Well Done

There are many wrong ways to do something:
 
Indifferently: I have no interest in doing it.
Stubbornly: I won’t do it.
Independently: I’ll do it my own way.
Rebelliously: I’ll do the opposite.
Disobediently: I’ll do it, but not exactly.
Slothfully: I’ll do it with as little effort as possible.
Lazily: I’ll do it when I get around to it.
Selfishly: I’ll do it if there’s something in it for me.
Irresponsibly: I’ll let someone else do it.
Negatively: I’ll do it, but why does it have to be me?
Ungratefully: I’ll do it, but don’t expect me to be happy about it.

There are also right ways:
 
Wholeheartedly: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Colossians 3:24 NASB
Joyfully: Serve the LORD with gladness. Psalm 100:2 KJV
Faithfully: 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Matthew 25:21 KJV

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart, Part 2

Psalm 24:3-5 places a strong emphasis upon us having clean hands and a pure heart—the words “clean hands” puts the focus on our relationship with others; the words “a pure heart” puts the focus on our relationship with God. Our hands will be clean as we allow God to work through us, and our hearts will be pure as we allow God to work within us:

*Clean hands will impact our actions; a pure heart will impact our attitudes.
*Clean hands will be seen by others; a pure heart will be seen by God.
*Clean hands will do right things; a pure heart will do them for the right reasons.
*Clean hands are our actions; a pure heart is our motivation.
*Clean hands are what we do; a pure heart is why we do it.
*Clean hands express our care; a pure heart expresses our character.

It is God’s grace and holiness that will form us into the kind of people He desires us to be. He wants us to do good things for the right reasons. He wants us to be reaching out to others while glorifying Him. Having clean hands and a pure heart will influence our lives, our homes, our relationships, and our businesses.
In the business world “clean hands” and a “pure heart” must both work together. If we have “clean hands” but not a “pure heart” we will do things that outwardly may look good and seem good to people, but are unacceptable to God. When Jesus spoke about the inward condition of the Scribes and Pharisees, He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure.” Matthew 23:27 AMP

We must be careful in business never to try and use God to advance our own agenda or personal career path, but to allow God to use us to advance His agenda. He can do this when our hands are clean and our hearts are pure before Him.

Psalm 24 goes on to remind us that there are other things that will be different about business people that are dedicated to God and operating for His glory. Falsehood and deceit will not be found in their offices, in their conference rooms, in their documents, in their phone conversations, or in their business calls. How wonderful it is to find business people with pure hearts, clean hands, and honest dealings with others—how good it is, how right it is, how rare it is, how blessed it will be!

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart, Part 1

Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24:3-5

In 1971, I became one of the four founders of DaySpring Cards. The company had a small and simple beginning. Our purpose was to make Christ know in our generation through the printed page. We began with a few gospel tracts, some postcards, and some stickers. After the first year we decided to develop a Christmas card with the message, “When you get right down to it…the only thing that really matters is Jesus.” That was the beginning of our greeting card line, and to our surprise, was the first step to becoming the largest Christian greeting card company in  the world.

Naturally speaking, our business had more reasons to fail than to succeed. None of the four founders were business men. We had all received our training at Bible colleges. Three of us were ordained ministers and the other was an artist who wanted to use his talents to serve the Lord. We had no business plan, no money in the bank, no financial backing, no property, and no real business skill sets. What we had was enough. We had a common faith, a common calling, a common vision, and a common willingness to take a step of faith to obey what we believed was God’s leading in our lives.

As the company grew it became evident that without Him we could do nothing.  There is only one way to start, build, maintain and continue to expand any business that is given to God with the desire to fulfill His purposes–It must never turn away from its total trust in the Living God, its total obedience to His Word and its total dependency upon His Holy Spirit.  If He is to be glorified through what we do He will try our hearts and test our motives; He will not allow us to be like other companies who follow the ways of the world;  He will call us to a higher standard and direct us down a different path.

He will not let us get away with things that other companies seem to get by with or let us deal with people in ways that serve our own interests.  He will not allow us to look at our competition as our enemy but rather as His friends.  He will not allow us to substitute favors for fairness or place profits above people.  In order to use us as a light He must keep us from darkness; in order to share His heart with others He must fill our hearts with His love.

We must seek His favor in all we do and depend upon His power to accomplish the thing He has called us to do.  We must never seek a course of action that will cause us to displease or grieve Him. We must seek His perfect approval and long for Him to say of us, “Well done.”

 If God has called you to serve Him in the business world you must do so with clean hands and a pure heart. God never tells us to walk righteously before Him and live unrighteously before others; He never tells us to be excellent in business and have a mediocre relationship with Him. Who we are before Him and how we are before others are both important to God.

Work and Rest

Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. Exodus 34:21 NJKV

Work is a good thing. Work is in the will of God. It is a way we honor and obey God. Work is a blessing. If we are out of work, we can ask God to lead us and to provide us with honorable work that will glorify Him.

Work makes us active, productive, and useful instead of passive, idle, and dependent upon on others. It provides a way of expressing our gifts and talents, it inspires creativity, it helps to develop character, it brings new relationships into our lives, and it gives us the satisfaction of doing a job to the very best of our ability. When we receive and recognize that our work is a gift from God we have no reason to grumble and complain about our work.

It is also good to remember that the God who wants us to work also wants us to rest. Even though His will is for us to work, He does not want us to be consumed with our work or to have our work consume us. Rest is another way of reminding us that God is reasonable and considerate. He does not treat us like machines, but like people who have physical, mental, and emotional limitations. In God’s plan, one day of rest will refresh our spirits, renew our minds, and restore to us the strength we will need for the week ahead.

Lord, thank you for the wisdom of your ways. Thank you that you know what is best for me. Thank you for giving me the strength to work and the opportunity to do it. Help me to work when I work, and to rest when I rest. Bring my life into a proper balance and help me to keep a quiet heart in all I do.

The Work of my Hands

And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands—yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it. Psalm 90:17 AMP

It’s a wonderful thing to know that God’s favor and blessing can be upon the work we are doing. Sometimes we can mistakenly think that God only cares about the work of the pastors, youth leaders, choir members, and missionaries, but doesn’t care about us and what we do.

It is easy to think that a job in the workplace is secular work and a job in the church is Christian work. If God has provided you with a job in the workplace He wants to bless you in the workplace. All honorable work that is done unto the Lord can glorify Him and accomplish His purpose.

He wants to bless the work of your hands. He wants to bless your employer through the work you do, He wants to bless others through the work of your hands, and He wants to bless you. He wants to bless you with success, with an income, with productivity, and with favor.

Lord, thank you for my job and for allowing me to be in the workplace. Thank you that this is your appointed place for me at this time. Thank you that you care about me and what I do. I am so glad to know that I can have your blessing upon my life and upon what I do. Bless the work of my hands today. Bless the company I work for and make them successful. I thank you for the income that I am receiving through this work and that I can use it to meet my needs and bless others. Continue to bless me and grant me your favor

A Servant Leader

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45 NLB

There is a great difference between those who are living for themselves and those who are living for Jesus. This is apparent in the workplace. Consider these differences in the area of leadership.

A servant-leader is:
Someone who can set direction and inspire instead of being bossy. 
Someone who makes others successful instead of using them for his advancement.
Someone who is genuine instead of a manipulator.
Someone who motivates through encouragement instead of through fear.
Someone who takes time to listen instead of being set in his ways. 
Someone who builds others up instead of picking them apart.
Someone who creates loyalty instead of mistrust.
Someone who imparts vision and unity instead of confusion and dissension.

Father, I want to serve you with a true heart. Work in me the heart of your Son, the heart of servant who is willing to lay down his life for others. May I express before others the attitudes and actions that are a true reflection of your heart.

Skilled

Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; Proverbs 22:29 AMP

The word diligent can mean skilled or ready. Diligent is another way of saying that it is important to be prepared. Abraham Lincoln said, “I will prepare myself and then my opportunity will come.” Leonard Ravenhill said, “The opportunity of a lifetime must be ceased in the lifetime of the opportunity.”

