design – Page 11 – Called To Work

29: Choose work that serves God (Joel 2:28–29)

January 8, 2024

Scripture Reading: Joel 2:28–29

As the prophets in the Bible see it, justice is not merely a secular issue. Good work arises directly from faithfulness to God’s covenant, and conversely, evil work takes us away from the presence of God.

Many otherwise legitimate ways of making a living may become unjust by the way they are performed. Should a photographer take pictures of anything a client asks, without regard for its effect on its subject and viewers? Should a surgeon perform any kind of elective surgery a patient might be willing to pay for? Is a mortgage broker responsible to ensure the ability of a borrower to repay the loan without undue hardship? If our work is a form of service under God, we cannot ignore such questions.

This is a reminder that the world of work does not exist in a vacuum, separated from the rest of life. If we do not ground our values and priorities in God’s covenant, then our lives and work will be ethically and spiritually incoherent. If we do not please God in our work, we cannot please him in our worship.

Prayer: Jesus, I hope to do my work in a way that serves you. May your love ground my values, priorities, and decisions today. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Working Unjustly (Hosea 4:1-10; Joel 2:28-29) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

28: Responding to workplace corruption (Hosea 4:1–3)

January 2, 2024

Scripture Reading: Hosea 4:1–3

God puts the blame for Israel’s corruption on the people as a whole. To dramatize the situation, God commands the prophet Hosea to “take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord” (Hosea 1:2). Hosea obeys God’s command.

Although the prophets use the imagery of prostitution and adultery, God is accusing Israel of economic and social corruption, not sexual immorality. This makes Hosea’s family situation a dramatic example for those who work in corrupt or imperfect workplaces today. God deliberately put Hosea in a corrupt and difficult family situation. Could it be that God deliberately puts people in corrupt and difficult workplaces today?

While we may seek a comfortable job with a reputable employer in a respectable profession, perhaps we can accomplish far more for God’s kingdom by working in morally compromised places. If you abhor corruption, can you do more to fight it by working as a lawyer in a prestigious firm or as a building inspector in a mafia-dominated city? There are no easy answers, but God’s call to Hosea suggests that making a difference in the world is more important to God than keeping our hands clean. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it in the midst of Nazi control of Germany, “The ultimate question for a responsible man to ask, is not how to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation is to live.”

Prayer: God, show me how I can make a positive difference at work and in the world. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read God Demands Change (Hosea 1:1-9, Micah 2:1-5) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

27: Staying close to God in non-Christian settings (Daniel 1:8-14)

December 26, 2023

Scripture Reading: Daniel 1:8-14

The Book of Daniel begins with a disaster that has ended the Jewish kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has conquered Jerusalem, deposed its king, and taken some of its royals and noble young men captive.

Among the youth taken captive were Daniel and his companions Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The four were chosen for a select program, based on youth, aptitude, and appearance, to enter into training for a leadership position in the kingdom. This presented both an opportunity and a challenge. The opportunity was to make good lives for themselves in a hostile land, and perhaps to bring God’s power and justice to their new country. The prophet Jeremiah was urging the Jewish exiles to do just that.

The challenge Daniel and his colleagues faced was assimilation at the expense of loyalty to God and their people. Nonetheless, Daniel and his colleagues embraced the challenge, secure in the belief that God would protect their faith and loyalty. They enrolled in Babylonian education, but set limits to guard against actual assimilation into the pagan culture of their captors.

Christians in all kinds of workplaces today face pressures akin to what Daniel and his friends experienced at the Babylonian academy. The Book of Daniel provides no specific guidelines, but it suggests some vital perspectives. Christians who work or study in non- or anti-Christian environments should take care to avoid uncritical assimilation into the surrounding culture.

Safeguards include constant prayer and communion with God, firm adherence to material markers of the faith (even if they are somewhat arbitrary), active association and accountability with other Christians in the same kind of work, formation of good relationships with non-believers in your workplace, and adoption of a modest lifestyle, so that attachment to money, prestige or power do not stand in the way of risking your job or career if you are pressured to do something contrary to God’s commands, values or virtues.

Prayer: Lord, help me be rooted in my relationship with you. Give me discernment, that I may be in the world but not “of the world”, especially in how I work. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read In Exile at Babylon U. (Daniel 1) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

26: Working justly (Ezekiel 18:5–9)

December 18, 2023

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 18:5–9

Ezekiel 18:5-9 notes a range of actions, both righteous and wicked. These actions become the principles by which a person is said to “live” or “die.” Four of these actions are related to work: restoring a debtor’s pledge, providing for the poor, not charging excessive interest, and working justly.

Ezekiel 18 is more than a set of rules for living in exile; it is an answer to the despair the exiles feel. In response to the exiles’ question — “If we are God’s people, why are we in exile?” “Why are we suffering?” “Does God care?” — the Lord rebuts not with an answer, but with a call to live justly in the time between past transgression and future restoration, between promise and fulfillment, between question and answer.

