Theology @ Work – Blessed to Be a Blessing

Many of us feel enormously blessed by our relationships, by what we have, by God Himself. But why have we received such blessings?

The first few chapters of Genesis provide a foundation for all of the rest of Scripture, from creation of the universe, to creation of humankind in God’s image, to our calling to partner with God in Creation. This is followed by three examples of evil in the world, a consequence of God’s decision to give us free will: our rebellion in Genesis 3; then our wickedness in chapters 6-7 (leading to the Flood); and then our arrogance in chapter 11 (the tower of Babel).

But then, in a startling and pivotal few verses, we see God’s answer to the problem of evil. Rather than wiping everything out and starting again (as Genesis 6:6-7 suggests He was sorely tempted to do), God decides to use the flawed people He had made to gradually and eventually bring Creation back to a glorious version of what it was originally intended to be (ultimately described in Revelation 21-22).

Genesis 12 starts like this (emphasis mine) The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." This promise and call to Abraham (the combination of promise and call is typically called a covenant) is the foundation for the whole of the rest of the Bible. God blesses Abraham so that Abraham will in turn bless those around him. The people of Israel, God’s chosen people, are blessed enormously with the same intent – that they will spread God’s blessing to those countries and peoples that surround them. The Church is blessed through Christ so that we can bless all around us.

We, as workers, are blessed by God quite simply so that those around us will be blessed. In our call to the workplace, we are called to share and spread God’s blessing – His grace, love, peace, compassion, provision, forgiveness, value – without limit, without exception. This is how we partner with God in restoring His Kingdom. Israel largely failed to recognize this call and to live it. The Church has often lost sight of it. How about us?

Prayer @ Work – Success

Should we pray for success at work? When things go well, should we give the credit to God? How intimately is God involved in the details of our working lives? The key is our definition of success.

This question was prompted by 2 Samuel 22, which I read again this morning. The 21 chapters leading up to this song of praise recount how David established his position of power as Israel’s king, defeating enemies from within and outside Israel and uniting the 12 tribes in a way that had never been true before and would never be true again after his son Solomon. These chapters include much bloodshed (so much that God wouldn’t let David build the Temple) and seemingly senseless annihilation of large groups of people. From the Psalms we know that David continually sought God’s intervention and help in this process, and at the end of it, in 2 Samuel 22 (and Psalm 18) David praises and thanks God for being on his side.

So, should I pray before I go into a negotiation that God will give me success? When one of our business goals is met, or a property is sold, or an investment is received, should we give the credit to God? I am reminded again of the dilemma we try to put before God (referenced in an earlier post) – the football dilemma. Two Christian schools are playing football against one another. Both of them pray for a victory. What should God do? From a Kingdom perspective the outcome of the football game isn’t significant, but the impact it has on the players, coaches, support staff and spectators is. In the same way, when we are pursuing business goals, the goals themselves are often secondary to the impact on people, communities, and Creation. Sometimes our goals are specifically geared toward justice or mercy or stewardship, in which case a direct prayer for success makes sense (understanding that we have a very limited view that is bound by time, space and our own limitations). But in general success has to do with what is right and good, and that’s what we should pray for.

For David, success in his mind may have been winning a battle, and he praised God for it. But God’s perspective was greater than that, as later history showed. It had to do with consolidation of His chosen people, the model for the Kingdom that Jesus would usher in fully a thousand years later. It had also to do with establishing David as the fallible model for the infallible Messiah – Jesus. In our case, success may be much bigger than our business goals. But it is good for us to examine our goals, and ask whether we can in all conscious ask for God’s blessing on them – did they come from Him in the first place, and are they righteous and in line with our understanding of His will. Then praying for success makes sense, and giving God the glory and credit for success when we see it will make perfect sense.

Fruit of the Spirit @ Work – Goodness

What is goodness? It’s one of those things that defy precise definition, and yet we feel we know it when we see it. In the workplace, we may feel we don’t see it very often, at least not without strings. What should others see in us if we truly exhibit this segment of the Spirit’s fruit?

At its simplest, goodness could be described as Godliness, or a likeness to God. In that sense the more the Spirit is in control, the more goodness will be visible. (I discovered, rather to my surprise, that there is probably no etymological link between the words god and good, but I still think there’s a link in their meanings.) What are some of the things that come to mind when we say that a person displays goodness, or just that a person is a good person? Sincerity, honesty, and morality perhaps? Or perhaps truthfulness, dependability, or trustworthiness? Sometimes it implies an element of doing what is right (righteousness), which in turn means doing what pleases God and benefits our fellow humans. Regardless of how we view it, though, there is a comfortable, warm feeling that comes from being in such a person’s presence – we feel safe, we trust them. We wish everyone we dealt was the same way.

At the same time, apparently the Greek word translated goodness (agathosune) is an active, rather than a passive word – it speaks to our actions which in turn reveals our character, and that of the Spirit if we allow it.

It would be interesting to know if others think of us as good wouldn’t it? How would we find out? Perhaps by seeing how much others trust us, and how much they’re prepared to depend on us? Perhaps we could even ask them. When I enter into a negotiation with somebody who knows me, will they assume a good-faith negotiation, or will they be on their guard? When I purchase a service or product from somebody, do they see the need to demand a retainer or large deposit to protect their interests? (This is a tricky one, particularly when we have cash flow issues – see last week’s post on Justice – Paying Bills. It does illustrate the degree to which what we do bears witness to what we are.)

As always, it has to be my constant prayer that God’s goodness will shine through me, that my own selfishness and sinfulness will be increasingly set aside to make room for the fruit of the Spirit – goodness. Pure goodness isn’t something I can generate by or from myself, unless the Spirit is in me. It is the Spirit of Christ who reveals the goodness of God Himself.

Theology @ Work – Work’s Curse

“Whatever God’s original intent for work, because of the Fall it is now just a curse.” Sometimes it feels that way, but it isn’t true. As our theological overview goes from God’s work in Creation, to our being made in His image, to our Calling as workers, we come to the Biblical account of the Fall – the rebellion of Adam and Eve in Eden. This account describes humanity’s separation from God, and the consequences. One of those consequences is for the nature of work.

In Genesis 3:17-19 we read God’s words to Adam: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Notice that the curse is on the circumstances and conditions of work, not on work itself. I deduce from this that work itself is still just as high a calling as it was before humanity’s rebellion. But now, work is full of difficulties, barriers, exertion and frustration.

This is a very important distinction. It is so easy, especially when work is particularly hard or tedious or stressful, to think that work must surely be an evil burden that we have to bear, and that we work only because we have to in order to eat. From there, we will go through the motions, doing as little as we can get away with, just counting the hours until we can go home for some “real living”. But if we really believe that work is still God’s primary intention for us, and that our calling to work is a calling to partner with God in His Kingdom, then work becomes the highlight of our lives. This is true whether it is manual labor, routine office work, high-powered executive work, home-making, teaching or foreign missions. In a sense it is all the same to God. It all has barriers and burdens. It all has the potential to transform lives, to reconcile Creation to God, and to be a part of God’s redemptive purpose in His Kingdom.

Bottom line – if our attitude to work is that it is a necessary evil, cursed by God because of the Fall, then we will likely not see God in it, will not be aware of the opportunities it presents, and will not find it fulfilling. On the other hand, if we still see work as God’s special gift to us, we will recognize the difficulties as results of humanity’s brokenness and separation from God, and will look for what God is doing and join Him in His work of redemption. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take the second approach any day, with gratitude to God for the work He has called me to.

Theology @ Work – Work’s Curse

“Whatever God’s original intent for work, because of the Fall it is now just a curse.” Sometimes it feels that way, but it isn’t true. As our theological overview goes from God’s work in Creation, to our being made in His image, to our Calling as workers, we come to the Biblical account of the Fall – the rebellion of Adam and Eve in Eden. This account describes humanity’s separation from God, and the consequences. One of those consequences is for the nature of work.