In Exodus we read, “Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and wisdom, with intelligence and understanding, and with knowledge and all craftsmanship, To devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 In cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, for work in every skilled craft.” Exodus 35: 30-33 AMP

It is important that you do your work well, but it is also important to be growing in your work and in your skills. Don’t settle for “just getting by.” Continue to find ways to grow, to expand your learning, and to improve your skills.

Lord, thank you for the gifts and abilities you have given me. Thank you that I can serve you with my heart and my skills in the workplace. Show me new ways to learn and to grow. Keep me fresh and ever growing. I want to always be in a place of readiness and willingness to serve and honor you.

Diligence

He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4 AMP

One of the flaws in education is placing a strong emphasis on grades and not on character. A person can graduate college with academic honors and be morally bankrupt. Poor character impacts every area of our lives, especially the workplace. Many times I have heard employers say, “It’s so hard to find good help. People don’t know how to work.”

In the apprenticeship system, young people grew up learning a trade and learning how to work with their hands. Children who grew up on farms often learned that playtime was a privilege, not a right. Everyone who has a job has a choice to make. He can either be slack in his work or diligent. Employers notice the difference and reward those whose work is honest and noble.

Jesus, teach me to work as you worked. You knew what it meant to be in the workplace day after day, as an apprentice and as a craftsman. Show me what it means to be persistent and hard-working. I want to have the consistent joy of going home each day knowing I have put in a good days work and have done my best. 

The World and the Kingdom within a Business Setting

1.    The world pursues mammon; the kingdom pursues God.
2.    The world uses people; the kingdom serves people.
3.    The world seeks to please man; the kingdom seeks to please God.
4.    The world uses God to advance personal interests; the kingdom obeys God to advance His interests.
5.    The world looks for significance in titles, recognition and advancement; the kingdom brings significance because of the value God places upon each individual regardless of personal status.
6.    The world operates with fear and manipulation to get people to perform; the kingdom operates with love that motivates people to please.
7.    The world brings bondage; the kingdom brings freedom.
8.    The world creates a party spirit that puts down others; the kingdom creates a gracious spirit that builds others up.
9.    The world is about gaining personal success; the kingdom is about making others successful.
10.  The world seeks after power and control; the kingdom seeks after meekness and yielding to God’s control.
11.  The world steals from others and takes credit for someone else’s work; the kingdom honors others and seeks their highest good.
12.  The world wears a mask and walks in dishonesty; the kingdom is real and walks in truth.
13.  The world criticizes the competition and actively tries to hurt them; the kingdom gives honor where honor is due and seeks to bless.
14.  The world is interested in the dollar that is in the consumer’s wallet; the kingdom is interested in the need that is in the consumer’s heart.

Does Your Work Matter?

Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Col. 3:23-24

This Scripture is packed with significance regarding your work. Here are five things to consider…

1. “Whatever you do…” From God’s point of view, whatever it is that you are doing is significant. God does not want any of us to struggle with insignificance. Your name may appear at the bottom of a work flow chart, or you may be at the low end of the pay scale, but that has nothing to do with significance. What you do, however big or small, is an assignment from the Lord and that makes it significant.

2. “Do it heartily…” The attitude in which you do your work is important to God. God is saying, “Put your heart into the work I’ve given you to do.” God wants you to approach your work whole-heartedly, with thankfulness and not complaint. Having the right attitude can make all the difference in your day.

3. “As to the Lord and not to men…”  There is a huge trap that awaits you when you do your work to please people instead of God. When people don’t give you the recognition you are seeking, you can easily get discouraged with your work. Trying to please people can also create striving within you and rob you of your joy. God’s way to freedom and joy is for you do your work as unto Him.

4. “From the Lord you will receive the reward…” Getting a pay check is a great reward for your work, but the reward you will receive from the Lord is far greater. Pay checks will help you with your temporal needs, but your eternal rewards will far outshine and outlast them all.

5. “For you serve the Lord Christ…” You work at a business but you don’t work for a business. You work for the Lord. He is your real boss. Your highest purpose at work each day is to please Him, to bring a smile to His face, and to have Him say over your life “I am well pleased.” At the end of the day, that is what really matters.