design – Page 22 – Called To Work

Down But Not Out

January 10, 2023

Devotions/Prayers

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2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (KJV): “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”

COMMENTARY: As Christians in the workplace, you and I have gone through scary times–emotionally, mentally, physically, financially and spiritually. Yet, as the months and years go by, we can look back and see God’s triumphant resurrection power in the midst of our pain and travail. If you are troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down this morning, DON’T go down the road of distress, despair and destruction. DO trust in God and pray for His deliverance. In His time and in His way, He WILL resurrect you!

APPLICATION: During a recession years ago, thousands of businesses closed, moved to other parts of the country, or downsized operations. Most of the region’s banks took huge hits, creating a severe credit crunch. Prior to the recession, one particular Christian business owner who was a friend of mine had been prospering. But, the majority of his revenues came from one large customer. When the recession hit, that customer went through a major restructuring. Within a short period of time, my friend lost 63% of his revenues. Plus, many other customers were having cash flow problems and were not paying their bills on time. He was deeply troubled, perplexed and cast down. He almost reached the breaking point.

Over time, God was faithful. The Lord used these severe challenges to inspire this business owner to rebuild and diversify. God brought a seasoned Christian mentor into his life, who volunteered his time to help to rescue the business. The Lord gave them the wisdom to acquire a related business and to build a diverse customer base. The Lord brought other Christian business owners into his life to encourage, comfort and help him. It took about five years, but gradually the business turned around.

My friend went home to Glory years ago, and his son now owns and operates the business. Today, the business is enjoying strong sales, good profits and healthy cash flow. Today, the business is shining the Light of Christ more brightly than ever…to more people than ever!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

#60

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Revelation 22:17 (KJV)，read Babylon and the New Jerusalem: A Tale of Two Cities (Revelation 17-22) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Don’t Take Your Job for Granted

Devotions/Partners

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Job 38:4 (KJV): “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.”

COMMENTARY: When Job lost his children, possessions and health, he still faithfully trusted in God. However, during this ordeal, Job had moments of frustration when he questioned why God allowed these things to happen, wondered if God understood what was going on, and asked what God was going to do with the rest of his life. Job was reminded to keep his perspective straight. It’s not for the created being to question the wisdom, decisions and actions of the Creator.

APPLICATION: Do you work for someone who started the business from scratch? Be careful that you respect his or her role as the “creator” of the business. It takes an enormous amount of courage, vision, initiative, faith, time, energy and money to start and grow a business. At some time, your employer had the courage to create and invest in your job. Don’t take it for granted.

If you find yourself complaining about the owner’s management style, judgment, decisions, policies and priorities, ask yourself this question: “Where was I when the owner founded the business? Do I understand what he or she went through to start and grow the business?” Who died and made you the boss?

Perhaps you need to lighten up. If you feel that your employer is blind to important issues, pray for him or her. Communicate your concerns and ideas in tactful, constructive ways. In the final analysis, however, you must give the owner the liberty to run the business as he or she sees fit. If you don’t think you can continue to work for this person, then by all means go. No job comes with a lifetime guarantee. You have the liberty to leave and try working somewhere else.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (KJV)，read Leading and Serving (2 Corinthians 4) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Don’t Take Too Much Upon You

Devotions/Partners

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Numbers 16:7b (KJV): “Ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.”

COMMENTARY: In Numbers chapter 16, over 250 Israeli leaders challenged Moses’ call, authority, competence and judgment. Moses was shocked by their audacity, and he rebuked them with their own words. Ultimately, God is not happy with this group of Israeli leaders and they are “terminated.”

APPLICATION: There are times when managers and employees “take too much upon them” and act as if they owned the business. Sometimes, these power struggles take the form of work slowdowns, shutdowns and strikes. The word “strike” means to deliver a blow; to collide forcibly with; to cease to work in order to put pressure on an employer.

Be not deceived: strikes are acts of violence and warfare against the very people who enable you to have a job. If you challenge their authority, don’t be surprised if you find yourself terminated. Instead, perform the work for which you were hired with godliness, quietness and excellence. Be content with the position and the compensation that you have been given and to which you agreed. Your diligence,

work ethic, and reasonableness will speak volumes to your bosses, and will open doors of constructive influence.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Job 38:4 (KJV)，read God Appears (Job 38-42:9) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Don’t Self-Destruct

Devotions/Partners

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Proverbs 5:21-22 (KJV): “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.”

COMMENTARY: The Biblical context of this passage is the man who chooses to commit adultery. However, there is a broader context that ties in with the entire book of Proverbs: Wisdom cries out to every soul, but many choose not to listen to her. Some are naive and go astray out of simplicity. Others are outright foolish and go astray out of a deliberate desire to do evil. Either way, people who do not seek and hearken to wisdom run the severe risk of self-destructing. The fruits of their choices will come back to haunt them. There is no decision or action that escapes the eyes of the Lord. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is secret to Him. He knows all, sees all and ponders all.

