“God has yet to bless anyone except where they are. And if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being right, we will simply have no place to receive His Kingdom into our lives.” (Dallas Willard)
A new blogging friend Bradley Moore invited me to comment on his recent blog posting on “the Myth of Calling” http://shrinkingthecamel.com/2010/05/11/the-myth-of-calling/ and it’s got me thinking. How many of us are waiting for just the right call, so that we can be in a job with which we can be content? Or perhaps our rationalization isn’t quite so sanctified … perhaps we admit that we’re waiting for a job in which we can have fun, or be paid well, or be recognized appropriately.
The trouble is that we’re doing ourselves out of blessing! I described in http://faithatworkplace.blogspot.com/2010/03/discovering-god-work-part-2.html how it took me a year to recognize that I would do best to accept that I was where God wanted me, and that in fact He was pouring out His blessings on me right where I was. You’d think I’d learn wouldn’t you? But I still catch myself sometimes thinking “if only” or “what if” kinds of thoughts. Then today I came across the Dallas Willard quote that starts this post. Well duh! What a commentary on “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)! Or on Paul’s “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11).
I think I’m going to have to post Willard’s words somewhere around my office or, better still, somewhere in the front of my brain!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Theology @ Work – Kingdom
“For you I'd wait til kingdom come” go the Coldplay lyrics. Implying forever, or until the end of the world. Because that’s when we’ll see God’s Kingdom come, or so popular expectations will have it. But popular belief, as so often, is wrong.
When Jesus started his earthly ministry, according to Mark he announced his arrival with these words: "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15). Here and throughout the gospels we hear that the Kingdom has already arrived through Jesus, and that we’re invited to be a part of it!
In my last couple of Theology @ Work posts I explored our role and calling as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and as priests. Both of these are intermediary roles, in which we become the place where heaven and earth come together (as N.T. Wright so helpfully puts it), and in which we bring others before God in our intercessory prayers, while at the same time offering the grace and hope and beauty of God to those around us. But the Old and New Testaments both speak of our calling not just as a priesthood, but as a royal priesthood. For example Exodus 19:6 includes a promise to God’s chosen people that “you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. 1 Peter 2:9 then picks up this promise and applies it to followers of Jesus, His church: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” The royalty spoken of here isn’t a statement about us, but about God. We are the priests of His Kingdom – His present reign and rule over all of His Creation.
When Jesus announced the arrival of the Kingdom, he did it in full knowledge that his followers would be the ones he would use to bring the developing Kingdom to fruition. We are the ones he has called to carry out the work of redemption – buying back not just people, but all of creation, so that it is fully and perfectly back in tune with God’s original intentions for it.
That was a long pre-amble for a short application, but what does this have to do with work. Absolutely everything! In the workplace, everything we do, every word we speak or write, every motivation and ambition – all are in the light of the present reality, and developing hope, of the Kingdom. This is our context and perspective. As priests and workers in the Kingdom, we are accountable to the King Himself, equipped by Him, empowered by Him, and authorized by Him, through the presence of His Spirit. My next bankruptcy filing needs to reflect this. The coaching session with one of my staff members needs to be in this context. The ethical debate with my boss is a Kingdom debate.
It may take us each a lifetime to work out what this really means (it’s the primary quest of my blog) but we can help one another. May God be glorified as we seek to live Kingdom lives at work.
When Jesus started his earthly ministry, according to Mark he announced his arrival with these words: "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15). Here and throughout the gospels we hear that the Kingdom has already arrived through Jesus, and that we’re invited to be a part of it!
In my last couple of Theology @ Work posts I explored our role and calling as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and as priests. Both of these are intermediary roles, in which we become the place where heaven and earth come together (as N.T. Wright so helpfully puts it), and in which we bring others before God in our intercessory prayers, while at the same time offering the grace and hope and beauty of God to those around us. But the Old and New Testaments both speak of our calling not just as a priesthood, but as a royal priesthood. For example Exodus 19:6 includes a promise to God’s chosen people that “you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. 1 Peter 2:9 then picks up this promise and applies it to followers of Jesus, His church: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” The royalty spoken of here isn’t a statement about us, but about God. We are the priests of His Kingdom – His present reign and rule over all of His Creation.