In Genesis 3:17-19 we read God’s words to Adam: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Notice that the curse is on the circumstances and conditions of work, not on work itself. I deduce from this that work itself is still just as high a calling as it was before humanity’s rebellion. But now, work is full of difficulties, barriers, exertion and frustration.

This is a very important distinction. It is so easy, especially when work is particularly hard or tedious or stressful, to think that work must surely be an evil burden that we have to bear, and that we work only because we have to in order to eat. From there, we will go through the motions, doing as little as we can get away with, just counting the hours until we can go home for some “real living”. But if we really believe that work is still God’s primary intention for us, and that our calling to work is a calling to partner with God in His Kingdom, then work becomes the highlight of our lives. This is true whether it is manual labor, routine office work, high-powered executive work, home-making, teaching or foreign missions. In a sense it is all the same to God. It all has barriers and burdens. It all has the potential to transform lives, to reconcile Creation to God, and to be a part of God’s redemptive purpose in His Kingdom.

Bottom line – if our attitude to work is that it is a necessary evil, cursed by God because of the Fall, then we will likely not see God in it, will not be aware of the opportunities it presents, and will not find it fulfilling. On the other hand, if we still see work as God’s special gift to us, we will recognize the difficulties as results of humanity’s brokenness and separation from God, and will look for what God is doing and join Him in His work of redemption. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take the second approach any day, with gratitude to God for the work He has called me to.

Justice @ Work - Paying Bills

It’s easy for us to talk about justice when it’s somebody else, somewhere else, or when it’s something we would never consider doing ourselves. But the workplace has all sorts of smaller scale but no less important justice challenges. Over the next few weeks I’m planning to explore a few of them.

For today let’s talk about paying bills. Most companies have been sufficiently cash-strapped at one time or another that they can’t pay all their bills. But is failing to pay a bill according to an implicit or explicit sales contract a just thing to do? How does that fit in with Biblical perspectives on repaying what is due, or on using fair measures and weights in trading?

The problem is that, in cash shortages, we often have a Hobson’s choice between failing to pay a supplier on the one hand, and failing to meet some other critical obligation (such as payroll) on the other. Ultimately if we pay all our bills on time, but as a result the company collapses, then lots more people lose. We really do have to make difficult and less than optimal choices sometimes (just as in other parts of life).

As I think this through for myself, so far I have only been able to do the following:

1. Ensure when I enter into a purchase agreement (or any other kind of contract) that I have a reasonable expectation that I will be able to meet the terms of the agreement, and that I honestly intend to do so.
2. Question carefully the implications on my supplier if I fail to make a payment. Even though I owe to a corporate supplier just as much as to an individual contractor, the impact of delay on people’s lives is potentially much greater in the latter case. (This is not, however, an excuse not to pay corporate suppliers).
3. Engage in discussion with someone (generally my boss, the company owner, who struggles with the same issues) in a kind of mutual accountability that challenges rationalization and injustice in such situations.
4. Then make the decision that will best serve the “common good” and determine what could be done differently in the future to avoid a repeat of this dilemma.

I’m not saying this is how I always act – just what I think God demands in Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Justice @ Work – Paying Bills

It’s easy for us to talk about justice when it’s somebody else, somewhere else, or when it’s something we would never consider doing ourselves. But the workplace has all sorts of smaller scale but no less important justice challenges. Over the next few weeks I’m planning to explore a few of them.



For today let’s talk about paying bills. Most companies have been sufficiently cash-strapped at one time or another that they can’t pay all their bills. But is failing to pay a bill according to an implicit or explicit sales contract a just thing to do? How does that fit in with Biblical perspectives on repaying what is due, or on using fair measures and weights in trading?


The problem is that, in cash shortages, we often have a Hobson’s choice between failing to pay a supplier on the one hand, and failing to meet some other critical obligation (such as payroll) on the other. Ultimately if we pay all our bills on time, but as a result the company collapses, then lots more people lose. We really do have to make difficult and less than optimal choices sometimes (just as in other parts of life).


As I think this through for myself, so far I have only been able to do the following:


1. Ensure when I enter into a purchase agreement (or any other kind of contract) that I have a reasonable expectation that I will be able to meet the terms of the agreement, and that I honestly intend to do so.


2. Question carefully the implications on my supplier if I fail to make a payment. Even though I owe to a corporate supplier just as much as to an individual contractor, the impact of delay on people’s lives is potentially much greater in the latter case. (This is not, however, an excuse not to pay corporate suppliers).


3. Engage in discussion with someone (generally my boss, the company owner, who struggles with the same issues) in a kind of mutual accountability that challenges rationalization and injustice in such situations.


4. Then make the decision that will best serve the “common good” and determine what could be done differently in the future to avoid a repeat of this dilemma.


I’m not saying this is how I always act – just what I think God demands in Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Fruit of the Spirit @ Work – Kindness

Does kindness have a place at work? Someone told me recently that for a man to be told he is “kind” is an insult to his manliness! Even more at work, the typical image of a successful business executive is anything but kind. So is this a fruit of the Spirit that we should leave at home?

I see kindness as being considerate of the other person – their feelings and their circumstances – and being prepared to take the time and trouble to empathize, and also to adapt our own communication accordingly. Kindness shows care and concern for another’s situation, and acknowledges their pain and difficulty. This seems to conflict with business goals – getting the most out of employees, insisting on deadlines being met by colleagues, negotiating the best price with a supplier and so on. While we don’t want to be called “ruthless”, we do want to be thought of as effective and results-oriented if we are to advance in our chosen careers.

While this view is widely held, I am convinced it is also false. Jesus was kind and firm at the same time. He communicated very clearly but adapted his communication approach to the situation and the person. Always He considered the person and where they were in life. Contrast, for example, the way He spoke to the Pharisees and the way He spoke to the woman taken in adultery. In the latter case, he acknowledged how harsh her accusers had been, but He was also very clear that she needed to repent – to turn away from her sinful lifestyle. (His conversation with the Samaritan woman was similar in this respect, except that He didn’t need to tell her to stop sinning – she got it on her own). In fact, the kindness of Jesus was more effective than any amount of blunt criticism or ultimatums.

For me, kindness means approaching everyone with consideration of their challenges, their feelings and their capabilities. It doesn’t mean that we avoid difficult conversations (for example a manager still needs to challenge poor performance) but that we value and empathize with the other person. I’m not very good at it. Generally it isn’t what I’ve been taught or have seen modeled over my career (with a few exceptions). It is something I have an ongoing dialogue about with my boss (who doesn’t necessarily share my understanding of the value of kindness in this context, even though in his way he is known as a kind man). Bottom line – I need to get better at it, which means I need to allow the Spirit full sway in my life. Of course that’s the bottom line with all the fruit – more of Him, and less of me.

Theology @ Work – Calling

It used to be that “called by God” would mean one of two things to evangelical Christians. One is the general calling to salvation (mostly focused on going to heaven after this life is over). The other is a special “call to the ministry”. I bought into both these senses of calling. But as I read the Bible, I am starting to see calling as being much richer, and applicable to all of us now.

There is much more work to do on this (though some helpful studies have been written recently – I’m reading “The Other Six Days” by R. Paul Stevens, for example, which has a fairly deep treatment of calling). But I think at the moment I’m seeing calling for all Christians in three basic senses in Scripture.

1. Call to Be: we are called by God into relationship with Him, fulfilling His intentions for us as illustrated when He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. This is very close to the evangelical understanding of call to salvation, but it has immediate, not just eternal effect. I see it as essentially a call to be fully human, which involves every aspect of our being, made in God’s image, made to be constantly in His presence, and equipped for “good works” (see Ephesians 2:10) which is quite evocative of Genesis 1:31-2:2 in which God looked at all the “work” He had done and saw that it was “good”.
2. Call to Act: our basic calling in Genesis 1:28-29 (known sometimes as the “cultural mandate”) to work in cooperation with God in creating, sustaining, restoring, and ultimately fulfilling the potential of His Creation. This is sometimes called the call to co-creation (though since we’re under God’s authority rather than equal, perhaps sub-creation is a better word, as Stevens suggests).
3. Call to Love: we are also called to exhibit the kind of love that God has for us, and the kind of community that the Godhead has within Itself (Father, Son and Spirit in the most intimate inter-dependent union). This is a call to community – to be a responsible part of it, to acknowledge our dependence on others, to seek the good of others, to show justice and mercy, and most of all to love!

