faithful – Called To Work

Endure Hardness

January 10, 2023

Devotions/Partners

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2 Timothy 2:3 (KJV): “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

COMMENTARY: Being a vibrant, on-fire Christian in the workplace requires spiritual fortitude, conviction and strength. Don’t be naïve; you work in the midst of a global, daily spiritual battle between the

forces of Light and the forces of darkness. There are NO neutral zones! Every hour of every day, we are in this battle. We will always be in this battle until the Lord calls us home. In the meantime, we are exhorted to be good soldiers of the Cross for a lifetime.

APPLICATION: I was saved at a Christian business breakfast in June of 1985. Shortly after I was saved, I read the parable of the soils and I made a promise to God that my mind and heart would be fertile ground for His Word. I told him that I wanted to bear much fruit, and over the decades, He has honored this desire and commitment.

However, I can fervently say that without enduring hardness, my Christian journey would not be as fruitful as it has been. I have experienced many scary times that could have filled me with despair and caused me to quit.

But what Satan has meant for evil, God has turned for good. I’ve had clients, including several Christians, fail to pay their bills and nearly destroy me financially. I’ve had some clients threaten and curse me. I’ve had some of our best clients leave because I’m too evangelical (at the time, one client was responsible for 42% of our revenues). I’ve received crank phone calls and emails, and significant criticism. Through it all, God has been faithful. Over and over again, He has turned apparent tragedy into triumph. By the grace of God, we’re still standing on the sure foundation of Christ and daily giving our time, talent, tongue and treasure for His Kingdom.

I share this brief testimony to encourage you…BE FAITHFUL. If you are currently facing a great hardship of any kind, endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. In the final analysis, He will, He will, He will give you the victory!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

#62

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Proverbs 19:1 (KJV)，read Proverbs and Work from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Are You a Monster @ Work?

January 4, 2023

Devotions/Partners

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Matthew 23:25, 28 (KJV): “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

COMMENTARY: In this passage, Jesus rebuked these religious leaders for their double standard, their dual “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” personalities. On the outside, they were Dr. Jekylls—upright citizens. On the inside, they were Mr. Hydes—spiritual monsters!

APPLICATION: Some people praise the Lord during weekend worship services, look and act so holy, but if you saw them in their workplaces you’d see a different person. The first step in overcoming hypocrisy is acknowledging that you are guilty of it. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you that you’re a Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, don’t beat yourself up. If the truth were known, all Christians are hypocrites in one way or another. The only true hypocrisy-free person to walk on earth was Jesus Christ.

Humble yourself before your God, pray and ask Him to forgive you and supernaturally set you free of hypocrisy from this day forward: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:5b-9)

As you grow in the Lord, obey the Word and walk in the Holy Spirit, your hypocrisy will diminish.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Ecclesiastes 7:1 (KJV), read There Is No Way to Find Out What Is Good to Do (Eccl 6:10-8:17) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Are you a “Chronic Crisis Creator” @ Work?

December 10, 2022

Devotions/ Partners

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.

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.

Called To Work

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Endure Hardness

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Are you a “Chronic Crisis Creator” @ Work?

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