When Jesus announced the arrival of the Kingdom, he did it in full knowledge that his followers would be the ones he would use to bring the developing Kingdom to fruition. We are the ones he has called to carry out the work of redemption – buying back not just people, but all of creation, so that it is fully and perfectly back in tune with God’s original intentions for it.
That was a long pre-amble for a short application, but what does this have to do with work. Absolutely everything! In the workplace, everything we do, every word we speak or write, every motivation and ambition – all are in the light of the present reality, and developing hope, of the Kingdom. This is our context and perspective. As priests and workers in the Kingdom, we are accountable to the King Himself, equipped by Him, empowered by Him, and authorized by Him, through the presence of His Spirit. My next bankruptcy filing needs to reflect this. The coaching session with one of my staff members needs to be in this context. The ethical debate with my boss is a Kingdom debate.
It may take us each a lifetime to work out what this really means (it’s the primary quest of my blog) but we can help one another. May God be glorified as we seek to live Kingdom lives at work.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Faith @ Work is now part of High Calling Blogs
The Faith @ Work blog has been added to a terrific community of blogs related to the High Calling of Christian living, including many on living out faith in the workplace. I am honored to be a part of that community. Click on the badge at the left to see more.
Monday, May 24, 2010
God’s Perspective @ Work – Frustration
How many attorneys does it take to file a bankruptcy plan? I don’t know yet, but apparently ten is barely enough! Hence my frustration …
Actually this isn’t even the original Plan – it is an amendment that has to be filed today. We had nearly two months to do it, and we’ll probably just make it by the skin of our teeth. The trouble is there are so many parties at interest in this case that it really does involve at least ten attorneys. They are apparently all used to leaving things to the last minute, assuming that they are correct about everything, and forgetting that getting two attorneys to agree on something, let alone ten, is a lengthy process.
Yes, I’m frustrated. So what do I do about it? Look up, is of course the answer. I don’t know about you, but in the midst of chaos and stress, I still find it hard to do – at the very moment I need God’s perspective the most, I am least inclined to look for it! I’m writing this in a momentary pause in the pressure, as a way to direct my attention back to the Sovereign God, the One who called me to this position in the first place, the One who rules over His Kingdom. Already this is looking much more petty and insignificant than it was earlier today. I am accountable to do everything I can to get this filing completed (and it will happen), and I am accountable to continue to value and develop relationship with all those I work with, including all the attorneys! (Yes, Dorothy, even attorneys have souls!)
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) is a verse that I need desperately right now. Being still doesn’t mean stopping everything, but rather holding this Spirit-given stillness and knowledge of God over everything I’m doing. Another word for it is “peace” – the knowledge that all is and will be well in God’s Kingdom, that every gift and talent and experience He has given me that got me into this job in the first place, is given solely for His service. I lay them at His feet, and commit to the front of my mind as a meditation, almost a mantra, this saying. “Be still and know that I am God!”
OK back to the panic, but in peace!
Actually this isn’t even the original Plan – it is an amendment that has to be filed today. We had nearly two months to do it, and we’ll probably just make it by the skin of our teeth. The trouble is there are so many parties at interest in this case that it really does involve at least ten attorneys. They are apparently all used to leaving things to the last minute, assuming that they are correct about everything, and forgetting that getting two attorneys to agree on something, let alone ten, is a lengthy process.
Yes, I’m frustrated. So what do I do about it? Look up, is of course the answer. I don’t know about you, but in the midst of chaos and stress, I still find it hard to do – at the very moment I need God’s perspective the most, I am least inclined to look for it! I’m writing this in a momentary pause in the pressure, as a way to direct my attention back to the Sovereign God, the One who called me to this position in the first place, the One who rules over His Kingdom. Already this is looking much more petty and insignificant than it was earlier today. I am accountable to do everything I can to get this filing completed (and it will happen), and I am accountable to continue to value and develop relationship with all those I work with, including all the attorneys! (Yes, Dorothy, even attorneys have souls!)