This understanding of calling has profound implications for work. Firstly, we are all called to work in some way or other, because we’re made in God’s image (see previous Theology @ Work posts). Secondly, the call to work isn’t isolated from the rest of our lives, but is a part of the call to Act, to Be, and to Love. All of these things will significantly impact how we look at and respond to the challenges and opportunities of work. Hopefully I’ll explore some over the coming weeks.

Reconciliation @ Work

I have just been given an “interesting opportunity” (euphemism for nasty challenge!) My boss and a relative have a substantial disagreement over a complex area of business involving several financial transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars. I’ve been asked to mediate it in view of the damage it is causing to their family relationship. I’m totally out of my depth in terms of the world of finance, but right in God’s plan in terms of His call for me to bring reconciliation.

In 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Paul talks about a ministry of reconciliation – initiated by Jesus and passed on to us, His followers. Although this primarily speaks of the reconciliation of people to God, it also speaks of reconciliation of the whole of Creation, which would include people to one another.

Opportunities abound in the workplace for reconciliation on all levels. Every negotiation can be a reconciling act, or it can be a dividing act, depending on the approach of the parties. For example, if I have the “upper hand” in a negotiation, I can approach it with justice and mercy, seeking a solution that truly benefits both sides, or I can take advantage of my superior position to grab everything I can for “my side”. Even more common are the relationships that constantly create conflict and tension. Whatever our daily role, whenever we come across other people we find ourselves in the middle of relational issues. We are called and equipped to bring healing, to value everyone involved, to seek solutions to conflict, to bring wholeness and peace – in short to bring the ministry of reconciliation.

My challenge is to be conscious and intentional about this. I am too flawed a person to do it naturally and so it is essential for me to bring conflicts, and relationship challenges (whether or not involving me directly) to God in prayer. Where I am the cause of hurt and dislocation, it is vital that I be prepared to confess. Where I have been hurt by another, it is vital that I be prepared to forgive. As people who have been given the most extraordinary grace, and shown the most amazing example of love, and equipped by the Holy Spirit with the capacity to be image-bearers of our gracious and loving God, how can we do anything but seek to emulate Jesus? It isn’t easy for any of us, and we mess it up frequently. And yet there are times when, by God’s grace, we get it right – at those times God works through us in ways we’ll perhaps never know.

Fruit of the Spirit @ Work – Patience

There’s an old saying that “you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family”. I would add to that “or your colleagues” (usually anyway). Most of us have colleagues who try our patience more than others. How are we as Christians to handle them?

According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the Spirit includes patience (sometimes translated long-suffering). Since I’m convinced this applies at work just as much as at home or church, I should expect to have more patience with “difficult” boss, colleagues and/or employees than I used to when I gave less free reign to the Spirit. How is this working out in practice? Pretty inconsistently to be honest. As with many of the issues in the workplace, perspective seems to be very important. Just a few things that I think help when we’re “controlled by the Spirit” as Paul puts it in Romans 8 (especially verses 5-10).

1. Patience has a lot to do with taking the long view of things, which is just what the Holy Spirit allows us to do – seeing things from God’s perspective, and in His timing. Our success at work (whether from a Kingdom or business perspective) depends upon our long-term relationships with all the people we work with. Patience sets aside short-term irritations in favor of longer-term working relationships.
2. Our focus is on what God is doing wherever we’re working, and the fact that He is choosing to do it through us and other people. That makes the petty annoyances and barriers to progress much less significant to me.
3. God clearly loves and values and cares for the person we find difficult – to the degree that the fruit of the Spirit is in evidence in us, we can start to love and value them in the same way. When we love the person enough, their actions become less significant.
4. If we have the humility to acknowledge our own failings, we discover that others have to be patient with us too. One thing I’ve discovered is that the attributes of others that annoy me the most turn out to be things that are true of me! (For example, I have a terrible habit of interrupting others in meetings when I’m pumped up about something – and yet I can get really impatient with people who do it to me!)

