ALWAYS BE READY

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It has been said that the backup quarterback is the toughest position on a football team. They have to train and prepare just like the starter but, they never know when or if, they’re going to get to play.

 

As Christians in the workplace we may often feel the same way. We spend time in training (prayer and reading the Bible) but don’t always get the opportunity to share Christ with others.

 

There will come a time when someone in the workplace will ask you about your faith. Our role is to continue to train and always be prepared to give a worthy response. 

 

If you want God to line up more of those opportunities, pray about it. He will open those doors.

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1 Peter 3:15

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

 

Matthew 7:7

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

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WHO GETS THE GLORY

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It’s baked in our culture: the push to move yourself up the ladder of influence. From self-indulgent social media posts to opportunistic workplace motives. It’s easy to fall into the trap of amassing as much glory for ourselves as possible.

 

What if that glory belongs to someone else?

 

The key is to shift your focus off of yourself and on to others. Actively think about how you can make someone else’s day better, not just your own. Make it your goal to lead a life that leads people to the God, who is worthy of all praise!

 

Psalms 37:3-4

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

 

Philippians 2:3

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work, for His good pleasure.

 

To God be the glory!

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CONFIDENT COMMUNICATION

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Have you ever asked someone a question and then immediately thought, I said that completely wrong? This can often end up taking the conversation in a different direction.Asking the right questions raises our level of communication in our personal relationships and especially in the workplace. The skill of asking confident questions can help our relationship with God too. Here’s what the Bible says about it.‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”Think about some steps you may be able to take, to ask better questions of God, and those people you love and work with.

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JANUARY 2025

 

Have you ever completed a workplace task and thought to yourself afterwards, I can do better than that!

 

Most of us have experienced "I can do better than that" situations numerous times throughout a week. We do less-than-our-best as we assess the value or trade-offs of bringing our best. The bible indicates that there is at least one area that Jesus always brought his best and never sacrificed: spending quality alone time with God.

 

Moving into a new year often signifies new beginnings. Consider making a new commitment with God in 2025 to spend daily, uninterrupted, time in prayer and in reading your Bible. It will give you wisdom, direction, and fulfillment in 2025!

 

Mark 1:35- And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed, and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

 

Luke 5:16- But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

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WORKPLACE INFLUENCE 

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The workplace can be a challenging environment for us Christian’s to consistently set the right example. Sometimes in tough situations, we can get upset, say the wrong thing or even display a poor attitude. 

 

God calls us to live above that, in all we do.

 

We should strive to live in such a way that our coworkers notice something different in our words, actions and attitudes. This will be our opportunity to live out our influence and share the hope found in Jesus Christ.

 

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” 

 

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

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WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU?

NFL quarterback, Trevor Lawrence once made this statement in a press conference. “Football’s important to me, but it’s not my life. It’s not the biggest thing in my life, I would say my faith is.” Can we say the same thing?

 

You may think the question is only applicable to someone like Trevor who has a high-profile position and profession, but the reality is that many of us live in way where we put our career ahead of their relationship with Christ. It is an easy trap to fall into with the dedication we have to our jobs and businesses. 

 

God’s Word teaches us that having a relationship with Him is the most important thing.

 

It has been said that the most important things to us are where we spend our time and our money. Take time today to examine where God ranks in your life.

 

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

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2 Corinthians 4:18 “we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

 

Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

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INTEGRITY

In 2008, JP Hayes, a semi pro golfer had made his opening tee shot. He chipped on the green and marked his ball. It was then that Hayes realized the ball was not the same model Titleist with which he had started his round. 

He had a decision to make. Keep it his own secret or tell an official. He chose the right path and told the official. 

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We all have moments of integrity testing, especially in the workplace.

 

What will you do the next time you are tested?

 

Philippians 4:8 "Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things."

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HAVING A FAITHFUL FALL

Have you ever watched a movie where the plot was hidden just under the surface and you couldn’t quite get it. Then along comes one scene, and it puts it all together!

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In the movie of life, this same scene plays out often. It can be especially fitting in our relationship with God.

 

Is there something that you are waiting on God to do, fix, start or guide you in at work or even at home? So often, we are just one scene away from putting it all together. 

 

Sometimes this part of the movie can be a scary one. That is because the next step often requires action on our part. When we take action, even when we don’t know for sure what to do, we are exercising our faith. Jesus tells us, when we take action in faith, results follow!

 

Matthew 9:22

…”take heart daughter, your faith has healed you”

 

Matthew 9:29-30

Then he touched their eyes and said “according to your faith, let it be done to you” and their sight was restored…

 

Mark 9:23

…”everything is possible for the one who believes”

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DO YOU S.E.E.

When we are not physically healthy, it erodes our drive, motivation, and ability to focus on priorities (God, family, friends, work, etc.). It is so easy to totally pass on taking care of ourselves physically…at least until something needs to be fixed or healed!  To help avoid this, think of the acronym S.E.E.

 

S.E.E stands for Sleep, Eat and Exercise.

 

When we are S.E.E.ing, we are disciplined and inspired to accomplish great things in our workplace and for God!  Do not put it off one day longer. Begin to prioritize S.E.E.ing in your life today!

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JULY

 Have you ever had a friend or coworker that you had 100% unadulterated and complete trust in? 

 Probably not.  So as workplace believers it’s easy for us to rely on or trust in our own efforts, plans, and strategies.  While Jesus does want us to put forth our best effort (Colossians 3:23), He does not ask us not to operate this way. He asked us to operate on faith and trust in Him in ALL areas of our lives...including our work day.  We can trust in the Lord with our work; He is 100% trustworthy.  Starting today, what workplace situation can you trust Jesus with more?

 

Proverbs 3:5  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

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Jeremiah 17:7

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him" NIV 

 

Proverbs 29:25

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe" NIV

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FOLLOWING PROCEDURE 

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Every business has procedures in place, which are the correct way to do things. And, in most businesses, situations arise where it is difficult to tell how a procedure directly applies to a situation. In those cases, you go to the person responsible for the procedure to get clarification.  The same is true with Jesus Christ and the bible. The bible gives us “procedures” to follow in the workplace but it is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ which helps us to properly apply those “procedures”. 

 

It is vital that we follow God’s procedures and have a genuine personal relationship with Him. We can know each verse in the Bible and still not be saved. It is not enough to have just head knowledge of Jesus, we must allow Him to reside in our hearts.   If we are to be effective workplace believers, we must truly live out God’s “procedures”(not just talk of it) with Jesus’ guidance along the way.

 

1 Corinthians 9:25-27- “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

 

Romans 10:9-11 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

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MAY

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Last month we talked about always being ready to share the gospel.  It's not uncommon to struggle with what to say, especially in the workplace where it can be awkward and challenging. A good approach is needed! Here are some tips and a video that will help you better communicate this life saving message. 

 

 

1. Here’s a 2-minute video with tips on introducing your faith to others  https://youtu.be/uX3Vt_9Qx1A

2. Don’t force things, keep your conversations natural.

3. Bring topics into your daily conversations that can easily bridge to faith (joy, peace, forgiveness, mercy, tragedy, purpose...practice will make you better!).

4. When given the opportunity, share your own personal testimony from the heart.

5. