Image by congerdesign / pixabay. Used with Permission.
2 Corinthians
7:1-3 (KJV): “Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Receive us; we
have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I
speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our
hearts to die and live with you.”
COMMENTARY: If anyone in the world should relish freedom, it should be
Christ-followers.
If you study the writings and principles of the USA’s founders, you’ll
discover that the founders understood that the freedom they sought is not
unlimited. Absolute freedom is chaos, anarchy and insanity. Our founders knew
that, for our nation to survive and thrive, it’s essential that our citizens
consistently practice “freedom with responsibility.
We don’t talk about it much in Christendom, but the reality is that
there are businesspeople (some of whom are or claim to be Christians) who abuse
their freedom; who do not practice “freedom with responsibility.” Unlike the
Apostle Paul’s example in this passage, some citizens are white collar or blue
collar criminals. They have little if any conscience or internal moral compass
that guides them in what’s right or wrong. They blatantly and deliberately
deceive, manipulate, corrupt and defraud others and leave a painful trail of
destruction in their wakes. Shame on them!
APPLICATION: Don’t abuse the freedom you have in Christ! Don’t trample on it! Don’t
take advantage of this enormous and precious freedom, bought at such a high
price, and turn it into license for bad, ungodly and abusive behavior. You are
here to be salt and light, Ambassadors for the King of the Universe. With that
comes a great opportunity and a great responsibility.
Image by Brockenhexe / pixabay. Used with Permission.
Luke 19:8
(KJV): “And Zacchaeus stood, and
said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and
if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him
fourfold.”
COMMENTARY: Here in New England, the past ten years have been brutal to our
forests. Between freaky ice storms, excessively heavy snowfalls, droughts,
gypsy moths, rare tornadoes, tropical storms and various blights, sections of
previously serene forests and streams now look like battle zones. For example,
I recently hiked on a trail that led down a steep ravine with a bubbling brook
and moss-covered rocky waterfalls. However, the enormous natural beauty of the
scene was completely overshadowed by fallen trees and branches everywhere.
“Someone,” I thought to myself, “should clean this up and restore the area to
its original beauty.”
That got me thinking about wreckage we cause at work, that we never
bother to clean up. Instead, we move on, leaving the debris and damage control
for others to cope and struggle with.
For example, think of the financial wreckage that people and
organizations cause when they don’t pay their bills. You could flippantly say,
“Oh, it’s no big deal; they can write it off.” Wrong! You have a moral
obligation to pay your bills, period. That’s called integrity. Whether someone
can write off an unpaid debt isn’t the core issue; besides, many businesses
can’t write off losses. The monies you were supposed to pay them have a direct
and immediate impact on their sustainability, cash flow, profitability, ability
to meet their payroll and honor their commitments to suppliers, banks,
landlords, tax authorities, owners and investors.
Wreckage at work comes in more forms than just money. It comes in the
form of bullying, foul speech, bad attitudes, laziness, lying and deception. It
comes from a lack of attention to detail and quality. It comes from broken or
tarnished relationships with owners, managers, employees, customers, suppliers.
It comes in the form of a tarnished public reputation. It comes in the form of
workplace violence, theft and destruction of company property. The list goes on
and on.
APPLICATION: When I hear someone say, “Sorry, that’s business,” I
cringe. That phrase is indicative of the internal guilt that someone feels for
doing (and justifying) something they know is intrinsically wrong. If you have
caused workplace wreckage, be sensitive to the convicting inner voice of the
Holy Spirit. Be eager to apologize, seek forgiveness, repair, restore and make
restitution for the damage that you have caused.
If you really love the Lord and love your neighbor as yourself, you
cannot carelessly leave a mess for others to deal with. Be a mature
Christ-follower and take personal responsibility for the wreckage that you have
caused. Maybe you can’t make complete amends, but you should sincerely try.
Even if the wreckage happened years ago. If you obey Him, you will glorify Him
through your change of heart–like Zacchaeus did in today’s Scripture passage.
Image by aliwigle / pixabay. Used with Permission.
Psalm 33:3-9 (KJV): “Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a
loud noise. For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in
truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness
of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of
them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as
an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the
LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake,
and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
COMMENTARY: Looking at the competitive landscape, what advantages do you and
your organization possess that can help you to survive and prosper in the days
ahead? One advantage, perhaps under-utilized, is “creativity.
