The Working Believer

Fear of people can be paralyzing, especially in a working environment. Every day, we have things that need to get done, and every day, we either succeed or fail to fulfill those goals or tasks that we set for ourselves, or that are set by those over us. If our ultimate meaning or fulfillment is found in the approval of others, then the thought of failure is crippling. “What is going to happen to me? Am I going to get fired? What could I have done differently? Are they mad?” And so on... Our thoughts and emotions can run wild when we have a fear of people, but that is why we must Trust in the Lord, and His Word. Even if the Lord should lead into a wilderness, He will be with us, go before us, sustain us through it, and be glorified through our trust of Him and His provision. It’s a hard thing to shake, but the fear of people can be overcome by the Love and Grace of the Lord.

Number 5: Be Unreliable Regardless where we fall within the Organizational Chart, if we can not be trusted to own the day-to-day tasks within our areas of responsibility we not only diminish our opportunities to add value to the company, but we also drastically diminish our ability to speak personally into the lives of our teammates, Direct reports, and Overseers. “"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:10‬ Did you notice the correlation between being faithful versus being unrighteousness? Could it be that if we are not faithful in the work tasks that “don’t really matter”, are we allowing unrighteousness into our hearts and lives? Sobering thoughts. Don’t be the Unreliable Sluggard! Be found faithful, a good servant, that you may be entrusted with more, as well as remain above reproach should you also have the opportunity to share the Gospel with anyone at ...

What is it that prevents us from living with boldness for the Lord? I’m reminded of Peter. After seeing Jesus walking toward them on the water, Peter, out of Joy over seeing his Lord, wants to join Him. “Come!” said Jesus. And Peter stepped out of the boat. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to think that after that first step into the water found solid footing, I’d have been running, skipping, and doing cartwheels over the waves. However, even after we have experienced the power of God, and stood in Victory through Faith, we can still slip and fall. “But...seeing the waves, Peter became frightened...and began to sink.” (Matt 14:30) It can happen to any one of us. But, when in doubt, or the wind and waves of the world are frightening you, before giving in, or looking to yourself for the answers and help you need, remember Peter... “Lord, save me!” Don’t be proud. Living in boldness is more about our Humility before the Lord rather than our bodacity. But in calling our to Jesus, ...

Number 4: Be Irritating When it comes to Team Building, few things are more frustrating than people who are Foolish, Lazy, and Burdensome. It can be difficult and discouraging, and over time...toxic to a team, if not addressed. It is easy to see how one’s Witness, or Representation of Christ, could be damaged. Imagine being this type of worker, and then trying to reach out to a Lost coworker...or a Supervisor / Manager. Don’t be the irritating Sluggard! The stakes are not the tasks of a job, or a potential promotion; the tasks are Eternal: The Salvation of our lost coworkers, our Supervisors, and our Direct Reports, the encouragement and Discipleship of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, and our personal walk with the Lord.

An anxious heart is the result of a lack of thankful prayer. There are many things about which we can worry in life: work, pending promotions, performance reviews, deadlines, quotas, family, kids, bills, taxes, the unknown...and so on. However, there are also many things about which we can be thankful: another day, fulfillment of basic needs, the Cross, Forgiveness, the Grace of God, His Word, the freedom to worship the Lord and read the Scriptures. By focusing on the latter, we will often smother any anxious thoughts because we remember Who holds tomorrow, and Who holds our hand; namely, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬

Number 3: Be a Burden There is a word for when a person seeks to be given something that they did not work for: Entitlement...and it kills teams. For the Working Believer, our time at work is best spent working heartily for the Lord, serving our earthly masters with sincerity of heart, and being productive and fruitful. When we allow the world to infiltrate our hearts, we can quickly turn to a self-first mentality, justify our laziness, and then become embittered by all the things that we do not have, whether we earned them or not. Do you want to grow personally and professionally on your team? Don’t be a burdensome Sluggard! Find a way to add value, and bless those with whom you serve.

There is a Direct Correlation between the Difficulties we face in our Walk with the Lord and the Determination we have to Meditate on the Word of the Lord. The state of our Bible probably gives a good indication as to the condition of our hearts, attitudes, and emotions: a dusty, unopened Bible will yield fear, doubt, worldliness, and a focus on ourselves over others. A bible that is well-worn, excavated as we search for Wisdom, Discernment, and Light will yield Peace, Joy, Patience, Perseverance, Self-Control, and a desire to Serve others. What does your Bible look like? What have you been reading lately? How are you applying it in your every day life?