APPLICATION: Don’t self-destruct! God has given you the gift of eternal life. In the time that He allows you to remain on earth, He wants you to walk in wisdom. He wants you to live an abundant life full of blessing. Please don’t walk in naivete or foolishness. Seek wisdom continuously. Ponder your steps BEFORE you take them. Let the Word of God be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. Let the Holy Spirit give you knowledge, understanding, discernment and judgment to live an enormously fruitful life.

Remember, wisdom is ALWAYS crying out in the public square. The problem is never “message sent,” but “message received.” Tune into wisdom, and you will be blessed!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Numbers 16:7b (KJV)，read Numbers and Work from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Don’t Play the Cash Flow Game

Devotions/Partners

Proverbs 3:27-28 (KJV): “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.”

COMMENTARY: God wants His people to be free of covetousness, free of hoarding, free of clinging to material possessions for security. He wants us to be free to give. Free to live with integrity. Free to honor our commitments. Free to do good!

APPLICATION: In running my business for decades, this verse in Proverbs has been at the core of our Accounts Payable policy. We do not play the cash flow game that many businesses play. When we make a purchase, we agree to our suppliers’ terms and honor them. If we foresee a bump in our cash flow, we tap our bank line of credit or ask suppliers if we can have some breathing room. Through the good times and bad, every supplier has been paid every cent. If we say the check is in the mail, it is.

What about your Accounts Payable policy? Do you let your payments slide so you can earn more interest on the money? Do you use your suppliers as unofficial bankers and loan officers? Do you tell suppliers the check is in the mail, when it isn’t? Does the squeaky wheel get the grease, while your patient suppliers get left waiting? Pay your bills on time, and God will bless your integrity and your testimony.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Proverbs 5:21-22 (KJV)，read Proverbs and Work from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Don’t Leave a Trail of Financial Destruction

Devotions/Partners

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Psalms 37:21 (KJV): “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.”

COMMENTARY: In this passage, God clearly reveals His will with regard to paying one’s debts. He considers those who borrow and don’t repay to be wicked.

APPLICATION: We live in a day and age when credit ratings among Christians (and Christian-owned businesses) are often no better than unbelievers. In theory, lenders should never have to conduct credit checks on Christians. Our word should be our bond, and our creditworthiness should be impeccable. Of all people in the world, we who claim to be ambassadors for the perfect, holy, righteous Creator should shine and radiate high character and financial integrity!

Sadly, many Christians are “Dr. Jekylls and Mr. Hydes” when it comes to paying their bills. They come into our lives arrayed in Christian dress, waving the banner of Christ, giving the appearance of spiritual maturity. But as they come and go in people’s lives, they leave a wicked trail of financial destruction in their wakes.

If you want to be a great man or woman of God, paying your bills is the equivalent of “Christianity 101.” If God can’t trust you with money management, how can He trust you with true spiritual riches? It’s like trying to drive down an interstate highway with three flat tires. Your journey will be rough, and you won’t make your intended destination.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Proverbs 3:27-28 (KJV)，read Proverbs and Work from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Don’t Compromise Your Conscience

Devotions/Partners

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Nehemiah 13:8 (KJV): “And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.”

COMMENTARY: While Nehemiah went to Babylon to meet with King Artaxerxes, Eliashib, the high priest in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, formed an ungodly alliance with one of the Jews’ adversaries, Tobiah. In fact, Eliashib invited and allowed Tobiah to move into the temple. Isn’t that crazy? When Nehemiah returned from his trip, he was astounded and immediately “cleaned house.”

APPLICATION: Has your firm formed ungodly strategic alliances with companies that are contrary to the cause of Christ? Are you marketing and selling products and services that are contrary to the Word and the Spirit? Maybe it’s time to clean house!

Let me give you an example. I know a Christian business owner who bought a second business, which derived much of its income and profit from the sale of cigarettes. He thought this business would complement his existing operation and strengthen his company.

Wrong! Just the opposite happened. He took a beating financially and struggled spiritually. He ended up losing big money. He admitted that he knew God didn’t want him to purchase the business, but felt that his company was in desperate need of an infusion of cash. He overrode the promptings of the Holy Spirit (and his Godly wife) and purchased the business anyway. This man eventually cleaned house by unloading the ungodly business and getting back to tending to his original business. As a result, his conscience before God and man became clean and his peace returned.

Of course, it’s going to be awkward to clean house, but it’s worth it!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Psalms 37:21 (KJV)，read Book 1 (Psalms 1–41) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Don’t Be a Dreamer

Devotions/Partners

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (KJV) “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.”