Over the decades of my career, I’ve been amazed by the creativity of
some people and organizations. For example, one of my all-time “heroes” is Walt
Disney. Growing up, I’d watch the Wonderful World of Disney on television on
Sunday nights. I’d see Disney movies. During the summer of America’s
Bicentennial in 1976, I worked for the Entertainment Division of Walt Disney
World and went through what later turned into Disney University. Creativity was
ingrained in the culture, and it oozed in every way, from the “macro”
(big picture) to the “micro” (details).
Creativity is the ability to create rather than imitate; to cause what
did not exist to exist. Historically, America’s culture of freedom has bred
creativity and innovation. The capacity to be creative comes from the Creator;
we’re made in His image, so we are by nature, inherently creative. However, in
our fallen, sinful condition, not all creativity is good. Just think of
criminals who can be very creative, but they foolishly and wrongly apply
creativity in harmful, destructive and evil ways.
As Christ-followers, we’re adopted children of the Creator with His
Spirit dwelling within us. This Holy Spirit is the source of 100% “good”
creativity. Therefore, to abound in good creativity, it’s wise for you and me
to be full of the Holy Spirit. He can make us supernaturally innovative,
flexible and adaptable to change in ways that are constructive and beneficial
for ourselves and others.
APPLICATION: Through the Holy Spirit, Christians in the workplace should be
the most creative business owners, executives, managers, and employees on
earth. As God’s creativity flows in and through us, we can prayerfully apply it
and be pioneers, causing others to imitate us.
As you seek to be creative and pioneering, let me share a word of
caution: Creativity that isn’t controlled by the Holy Spirit can become
overheated, impulsive, impetuous, impatient, easily bored or unreasonable. By
the same token, you don’t want to inhibit and restrict the flow of creativity.
With Spirit-led creativity, there’s a healthy balance.
Image by barmanCZ / pixabay. Used with Permission.
Esther 2:15 (KJV): “Now
when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had
taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required
nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women,
appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon
her.”
COMMENTARY: During several recent hikes in the hilly, thick woods of
Connecticut, I have come across beautiful Lady Slippers — rare and unique
flowers that tend to grow alone. In the midst of all of the other abundant
plant species, Lady Slippers stand out because they are so peculiar, colorful
and uncommon.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, you will find men and women who
are specially and unusually gifted, anointed, called and favored by the Lord.
One such person is Esther. If you will, she was a human “Lady Slipper” whom God
placed at just the right place, at just the right time, to rescue the Jews from
persecution and death.
APPLICATION: Today, the Lord still creates, equips, raises up and uses
special people for His divine purposes, in His way and time. This applies to
workplaces, too. These people are not hard to spot, as they tend to stand out
just as Lady Slippers do. God has placed them in your work life to be a
blessing.
In today’s hyper “equality-sensitive” culture, we may grimace at the
thought that God raises up special people, but He does. We may resent and be
jealous of the “Lady Slippers” in our lives, but our thoughts and
feelings don’t change reality one bit. We are not all equal in gifting,
anointing, calling and favor. If there are Lady Slippers in your life,
thank God for them, pray for them and support them!
John 3:16
(KJV): “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
COMMENTARY: Today, “vaccine” is one of the most common words that
we hear each day, in the news and at work, home, church, and elsewhere. Here in
Connecticut, we rank among the top five states, based on the percentage of
people who have been vaccinated for Covid-19. However, Connecticut ranks 44th
in vaccinations for a much worse virus. Only about 13% of the state’s
population has received the vaccine for this virus, leaving 87% dangerously
exposed. To compound the problem, this virus is something that 100% of us have.
We inherit it from our parents.
You could call it the “SN” virus–or Sin Nature Virus. And
it’s nasty! In fact, the whole world is messed up because of it. Without a
vaccine, every one of us is destined to spend eternity in hell. Ouch! That
sounds harsh and shocking, but it’s true. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
You could call the vaccine for this Sin Nature Virus the “J”
vaccine. Not the J&J vaccine, but the Jesus Vaccine. It wasn’t developed by
a man-made lab. It isn’t manufactured by a man-made religion. It was conceived
and made by God Himself. As the Scriptures declare, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
APPLICATION: When you receive the Jesus Vaccine, your sins are forgiven. You
receive the gift of eternal life in heaven and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Are
you interested in taking this vaccine now? Click here. http://www.christatwork.org/freegift.html
Personally, I received the Jesus Vaccine on Saturday, June 8, 1985 in
the Jonathan Edwards Room at the Ramada Inn in East Windsor, Connecticut, and
I’ve never regretted it. What’s your story? Please share it by reply email. dcrandall@ChristAtWork.org
2 Peter 1:5-8
(KJV): “And beside this, giving all
diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness
charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye
shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
COMMENTARY: Here in the rocky hills of northeastern Connecticut (USA), spring
still hasn’t completely sprung, but as I hike the local trails, I’m watching
new life gradually and sequentially sprout up in vibrant layers of green. It’s
like a painter who keeps adding new splashes of green to a giant outdoor, 3D
canvas, eventually completing a wonderful new masterpiece.