Living out this personal righteousness in our professional pursuits adds life and meaning to our present circumstances because it assumes a better tomorrow, ushers the future kingdom of God into the present, and provides a glimpse of what God anticipates from his people as a whole. God rewards such behavior, the type of which is possible only by means of new hearts and spirits.

Prayer: Jesus, put a new heart and a right spirit within me, that I might live justly. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Israel’s Responsibility for its Predicament (Ezekiel 18) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

25: The brokenness of the world (Lamentations 3:31–33, 39–41)

December 11, 2023

Scripture Reading: Lamentations 3:31–33, 39–41

After a two-year siege, the Babylonians captured Jerusalem, tore down its walls, looted and destroyed God’s temple, and took the able-bodied citizens into exile in Babylon. Jeremiah is among the few survivors left in the land, living among those who had clung to life through the famine and watched starving children die, as false prophets continued to mislead the people about God’s purposes. The book of Lamentations captures the desolation of the city and the despair of the people at the same time that it underscores the reason for this desolation.

Here we see the poet at work. In five tightly structured poems, he uses powerful images of the carnage in the city as God allows the punishment of his people for their vicious sins. But in spite of the emotional depth of his grief, the artist captures the devastation in a controlled poetic form. This is art in the service of emotional release.

In the destruction of Jerusalem, the innocent suffered alongside the guilty. Children starved and faithful prophets like Jeremiah bore the same misery meted out to those whose sins brought an end to the city. This is the reality of life in a fallen world. When corporations collapse under the weight of bad decisions, gross negligence or outright illegal practices, innocent people lose their jobs and pensions along with those who caused the debacle. At the same time, for the Christian in the workplace, the inequities in this life are not eternal. God reigns and his compassion never fails. It’s not easy to hang onto that divine reality in the midst of sinful systems and unprincipled leaders. But Lamentations tells us, “The Lord will not reject forever.” We walk by faith in the living God whose faithfulness to us will not fail.

Prayer: Jesus, the brokenness of this world is sometimes more than I can bear. Help me to have faith and hope in you even when life and work have gone wrong. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Jeremiah the Poet at Work: Lamentations from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

24: Work for the common good (Jeremiah 29:7)

December 4, 2023

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:7

In Jeremiah chapter 29, the prophet draws attention to God’s intention that his people’s work should bless and serve the communities around them, and not only the people of Israel.

False prophets in exile assured the exiled Jews that God’s favor would always rest on Israel, to the exclusion of its neighbors. Babylon would fall, Jerusalem would be saved, and the people would soon return home. Jeremiah attempted to counteract that false proclamation with God’s true word to them: Babylon would be this generation’s only home. God called the people to work the land there diligently: “build houses…plant gardens and eat what they produce.” The Jews were meant to flourish there as the people of God, even though it was a place of punishment and repentance for them. Moreover, the Jews’ success in Babylon was tied to Babylon’s success.

This call to civic responsibility twenty-six hundred years ago is valid today. We are called to work toward the prosperity of the entire community, not merely for our own limited interests. Like the Jews of Jeremiah’s day, we are far from perfect. We may even be suffering for our faithlessness and corruption. Nonetheless we are called and equipped to be a blessing to the communities in which we live and work.

The work of Christians in their faithfulness to God is intended for the good of everyone, beginning with those who are not God’s people, and extending through them to God’s people themselves. Successful business leaders understand that product development, marketing, sales and customer support are effective when they put the customer first. This is perhaps the most profound economic principle in Jeremiah, that working for the good of others is the only reliable way to work for your own good.

Prayer: Lord, you say to “seek the welfare of the city” and “pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” I pray for the welfare of my community and my workplace. Show me how to bless those around me through my work, both paid and unpaid. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Bless Wider Society Through Your Work (Jeremiah 29) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

23: Suffering at work (Isaiah 29:13; 58:6)

November 27, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 29:13; 58:6

Christians have traditionally equated the Suffering Servant in Isaiah with Jesus. Isaiah’s picture of the Servant’s suffering reminds us that as servants of God, we may be called to self-sacrifice in our work, as Jesus was.

God’s standard calls us to meet the needs of justice and righteousness through our work. As servants of the Servant of the Lord, we are called to meet unmet needs. In the workplace, this may have many faces: concern for a downtrodden employee or co-worker, alertness to the integrity of a product being sold to consumers, avoiding shortcuts that would deprive people of their input, even rejecting hoarding in times of scarcity.

As members of a people being redeemed by God’s grace, we can be vessels of that grace for the benefit of those around us. Sometimes we have the opportunity to make our workplaces more just, more compassionate, more oriented toward making the world a better place. In doing so, we may enact the servant’s mission in small ways ourselves.

Conversely, at other times, it is difficult to do our work as God intends. Individuals or systems in our workplaces may resist the way God is leading us. Our own sin and shortcomings may short-circuit any good we might have accomplished. Even our best efforts may not seem to make much difference.