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) is a verse that I need desperately right now. Being still doesn’t mean stopping everything, but rather holding this Spirit-given stillness and knowledge of God over everything I’m doing. Another word for it is “peace” – the knowledge that all is and will be well in God’s Kingdom, that every gift and talent and experience He has given me that got me into this job in the first place, is given solely for His service. I lay them at His feet, and commit to the front of my mind as a meditation, almost a mantra, this saying. “Be still and know that I am God!”
OK back to the panic, but in peace!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Fruit of the Spirit @ Work – Self-Control
With all the work crises, tough decisions, failures of others to deliver, and of course my own shortcomings, I sometimes lose self-control. This is only natural. Isn’t it?
Self-control is the last (but not least) of the fruit of the Spirit. It is one that I find rather ironic. Why should we need to Holy Spirit to control ourselves? In fact isn’t that a bit of a contradiction in terms? Yes and no. The nature of my sin is that without help I don’t have complete control. The more I try to exert control over myself, the less I seem to be able to. Paul talks about this struggle extensively in Romans 7: for example verse 17 “what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” He says it isn’t that I don’t want to be able to control my tendency to sin, but just that sin takes control unless something is done about it. “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:18-20).
In a way, self-control (or the lack of it) summarizes our success in our failure in exhibiting all of the fruit of the Spirit. When I blow up at an employee because a deadline hasn’t been met and I have to face the music, I am also failing to exhibit gentleness, kindness, love, and a host of other fruit. This is because the Spirit is no longer controlling my life and so His fruit is no longer in evidence. When panic sets in because all the circumstances working against become overwhelming, even though others don’t necessarily see my panic, the fruit of the Spirit (e.g. joy and peace) will again not be evident.
So in the context of the fruit of the Spirit, self-control really means Spirit-control. Paul’s antidote to the struggles of Romans 7 is in Romans 8. “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9) He states quite clearly that in reality we are under the control of the Holy Spirit, not sin, if the Spirit is in us. Scripture all over the place (e.g. much of John’s gospel) assures us that our salvation results in the gift of the Spirit so we should be free from the power of sin. But we also know the reality that this is a work in progress and, like the rest of the fruit of the Spirit, we will experience and exhibit it to the degree we grow in everyday knowledge of God and in surrender to the Spirit.
Self-control isn’t something we do, but something the Spirit gives us. It is a paradox – the more we try to take control of ourselves, the less we’re able to. The more we allow the Spirit to take control, the more self-controlled we’ll be. Perhaps this is part of what Jesus meant when he said “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33).
Self-control is the last (but not least) of the fruit of the Spirit. It is one that I find rather ironic. Why should we need to Holy Spirit to control ourselves? In fact isn’t that a bit of a contradiction in terms? Yes and no. The nature of my sin is that without help I don’t have complete control. The more I try to exert control over myself, the less I seem to be able to. Paul talks about this struggle extensively in Romans 7: for example verse 17 “what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” He says it isn’t that I don’t want to be able to control my tendency to sin, but just that sin takes control unless something is done about it. “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:18-20).
In a way, self-control (or the lack of it) summarizes our success in our failure in exhibiting all of the fruit of the Spirit. When I blow up at an employee because a deadline hasn’t been met and I have to face the music, I am also failing to exhibit gentleness, kindness, love, and a host of other fruit. This is because the Spirit is no longer controlling my life and so His fruit is no longer in evidence. When panic sets in because all the circumstances working against become overwhelming, even though others don’t necessarily see my panic, the fruit of the Spirit (e.g. joy and peace) will again not be evident.
So in the context of the fruit of the Spirit, self-control really means Spirit-control. Paul’s antidote to the struggles of Romans 7 is in Romans 8. “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9) He states quite clearly that in reality we are under the control of the Holy Spirit, not sin, if the Spirit is in us. Scripture all over the place (e.g. much of John’s gospel) assures us that our salvation results in the gift of the Spirit so we should be free from the power of sin. But we also know the reality that this is a work in progress and, like the rest of the fruit of the Spirit, we will experience and exhibit it to the degree we grow in everyday knowledge of God and in surrender to the Spirit.
Self-control isn’t something we do, but something the Spirit gives us. It is a paradox – the more we try to take control of ourselves, the less we’re able to. The more we allow the Spirit to take control, the more self-controlled we’ll be. Perhaps this is part of what Jesus meant when he said “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33).