During a local hike on Sunday afternoon, the deciduous trees were
still barren, but along the streams, skunk cabbage (which is a really bad name;
the plant doesn’t deserve such a bad rap) was gloriously emerging, adding a
beautiful green dimension to the wetlands and streams. The reason why it’s
called skunk cabbage is that if you break the surface of the leaves, it smells
a little “skunky.” In reality, skunk cabbage has some fascinating
features and purposes. For example, as it begins to pop out of the ground in
late winter, it creates its own heat and melts surrounding ice and snow. It is
also very important early-spring food for black bears who have just come out of
winter hibernation. Can you imagine what a delicacy it must be after not eating
for months?
APPLICATION: When your faith in Christ comes alive, the Lord wants you to
grow in Him for a lifetime. As the days of your life pass, and you are continuously
nourished by streams of living water from the Holy Spirit and the Word of God,
the Lord wants you to mature and show various “layers of green.”
Layers of new, abundant life.
If you will, in today’s Scripture passage, faith could be construed to
be the early-stage “skunk cabbage;” the first layer of green that He
wants you to show, followed by other layers of green such as virtue, knowledge,
temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. As these
various layers of green blossom inside of you, your knowledge of Christ will
not be barren or unfruitful. You will be a living canvas radiating with
life-giving greenery, a living testimony and blessing to all with whom you come
into contact at work and elsewhere. Praise God!
Isaiah 53:3
(KJV): “He is despised and rejected
of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our
faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Hebrews 12:2
(KJV): “Looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
COMMENTARY: Palm Sunday, March 28 marks the start of the 22nd annual Joy At Work
Weeksponsored by Northeast Christians At Work. Since our first event in 2000,
our mantra has been “Your Glow Should Show Who You Know.”
As a Christ-follower, if you really believe what you say you
believe–that through God’s amazing grace through faith in Jesus, your sins are
forgiven, you’ve received the free gift of eternal life in heaven and the gift
of the Holy Spirit–then you should be the most joyful employer or employee at
your workplace. A consistently grumpy Christian at work is a contradiction of
terms.
APPLICATION: Lest you think that being joyful at work is some kind of
whimsical, naïve, idealistic fairy tale pipedream, being joyful at work doesn’t
exclude you from being acquainted with grief. It doesn’t give you a free pass
from sorrow, pain, distress, frustration and discouragement. It doesn’t mean
that you won’t be despised, persecuted or rejected. It doesn’t mean that you
won’t experience suffering. But throughout the journey, you will still have joy
inside as you abide with the Lord and look forward to spending eternity with
Him.
If Jesus was acquainted with grief and suffering and we are His
disciples, then WE will also be acquainted with grief and suffering. Don’t let
grief in your workplace rob you of the joy the Holy Spirit can and wants to
give you. As His joy shines through you, it will be a vibrant testimony to the
co-workers, customers, and suppliers with whom you work.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay . Used with Permission.
Proverbs 25:19 (KJV): “Confidence in an unfaithful man in
time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of
joint.”
COMMENTARY: Every owner, executive, manager and
employee could be plotted somewhere on the spectrum from low maintenance to
high maintenance. Within your organization, you probably have some people who
could be described as extremely high maintenance. In other words, they tend to
be “Chronic Crisis Creators.”
The word
“crisis” means an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in
which a decisive change is impending; a situation that has reached a critical
phase. One of the key ways in which someone can be a chronic crisis
creator is by being unfaithful. By not handling his or her job competently,
responsibly and reliably. As a result, processes break down, problems arise,
expensive mistakes are made, accidents happen, and the wheels of progress slow
or stop instead of humming along at peak capacity.
* One of the
reasons why people may be chronic crisis creators is because they sincerely do
not understand what’s expected of them. Their job descriptions are fuzzy or
non-existent. They meander and ramble through the day, putting in their time
while being naïve or clueless about their tasks–and the importance of
accomplishing them with excellence.
