Devotions/Partners, English – Page 11

“Layers of Green” @ Work

December 12, 2022

Devotions/Partners

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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!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

Acquainted with Grief @ Work

December 10, 2022

Devotions / Partners

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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 Week sponsored 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.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about 2 Peter 1:5-8 (KJV)， read Depending on God (James 1:5–18) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Are you a “Chronic Crisis Creator” @ Work?

Devotions/ Partners

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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.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) and Hebrews 12:2 (KJV), read Isaiah and Work and Endure Hardship and Pursue Peace (Hebrews 12:1-16) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

What to do when you’re NOT selected

December 9, 2022

Devotions/ Partners

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.”

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay. Used with Permission.

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.

Called To Work

Category: Devotions/Partners, English

“Layers of Green” @ Work

Acquainted with Grief @ Work

For Further Exploration

Are you a “Chronic Crisis Creator” @ Work?

For Further Exploration

What to do when you’re NOT selected

For Further Exploration

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