6:6-10). Interestingly, Daniel's prayers are in some sense private—they are real conversations with God and not just acts to be seen by men—but they are not hidden. His coworkers, including those hostile to his faith, know that he is a man of prayer (Dan. 6:5,13).

We can resist the conforming influences of the workplace culture. We can choose to follow God and to find our identity in him. But it will be a battle. There are as many forces arrayed against us as there were against Daniel and his friends. Indeed, the attacks we face will be many of the same ones described in Daniel, though in a modern context. As with most battles in the Christian walk, this one will not be won without prayer. God is more powerful than any of the gods of this world, even those who control your pay and promotions. He gives us community (though we must choose to practice it). And he is eager to have us depend on him in prayer.

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<< Read Part 1, Conform or Transform

<< Read Part 2, Rise to the Top

Following God in a Secular Workplace: Rise to the Top, Part 2 of 3

Matt Dickerson — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 06:00:00 GMT

In the book of Daniel, four men are taken from homes where they have been taught to worship God and transplanted to a secular university and then a secular workplace. Near the end of the first chapter and again later in the book, we are told how God gave these young men incredible knowledge and understanding. Eventually, they rose to the top of their professional fields. In other words, God richly blessed these four young men—and not just in typically spiritual ways. He blessed what we might call their "secular" knowledge, a well as their careers in a "secular" workplace.

This story suggests that no knowledge is secular, and no workplace is secular. Indeed nothing created by God is secular, but all is intended to be sacred.

Not only that, but over the working lifetimes of these men, we read several times about how the kings of Babylon—the most powerful nation on earth at that time—end up praising and proclaiming the glory of God. (See Daniel 2:46-47; 3:28-29; 4:1-3; 4:37; 6:25-27.)

How is it that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah hold fast to their faith and have such a transforming influence in Babylon? Many of their fellow captive Israelites ended up conforming to Babylonian culture and were never heard of again. Partly, we're back to the various forces I discussed in the first article of this series. There are forces intent on breaking their faith and identities as men of God and conforming them to Babylonian ways of thinking. When Nebuchadnezzar plunders the temple of God in Jerusalem and orders the names of the men to be changed to names honoring the Babylonian gods, there is little they can do.

But then comes the issue of food. The four young men are to eat the king's choice food (1:5). That doesn't sound too bad, right? Much better than living in poverty back in the occupied territories of Israel and hoping to get a few grains of barley a day after the tax collectors take the best of it. Daniel and his friends could have lives of luxury rather than lives of slavery. A great deal. Except the food would include meat that was non-Kosher and that had been publicly sacrificed to the Babylonian gods. In other words, the food was one more attack on their faith and identity. To eat the king's food would be direct disobedience to the commands of their own God.

What do Daniel and his friends do? They request—and eventually receive—permission not to eat the supposedly good stuff. Instead, they live on vegetables. What a difficult decision that must have been! Who could blame them if they had simply taken what they were given? After all, what choice did they really have?

This is not an abstract question we ask about something that took place 2500 years ago, but a question many Christians are faced with in today’s workplaces. Too often, we are asked to do something that contradicts God’s moral teaching for the sake of the company or the university or the team or the practice. Yet in faith, and at great personal risk—though also with an attitude of respect for those in authority over them—Daniel and his friends chose obedience to God.