Number 2: Be Lazy Laziness does not line up with the work ethic of the Scriptures. It is impossible, when seeking to do our work heartily as unto the Lord, to be lazy in that work. It is tempting to try and justify our laziness by stripping our roles in the company of any value: “My job isn’t important, so why should I care?” or “If my Supervisor, or Manager, doesn’t care, why should I?” The problem with this is that it cannot be justified. Our work ethic, just like our Walk with the Lord, is our personal responsibility. No other person, or situation, gives us leave of our duty and calling to represent Christ Jesus, whom we represent at all times. And...laziness is not easily confined: if we allow laziness in our work life, it won’t be long until it finds its way into our home life, married life, parenting life, church life, devotional life, and so on. Don’t be the lazy, unproductive Sluggard!

Stress. Disappointment. Frustration. Pride. Selfishness. Irritation. All have one thing in common... They’re subtle. Like a pot of water on simmer, the rise in temperature is barely noticed...but inevitably, the boiling point is reached, and the water rages in heat. Be on guard. Look out for one another. In love, ask how your brothers and sisters in Christ are doing in their walk with the Lord, or what they are reading in the Bible. Do you pray for your people? If you’re a Supervisor, let your people know you are praying for them. Let your Manager know you’re praying for them. Live the Gospel. Lean on Grace. Walk with God. Share it with others.

Number 1: Be Unteachable One of the most difficult thing to deal with on a team is a person who never admits a mistake, constantly shifts blame, or who takes confidence to the level of ultra arrogance. As a Working Believer, we not only need to be Teachable ourselves, but we also need to model that kind of humility to others. When we shift blame, refuse to take ownership, or we think more highly of ourselves than we ought...we are also hindering our ability to potentially share with our coworkers and teammates about the Grace, Mercy, and Forgiveness of Christ. Don’t be the foolish, over-confident Sluggard!

After a long week of hard work, serving others, and living intentionally...the sweet rest of weekend sure looks good. How much sweeter will our rest be when we see Jesus face to face! The joy and satisfaction of the Weekend is a molecule or mist compared to the ocean of the Glory we will experience when in His Kingdom! Have a safe and blessed weekend! Take time to love your wife/husband, invest in your kids, and fellowship with the Body of Christ.

I actually love chopping wood! Growing up in the country, I had a lot of opportunity to chop wood, and the reality of this verse is legit: trying to split wood with a dull axe is exhausting, and nothing is more frustrating than to have a powerful swing bounce off of a log due to an unsharpened splitter. It’s so important to take time to sharpen. Even though the time spent sharpening does not yield any cut wood, it drastically decreases the time and effort it takes to chop. And of course, the application is much more broad than just farm chores. When serving others, we can become dull and worn just like an axe blade. Time, conflict, and extended periods of exertion can definitely wear us down, so it is important to sharpen ourselves. Take time to get away, pray, read the Scriptures, worship, rest, and spend some time with friends and family having fun to recharge and sharpen your edge. Establish such a time of sharpening and guard it, knowing that a sharpened Servant is an effective ...

On the roughest days at work, it’s tempting to think, “Ughhh...this job is horrible!!” But the truth is...that’s not me. Is your reaction to your work, and the day-to-day stresses, frustrations, and short comings really you? Or have you been coached? And if you’ve been coached...by what? “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart...” Matt. 15:18‬ So the question is...what’s in your heart? "Somebody is going to control your mind. Is it going to be the Advertiser? Is it going to be the public school? Is it going to be the media? Or is it going to be God?" - A.W. Tozer

Everything changes. Actually...let me rephrase that: Everything changes, except God. In our professional lives, the ebb and flow of demands, procedures, and policies is enough to make anyone’s head spin, and it can absolutely be overwhelming. Changes in ownership, management, the promotion of a coworker, or a shift in organizational structure can absolutely take a toll on our ability to maintain a clear perspective. Career advancements, setbacks, and plateaus can occur making it difficult to get your bearings. At the end of the day, our Hope and Peace in this life are built on the Sovereignty of He who holds tomorrow. Despite the changes in our lives, God is no less God of our new circumstances as He was in our old circumstances. This week, remember that God is still on His throne, still leading and guiding you, and is not surprised by the situational shifts of your life.

Our ability to live the Gospel and Represent the Lord Jesus well in all arenas of our lives hinges on our determination to REMEMBER: 1) Remember Christ, and Him Crucified, paying the penalty of our sins 2) Remember Christ Resurrected securing our Victory over death 3) Remember God and His Word that we might walk in His precepts When we lose sight of what we are most thankful for (the above 3), we stop being Grateful. We stop representing the Lord. We stop walking in and sharing the Gospel. Set up your memorial stones! REMEMBER.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that surprises God. He is Sovereign. He created all, owns all, and holds all together. He is the first and last. He is the Eternal Father, Redeeming Son, and Securing Spirit. When we get distracted by our mortality and look down at the waves around our feet taking our eyes off of Jesus Christ, we might grow fearful and begin to sink. But just because we have grown fearful does not make Christ any less the Master of the Seas, and all Creation. He can speak, “Peace, be still” and quiet your troubled soul. The worries and stress of life are nothing at all when we stop to remember exactly who holds tomorrow. Not the politicians. Not the sports icons. Not the movie stars. Not the business market. Not our jobs. God, and God alone, is worthy, and it is in Him we are to put our trust. Giants fall, empires crumble, kings tremble, hunger is fed, thirst is quenched, brokenness is mended, heartache is loved, emptiness is filled, discouragement is uplifted,...

It is very popular to begrudge your work. It seems like everyone, Believer or non, takes the view that work is horrible, something to endure until the weekend, and out of which can come no good thing, least of all any sense of joy or fulfillment. It is VERY popular to think that way. But just because it is the popular view, adopted by most by default, does not mean it is worthy, Biblical, or of any Eternal Value. Don’t go with the Flow; go with the Father.

It is Tuesday. See...you lived through Monday, so obviously they are not lethal. Today is another opportunity to serve the Lord by LIVING the Gospel: specifically while you are at work. There are so many rich truths about work and working that are still directly applicable to us today, but if we plug our ears, and refuse to hear them...we will go on missing the SINGLE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY to reach those who desperately need Christ. Don't be like the guy below. Your work week matters to the Lord, and wee need to abide in Him every week, living with GRATITUDE in our hearts for all He has done, acting and interacting with those in our circles with the proper ATTITUDE that represents the Jesus we Love and Follow, and we need to have kind of APTITUDE, or Quality of Work, that makes people wonder, "Why do they work like that? What do they have figured out that I am missing?" Be the Working Believer that you were called to be, and apply the lessons of Scripture below (just to...

YES! This verse applies to Mondays, too! Get over it, Garfield. Mondays are no different than any other day of the week. We have belittled and devalued Monday to the point that the very uttering of the word insights nausea, headaches, anxiety, cold sweats, self-doubt, identity loss, double vision, and in some cases...death. Well, no not actually, but to hear some people talk about Mondays...that seems to be the reality of how it makes people feel. Monday morning, we have the opportunity to wake up, step out of bed and into our walk with the Lord, applying the very Gospel and Grace that we sang about the morning before! If we are struggling with how we "FEEL" about Mondays...the issue is not with the day: it's with us. Having a great Monday has everything to do with our Perspective of the Gospel, and the awareness of the fleeting time that God has given us to walk this earth. This also applies to every other day of the week that is also not the Weekend. Let's not w...

“Dear Lord, what is your will for my life? I’ll wait.” For the past 15 years, I have heard Christians talk about “waiting on the Lord” to reveal to them what is His will for their life. Offering up prayer after prayer after prayer for wisdom and guidance as to WHAT they are meant to do with their lives, they are absolutely fervent...albeit idle. God has spoken! We do not need to bathe such a question in prayer. For the Believer, wherever they may be, that answer is clear: Love the Lord, Love your neighbor, Love your Enemy, Bless those who curse you, bear one another’s burdens, and WHATEVER you do, do your work heartily, as an AMBASSADOR of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS to God the Father! We are not told through what medium we are to fulfill our purpose in God’s Kingdom, but as to what we are called to do...God has spoken. The only question that remains is...will we obey?