COMMENTARY: We all know DREAMERS. “Some day, I’m going to do this or that,” they say. In the meantime, they sit and watch waiting for all of the economic clouds to disappear and for the timing to be “perfect.” Time goes by, but they never put their hands to the plow and sow any seeds. Because they don’t sow, they don’t reap, which in turn leads them down the road to poverty. In the meantime, other people who are DOERS see the same clouds in the same sky, take the initiative to sow anyway, and reap the rewards.

APPLICATION: Don’t let intellectualism, laziness or fear hinder or stunt your business. Clouds will always be in the sky (literally and figuratively) because we live in a fallen, sinful world full of uncertainty, chaos and storms. You and I are to walk by faith and not by sight!

A preoccupation with strategic plans can cloud your perspective, because you’ll miss the very opportunities God is giving you TODAY to sow seeds for future business. Beware of the paralysis of analysis.

There will always a cloud full of excuses why you can’t, or shouldn’t, launch that promotion or make those sales calls today. But the simple reality is, you have a business to run. Your business needs business to stay in business. Business won’t come in the door unless you’re actively marketing and prospecting. In order to reap, you must sow.

The Lord has taught me that it’s wise to continuously take the initiative and sow seeds today, instead of holding off until the time is “perfect.” Some of the most successful promotions we’ve implemented have been during times when you’re not “supposed” to do promotions. We are faithful in promoting the business year-round, regardless of the clouds, and we’ve reaped the rewards.

To conclude: take the initiative today! Even if you don’t “feel” like it, or it looks like a bad day, do it and watch God bless your faithfulness.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Nehemiah 13:8 (KJV)，read Restoration of Covenant Life, Phase Two: Ezra and Nehemiah Together (Nehemiah 8:1-13:31) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Do You Really Want to Rob God?

Devotions/Partners

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Malachi 3:8-12 (KJV) “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.”

COMMENTARY: One of the biggest sins in the Old Testament was covetousness. The children of Israel were guilty of coveting their money, possessions and financial resources instead of being faithful in giving the LORD their tithes and offerings. God chastised them and explained the enormous benefits of being faithful in giving.

APPLICATION: Covetousness is still as big a sin today as it was in the Old Testament. When I was born again at age 29, the Holy Spirit began to teach and convict me about tithes and offerings. As New Year’s Day approached, I made a resolution to begin tithing effective January 1, 1986. For decades since, I have faithfully given my tithes and offerings to the Lord and have experienced this promise in Malachi 3. We have been through some challenging times, but through it all, the Lord has been faithful and true to His Word.

Perhaps today, you need to make a commitment to obey the Lord in the area of tithes and offerings. Perhaps you’re guilty of robbing God, of being covetous and stingy. Let God set you free, step forward by faith, and watch Him work. (A word of caution: don’t turn your tithe into an idol. I have a friend who did that, and the LORD had to teach him a dramatic lesson in idolatry. If you’re tithing, don’t worship the tithe and consider it a magical casino slot machine. God is a jealous God, and He doesn’t want the tithe or anything else to become a false god.)

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Ecclesiastes 11:4 (KJV)，read There is No Way to Know What Comes Afterwards (Eccl 9:1-11:6) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary

Declare Your Independence

Devotions/Partners

Galatians 5:1 (KJV): “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

COMMENTARY: As Paul went on his missionary journeys and returned to visit the churches he had helped to plant, he was astounded by Christians who had been set free by trusting Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit, only to gradually go back into emotional, mental, physical, financial, political and spiritual bondage.

APPLICATION: Perhaps today is the day for you to finally declare your independence from the world’s way of doing business once and for all:

1) As a Christian, I AM FREE to do my job with love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

2) As a Christian, I AM FREE to abide in God’s call as a “minister in the marketplace.” I have the liberty to be a Godly employer or employee in word and in deed.

3) As a Christian, I AM FREE from being manipulated by other people including customers, bosses, employees and suppliers. I am free from manipulating others. I have the liberty to build win-win relationships.

4) As a Christian, I AM FREE of covetousness. I have the liberty to lay up my treasures in heaven instead of here on earth. I am free from jealousy over my peer’s power, positions and possessions. I am free to avoid debt, to pay my taxes, to compensate people fairly and on-time, and to avoid the accumulation of material goods that have no eternal value.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Malachi 3:8-12 (KJV)，read Both Sin and Hope Remain Present in Work (Malachi 1:1-4:6) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Called To Work

Author: design

Down But Not Out

For Further Exploration

Don’t Take Your Job for Granted

For Further Exploration

Don’t Take Too Much Upon You

For Further Exploration

Don’t Self-Destruct

For Further Exploration

Don’t Play the Cash Flow Game

For Further Exploration

Don’t Leave a Trail of Financial Destruction

For Further Exploration

Don’t Compromise Your Conscience

For Further Exploration

Don’t Be a Dreamer

For Further Exploration

Do You Really Want to Rob God?

For Further Exploration

Declare Your Independence

For Further Exploration

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