I’m sure there are other reasons that the fruit of patience is of enormous value in the workplace. The other thing is how we exercise it – and like all the Spirit’s fruit, it has to do with maturing in our faith and relationship with God so that Romans 8 more and more describes who we are and how we live. But that’s another, much bigger topic …

Theology @ Work – Made in God’s Image

The last Theology @ Work posting noted that Work is a Good Thing, because it characterizes what God does and that He sees it as good. But does that make it a Good Thing for us? Yes – because we’re made to be representatives of God, carrying His image into the world. In Genesis 1:24 God says "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness”.

But what does it mean to be made in God’s image, and what does it have to do with work? The first question, although philosophically challenging, is actually very easy to answer. We know what God’s image looks like because, according to Colossians 1, Jesus himself is “the image of the invisible God”. It goes on to be more specific, stating that “by [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” (Col 1:16) So God’s work in Creation, that same work that God Himself has said is good, is embodied in His perfect image, Jesus. From God’s stated intent to make [hu]man[s] in our image”, we know His original plan for us. In our originally planned state, we were to embody His creative worker image. We have admittedly messed it up (see a coming edition of Theology @ Work) but by God’s grace it is being restored as His Kingdom is rolled out in and through us.

And so it turns out that the answer to the second question (what this has to do with work) is also clear for a couple of reasons. Firstly, work is our primary and highest calling. It is what we were created to do, because we were created in God’s image and the first thing we discover about God is that He is a Worker. Secondly, it tells us everything about how we are to approach and do our work. We simply need to look at Jesus – the perfect “image of the invisible God” – to know how we should be handling conflicts, challenges, stress, fear, anxiety, opposition, injustice, suffering, etc in the workplace.

This isn’t really a surprise – quite simply our call to be like Jesus in the workplace results from the fact that we are made in the image of God, and that Jesus is the perfect image of God. This is why I’m writing this blog in the first place, and is intended to be the foundation for my more practical posts about what it means to exhibit the attributes of Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit, at work.

Exercising Faith @ Work

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6) so clearly if I want to please God at work (and of course I do) then I need to exhibit faith in the workplace. But what does this mean? Does it mean that I should pray over every decision, every broken formula, every program bug, every employee challenge, and expect that every one of them would work out right? Do I, then, pray over every deal with confidence (faith) that we will be the winners? Surely that would present God with the classic conundrum of two Christian football teams both praying for victory! What is He to do?

Now don’t get me wrong – in a sense at least I should be praying over every decision and challenge. But this isn’t so much a matter of a detailed ten-minute prayer for every five-minute issue! Rather my model is Nehemiah who, on hearing of huge problems in Jerusalem, spent days in fasting and prayer and confession and then went into a dangerous encounter with his boss (who happened to be the king of Persia) as prepared as he could be. During that encounter he did pray, but more of an “arrow prayer” (Neh 2:4 – it has to have been quick: I don’t imagine Nehemiah or you or me saying to our boss “please hold on for a few minutes while I get on my knees and ask God for help”). But it was important for him to make a quick acknowledgment of Who God is, and Nehemiah’s own dependence on Him, before asking for outrageous favors from the king on his own and his people’s behalf.

The question I started with came up because I’m preaching on Sunday on faith (from John 20:29-39 where Jesus appears to the disciples, and then to Thomas, as they cower in fear and disappointment in a locked room after His crucifixion). That passage shows a significant transition from knowing about God to knowing God Himself. The disciples knew Jesus to a point, but never did understand just Who He really was (even though they used the right words sometimes) until they encountered Him in the fullness of His deity – seeing Him risen from the dead could do that for you! Their faith became real, their submission became foundational, and He sent them out with the authority and power of the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-23). (If you are members of FCF you now don’t need to come to church on Sunday!)