Friday, May 14, 2010
Theology @ Work – Priesthood
Priests don’t belong in the workplace, right? Though the armed forces, medical facilities, prisons and the like may have chaplains, there’s no place for religious professionals in your work place or mine. Or is there?
In my last Theology @ Work post (Temple) I pointed out that we have, according to the New Testament, become the “temple of the Holy Spirit” – the place where heaven and earth come together. Part of our calling as followers of Jesus is to be that place to which people can come and see this coming together of the divine and human realms, the Kingdom of God. The New Testament has another word for this role – “priest”. From the earliest books in the Bible it is apparent that in some way God intended all His people to be priests – not necessarily in the official capacity of the Levitical priesthood, but in the general capacity of being intermediaries between God and people – presenting God to the people, and bringing the people’s requests before God, at least until the relationship with Him is established and they no longer need a priest.
Jesus provided the way for this intimate relationship to be created, and it is by our dying and rising with Him in His crucifixion and resurrection that we are able to approach God safely, knowing that we are justified by Him (i.e. that His sinlessness makes us right with God). As a result, we’re able to fulfill the role of priest with those we move among who have not yet arrived at relationship with God through His Son. Just as Jesus is declared by the author of Hebrews to be a “priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:17), the king-priest to whom Abraham paid homage (Genesis 14), so we are also to become a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2). This is a serious and challenging calling, but one that we are authorized and enabled to take on because we are in Christ.
Every time we in some way exhibit Jesus to others around us, we are fulfilling this role, particularly as others are drawn toward Jesus in some way through us. In the same way, every time we bring the concerns of others to God in prayer, we are fulfilling the calling to be priests. We are the connection point with God that everyone needs (and most people actually want). We are, as temples of the Holy Spirit, the go-between people, linking humanity and deity, linking heaven and earth, drawing others to Jesus. This is every bit as true at work as anywhere else – not through our words or even our actions, not because of overt (and sometimes obnoxious) proselytizing, but simply because we are privileged to be those in whom the Spirit dwells. In a sense, as priests, we really are “religious professionals” – our calling, our profession, our occupation as Christians is indeed that of priest, in whatever context God has placed us. What a calling!
In my last Theology @ Work post (Temple) I pointed out that we have, according to the New Testament, become the “temple of the Holy Spirit” – the place where heaven and earth come together. Part of our calling as followers of Jesus is to be that place to which people can come and see this coming together of the divine and human realms, the Kingdom of God. The New Testament has another word for this role – “priest”. From the earliest books in the Bible it is apparent that in some way God intended all His people to be priests – not necessarily in the official capacity of the Levitical priesthood, but in the general capacity of being intermediaries between God and people – presenting God to the people, and bringing the people’s requests before God, at least until the relationship with Him is established and they no longer need a priest.
Jesus provided the way for this intimate relationship to be created, and it is by our dying and rising with Him in His crucifixion and resurrection that we are able to approach God safely, knowing that we are justified by Him (i.e. that His sinlessness makes us right with God). As a result, we’re able to fulfill the role of priest with those we move among who have not yet arrived at relationship with God through His Son. Just as Jesus is declared by the author of Hebrews to be a “priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7:17), the king-priest to whom Abraham paid homage (Genesis 14), so we are also to become a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2). This is a serious and challenging calling, but one that we are authorized and enabled to take on because we are in Christ.
Every time we in some way exhibit Jesus to others around us, we are fulfilling this role, particularly as others are drawn toward Jesus in some way through us. In the same way, every time we bring the concerns of others to God in prayer, we are fulfilling the calling to be priests. We are the connection point with God that everyone needs (and most people actually want). We are, as temples of the Holy Spirit, the go-between people, linking humanity and deity, linking heaven and earth, drawing others to Jesus. This is every bit as true at work as anywhere else – not through our words or even our actions, not because of overt (and sometimes obnoxious) proselytizing, but simply because we are privileged to be those in whom the Spirit dwells. In a sense, as priests, we really are “religious professionals” – our calling, our profession, our occupation as Christians is indeed that of priest, in whatever context God has placed us. What a calling!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)