Work is a blessing, not a curse.Thank God it’s Monday! Bridge the Sunday gap to Monday.Bridge the Sacred and Secular divide.Work is a ministry, not just a job.Work as Worship – work is more than a paycheck.Receive blessings from God and be a blessing at work.Keep an empty seat for Jesus at work – a reminder to invite Jesus to intervene, integrate our faith at work.Take Jesus to work – don’t leave Jesus at home. Don’t lock Jesus outside of your office.Embrace and enjoy our work with God’s 5P blessings – His Presence, Power, Promises, Provisions, Pleasant surprises.
SUBSCRIBE

How Well Are You Maintaining?

Devotions/Partners

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Ecclesiastes 10:18 (KJV): “By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.”

COMMENTARY: Would you agree that some aspects of the workplace are more glamorous and exciting than others? This passage applies to every workplace, even if it’s a small home-based business. The reality is that there are mundane aspects of maintaining your facility that are easy to ignore or miss. There are also bigger aspects of maintaining your facility that are easy to dismiss and delay because they are a significant expense. This passage reveals that the root cause of much facility decay is sheer laziness. Companies aren’t willing to allocate the funds and aren’t motivated to maintain their facilities because it’s just too much of a hassle and expense. So, they coast.

APPLICATION: “Pay me now, or pay me later” and “mind the store” are common expressions that apply to your facility today. It’s much wiser to nip problems in the bud now, than to hold off on required maintenance until things reach crisis or emergency mode. You may not be the facilities manager where you work, but you can help by taking good care of your own workspace; reporting areas of concern to your supervisor, facilities manager or landlord; and making constructive suggestions about how your facilities can be kept in tip-top shape without breaking the budget.

This passage also applies to your personal home. Are you being a diligent steward of your home, or are you foolishly and lazily allowing it to decay? As the owner of a log home for decades, I can tell you that if I’m lazy about taking care of my logs, my home will eventually rot. Not on my watch!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Ecclesiastes 10:18 (KJV), read There is No Way to Know What Comes Afterwards (Eccl 9:1-11:6) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Hindering Wisdom: 12 Sources of Static

Devotions/Partners

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Proverbs 18:1 (KJV): “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.”

COMMENTARY: Wisdom is always crying out. It’s never a matter of “message sent,” but always a matter of “message received.” If you have  the Holy Spirit inside, then you have the awesome capacity to tune into wisdom like never before.

APPLICATION: Through our carnal nature, we can actually meddle with wisdom. Here are twelve sources of static from the entire chapter of Proverbs 18 that can interfere with your receptivity to wisdom:

1) Desire of fame, fortune or fantasy.

2) Selfishness.

3) Condoning evil.

4) Trying to “win” every discussion.

5) Incessant talking.

6) Laziness.

7) Trusting in your riches.

8) Excessive self-confidence.

9) Jumping to conclusions.

10) Allowing your wounds to make you insensitive or ultrasensitive.

11) Overzealousness.

12) Building walls between you and those who have offended you.

After reading this list, is it any wonder that wisdom seems to be lacking in so many workplaces today? If you want wisdom to prevail in your workplace, it begins with you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal and remove sources of static in your heart and mind. 

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Proverbs 18:1 (KJV), read Proverbs and Work from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.