As I try to apply this to the workplace, I realize that the faith I am called to bring with me to work is not a formula for success in the “name it and claim it” tradition. Rather it is intellectual, spiritual and personal knowledge of God. This faith acknowledges and keeps in mind just who God is, and realizing we are sent out by Jesus into every aspect of our lives, empowered and authorized by His Spirit within us to be His ambassadors. With this in mind, we can approach every decision, every challenge, every action knowing that these are Kingdom activities, being done in the name of Christ and in dependence on His Spirit. Hmm … I think I have some work to do to get there, but it’s worth a shot!

Fruit of the Spirit @ Work – Peace

Peace is another of the fruit of the Spirit that is great in principle, possible on a good Sunday, and apparently quite unrealistic in the workplace. Amidst frustrations, tensions, deadlines, overwork, personality conflicts and performance expectations, where on earth will we find peace? And yet the Bible promises peace as a part of the fruit of the Spirit. If I don’t feel peace, does that mean I don’t have the Spirit?

Last Thursday saw a frantic rush involving several attorneys and a number of our staff to try to file some documents that are critical to our bankruptcy process. Tempers were frayed, frustrations were high, we were disagreeing on key elements of the documents (which totaled 150 pages or so) and it looked as though we had absolutely no chance of making the deadline, which could have serious consequences for the bankruptcy. Where was peace to be found?

I think the key isn’t what I’m feeling but the underlying awareness of God’s control. What exactly is peace? If it means that there is no conflict, no disputes or disagreements, no anger or angst, then I certainly don’t have it – and neither did Paul! But the peace talked about in Galatians 5:22 is the Biblical peace that goes far deeper – the Shalom that comes only from God. It is ultimately about our relationship with God. To the extent to which we are in tune with God, surrendered to Him, accepting of the circumstances in which He places us, and trusting Him to complete all that He has set out to do, we can have this kind of peace. All this knowledge, all this experience of God, comes from the Spirit within us. We will exhibit the fruit of peace to the degree to which we allow the Spirit to control us. (Romans 8:6 “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace”).

On the other hand, I can’t just ignore all the stress and anxiety I feel during the work day – and I confess that at times there a great deal of it. I continue to pray for more and more release of the influence of the Holy Spirit on my life – putting these work issues into perspective, trusting and obeying. It’s about all I can do, but it is far better than feeling guilty about it and trying to force myself to feel peaceful.

Next week is patience ... oh boy!

Discovering God @ Work (part 3)

The biggest challenge most of us find in our work is to bring Christ into such a secular environment. Right? Wrong. Lesson 3 in my discovery that God Is indeed @ Work is that this attitude I’d had before was wrong-headed and in fact rather arrogant. I can’t take Christ into the workplace for one very simple reason. Not because the workplace is a secular space where religion (and therefore Christ) does not belong. Not because I’m not holy enough or clever enough or knowledgeable enough of the Bihle. Not because I’m not equipped to be an evangelist. No, it’s much simpler than that.

I can’t take Christ into the workplace because he’s already there! Think about it! If the Kingdom of God is truly here, then it is present throughout the world. Not fulfilled yet, but still in development. If Christ is Lord of all, then He is Lord of the workplace every bit as much as He is Lord of the Church. So it isn’t just that He’s calling me to take Him to the heathen at work (in itself a rather objectionable approach, particularly since the people I work with are in many ways more godly than I am!) Rather He is inviting me to join Him in the work He’s already doing and planning – a privilege indeed. If I have a mission – a “sending out” – then it isn’t so much that He sends me from the safety of His presence to a godless place, as that He sends me from the safety of my own comfort zone with Him, to the discomfort of an alien place but still with Him.

So my prayers had to change. I used to ask God how I could represent Him, reveal Him, carry Him to people I worked with. Now I ask Him to open my eyes and show me where He is already there, and how I can get involved with what He is already doing. Mind you, I have to keep asking Him, because it really is hard to see sometimes without the Holy Spirit’s illumination. How is God in our struggles to make payroll every month? How is He in the personal tragedies of our staff? But I’m learning that’s just where He is, once I start to see just a little from His perspective.