Despite the discouragement we often feel, the ultimate result of our work is in God’s hands. We can trust God not only to use what we have done, but in God’s time to bring it to fulfillment.

Prayer: God, you make things right in your timing. Even in times of trouble, even when I don’t see the fruit of my work, may I trust that your will will be done. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Servant at Work (Isaiah 40ff.) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

22: Work, rest and family (Song of Songs 7:11–12)

November 20, 2023

Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 7:11-12

The text of Song of Songs describes the marriage of a man and a woman and their coming together. Christian preachers and writers have tended to avoid the Song or to allegorize it out of concern that it is too racy for polite religious society.

But upon their marriage, the lovers create a household, the primary unit of economic activity in the ancient world. Passion between spouses is a glue holding the household together through the prosperity, adversity, joy and stress that characterize a family’s life and work.

Throughout these verses, we see imagery drawn from the landscape of Israel and its agriculture. The joy of the man and woman’s love is intimately connected to the world of their work. They express their happiness with images drawn from what they see in their gardens and flocks.

Before the Industrial Revolution, most people worked with family members in the households where they lived. This is still true in much of the world. The Song paints an idyllic view of this arrangement. The reality of household-based labor has been marred by poverty, grinding toil, humiliation, bonded service and slavery, and abusive relationships. Yet the Song expresses our desire — and God’s design — that our work be woven into the tapestry of our relationships, beginning with family.

How can you find a rhythm of work, rest, and family life?

Prayer: Jesus, be with me in my work, my leisure, and my relationships. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read Passion, Family, and Work (Song of Songs 3:1-8:5) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

21: Giving and giving thanks (Ecclesiastes 2:18-25)

November 13, 2023

Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:18-25

What about the accumulation of wealth as the higher purpose behind work? In Ecclesiastes, this turns out to be worse than spending wealth to gain pleasure. Wealth brings the problem of inheritance. When you die, the wealth you accumulated will pass to someone else who may be completely undeserving. This is so galling that the Teacher, narrator of Ecclesiastes, says, “I turned and gave my heart up to despair” (Eccl. 2:20).

Like the Teacher, many people today who accumulate great wealth find it extremely unsatisfying. While we are making our fortunes, no matter how much we have, it doesn’t seem to be enough. When our fortunes are made and we begin to appreciate our mortality, giving away our wealth wisely seems to become a nearly intolerable burden.

The Teacher does not find satisfaction in giving wealth any more than in gaining it (Eccl. 2:18-21). The satisfaction God in heaven finds in giving somehow escapes the Teacher. He does not seem to consider the possibility of investing wealth or giving it away for a higher purpose.

But God is a giver, and his gifts include food, drink and joy (Eccl. 5:18, 8:15), wealth and possessions (Eccl. 5:19, 6:20), honor (Eccl. 6:2), integrity (Eccl. 7:29), the world we inhabit (Eccl. 11:5) and life itself (Eccl. 12:7). How can we be thankful for these gifts? How can we find joy in giving?

Prayer: “No gifts have we to offer for all your love imparts, but that which you desire now: our humble, thankful hearts!” Amen. (lyrics by Matthias Claudius, translated by Jane Campbell)

For Further Exploration: Read Work is a Chasing After the Wind (Ecclesiastes 1:12-6:9) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

20: Proverbs 31 and work (Proverbs 31:10-31)

November 6, 2023

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 31:10-31

A remarkable connection between the book of Proverbs and the world of work occurs at the end of the book. Lady Wisdom, who we meet at the beginning of the book, reappears in street clothes in the final 22 verses of the book (Prov.31:10-31) as a living, breathing woman, termed “the virtuous woman” in the KJV.

The text focuses on the woman’s work as an entrepreneur with a cottage industry and its servants/workers to manage. Proverbs 31:10-31 does not merely apply to the workplace; it takes place in a workplace. This woman of strength is shown as a wise worker throughout Proverbs: she is trustworthy, diligent, shrewd, generous, just, and guards her tongue. She functions in the book as an affirmation of the dignity of every person’s work.

As always in the book of Proverbs, the way of wisdom flows out of the fear of the Lord. After all the Valiant Woman’s abilities and virtues are described and honored, the source of her wisdom is revealed. “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Prov. 31:30).

Prayer: Lord, may excellence in my work arise from my fear of you and love for you. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Read What do the Proverbs have to do with Work? from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Called To Work

Author: design

29: Choose work that serves God (Joel 2:28–29)

28: Responding to workplace corruption (Hosea 4:1–3)

27: Staying close to God in non-Christian settings (Daniel 1:8-14)

26: Working justly (Ezekiel 18:5–9)

25: The brokenness of the world (Lamentations 3:31–33, 39–41)

24: Work for the common good (Jeremiah 29:7)

23: Suffering at work (Isaiah 29:13; 58:6)

22: Work, rest and family (Song of Songs 7:11–12)

21: Giving and giving thanks (Ecclesiastes 2:18-25)

20: Proverbs 31 and work (Proverbs 31:10-31)

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