* Another
reason is their work ethic. Some people simply do not care about being
competent, reliable and responsible. They will do the least work possible, with
poor quality, out of a bad attitude, lack of motivation, sheer laziness or
disorganization. They are oblivious or insensitive to their impact on others
and the bottom line.
* Another
reason is their training. Some people really aren’t well-trained on the proper
ways to do their jobs. They know their job description, they understand it, and
they think they’re doing fine, when in reality, their performance is marginal
and disruptive.
* Another
reason is their personality. When faced with difficulties, some people mentally
and emotionally panic and go haywire. They cannot handle problems. Or,
they thrive on generating drama, getting attention, and having people rush
to their rescue instead of solving problems on their own.
APPLICATION: Today, pray and ask the Lord to help you
to look in the “spiritual mirror.” Are you a Chronic Crisis Creator
at work? If so, why? What are the core reasons?
Are you fuzzy
on your job description?
Do you have a
bad attitude?
Are you
lazy?
Are you
disorganized?
Do you lack
proper training?
Do you have
the kind of personality that panics when difficulties arise?
Are you a
Drama King or Drama Queen?
How can you,
in collaboration with the Lord, your supervisor and peers, change from being a
Chronic Crisis Creator to a Consistent Crisis Avoider? Chronic Crisis Creators
erode morale and add to workplace stress, chaos and confusion.
By
contrast, Consistent Crisis Avoiders enhance peace, productivity and
profitability. By doing so, they lay a foundation for enhanced job security and
a better testimony for the Lord.
Acts 1:21-26 (KJV): “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
COMMENTARY: Anyone searching for, applying for, and interviewing for a job
knows the risk of being considered a candidate. There is always a significant
possibility that you will not be selected. You may be an upright, competent,
qualified, gifted and experienced person who could fill the position, but for
one reason or another, you are not selected.
This happens in all work environments: businesses, non-profits,
governments and even churches. (Just talk to any candidate who has not been
selected for a particular pastor position.)
A similar situation can arise when you or your firm are not selected
as a supplier by a prospective or existing customer.
How you handle not being selected speaks volumes about your
perspective, attitude, humility, view of yourself and others, and your need to
“control.” In this passage of Scripture, the original disciples had
to select a replacement for Judas. Two highly qualified candidates were considered:
Joseph and Matthias. The differential between the two men was so slight, that
after much prayer and discernment, they still could not decide. They ended up
casting lots, which was a 50-50 possibility for both candidates. That’s how
“equal” the two candidates were.
After casting lots, Matthias was selected and Joseph was not. We don’t
know much about the rest of their lives, but it appears that both men were
faithful until the end. Nowhere in Scripture or other historic documents is
there a hint of discontent, disagreement, rumbling, resentment or retribution
on the part of Joseph.
Think of the example of John Mark in the Book of Acts, chapter 15.
Paul didn’t select John Mark for his next missionary journey. Instead, Barnabas
took John Mark with him to Cyprus. The reality was, there was plenty of
missionary work to be done. As time went by and John Mark demonstrated his
faithfulness, Paul’s heart softened. Paul requested John Mark to join him in 2
Timothy 4. The story had a happy ending.
Now think of Saul. When he realized that he had been disqualified
as king, and that David was anointed to become the new king, Saul had a temper
tantrum and was filled with bitterness, envy, jealousy and hatred. It was very
ugly, and the story has a very bad ending.
APPLICATION: When you are not selected in any kind of job situation, be it
paid or volunteer, it is natural for your pride to be wounded and for you to
experience an initial flood of negative feelings and thoughts. You may feel
disappointed, discouraged, rejected, misunderstood, hurt, mistreated or
discriminated against.
Now comes the defining moment. You have the freewill to respond in
many ways. You can let those negative feelings and thoughts become a root of
bitterness that festers and grows. Or, you can maintain your self-control, face
the reality that you weren’t selected, and move on.
It’s not wise
to drag things out, create a fuss, and escalate the situation into an ugly
battle that can hurt yourself, others, and your testimony for Jesus. Obviously,
God has other plans for your journey, or the timing may be off. You may indeed
be selected, but just not “now.” In any case, the future isn’t yours
to know or control. Trust God and keep running the race that’s set before
you!
Joyfully
yours,
Drew
For Further Exploration
For further exploration
about Proverbs 25:19 (KJV), read Proverbs and Work from
the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.