“T.G.I.Hump Day!” - almost everyone I cringe every time I hear someone pay homage to Hump Day. “Almost there! The weekend is just around the corner!” Seems to be how most people categorize how they view their workweek: Simply Survive!! We are only given so much time on this earth, and our working life takes up nearly 50% of our waking hours: approximately 2,685 hours spent working every year. If we are willing to chalk up as a lose those “burdensome” days and hours we spend working each week just to try to wrench any sense of enjoyment and meaning out of two weekend days...how then do we expect to Serve the Lord as a Living Sacrifice? Or a scarier question... How, when asked while standing in His presence, are we going to account for that time He gave us during the week?

If there is any truth to the old adage, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground,” then surely it lives in our “down time”. After a long day at work, it is so easy to get home, shake off the dust of the day, slip into some comfy clothes, and "vegg out", "relax", or "unwind". Whatever the descriptor we apply, how we approach this time of our day could bring trouble. If you are like me, than aside from work, and the duties of the day, there are great many things that you aspire to accomplish: finishing that next book, writing that next article, pursuing that idea, starting that project, making some memories with the family, and so many other things. A wise approach to our leisure time can insure that we avoid planting seeds of idleness or slothfulness. Everyone needs to rest, but too much rest can "cast us into a deep sleep" (Proverbs 19:5). By setting some goals for our evenings, or our time between shifts, we can ensure a better use of our time...

Are you a Working Believer in Jesus? Do others know that you believe and trust in Christ? If so...be on your guard! Whether others believe as we believe or not, there is an expectation of Christians to be different somehow. So you are being watched! And that, with merciless, judging eyes. We do not live in fear of the world’s judgment of us, but being blind to how our Actions and Attitudes are perceived by the onlooker, especially when those Actions and Attitudes do not reflect Scripture, the Gospel of Grace, or Christ Himself, we damage our ability to minister or speak into the lives of others, shaming ourselves by our misrepresentation of the Lord, and closing ourselves off to potentially more blessings and opportunities from God. Don’t shirk your duty as a Christian: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE! Don’t hide it, don’t diminish it, and don’t cast it in negativity by a wrong representation. Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Blessed are those who are persecuted for His names sak...

You will spend half of your waking hours in this life at work...don’t waste it waiting for the weekend! Every weekend, we have the chance to gather with the body of believers at our local churches to worship, pray, study the Word of God, and hear the Word preached. But let’s face it... Being a Christian at church is easy. Monday is where the real challenge! Do we seize the opportunity to live what we say we believe? Do we see our work as a burden, or a Blessing? Do we look at our Direct Reports, Coworkers, Supervisors, and Managers as irritants, or as people made in the image of God, lost and hopeless if they are without a Christ in the world? Do we care enough about Eternity to invest in them, engage them, get to know them in hopes of finding out if they know Jesus? Do you model a Christ-follower before then in your Attitude and Quality of work? Are we the Working Believers we are called to be? Our life is a vapor, and we are not promised a single moment more in this life. If you...

"Do you believe in God?" That tends to be the way we start these kinds of conversations. But are we really asking the right question? Many people hang their hats, coats, and entire lives on the thought that they BELIEVE in God, and that the belief is enough. The fact that anytime they catch a green light when they are in a hurry, or a new cashier arrives to work at a busy grocery store JUST as they are walking up to pay...they cast their eyes upward, and think to themselves, "Thanks, big Guy." If belief were the only requirement...we will be surprised by the mix of company in Heaven. We are told in the below scripture that we are not the only ones that believe in God: not only that...they FEAR Him, as well. Belief is not the primary differentiator of our relationship with the Lord: it's our Obedience. How about this for a question: "Do you love God?" "If you love me, you will keep (Obey) My commandments." John 14:15 If we love the L...

Simple fact: the Working Believer OUGHT to be different than the world around them. Read Colossians Chapter 3, and notice the chasm between those who are without Christ in the world, and those who are dead to the world, but alive in Christ. We are expected to be different. But how? First, we are not to be ruled by our Natural, or sinful emotions (Verse 5). Second, we are to SET our minds on things above (verse 2) and PUT ON things which are of Jesus Christ (Verses 12-16). We are to SET & PUT ON: words of action, deliberation, a surrendering of self for the elevation of our Savior. As the quote below suggestions: we do not bring our old life up, we bring up Christ! He must become more, we must become less. It is very difficult to serve in the workplace, to be Salt and Light, to live and share the Gospel with those around us when we look no different than the rest of the world, or those who are worldly in their thinking, feeling, and living. We are supposed to be different; we ...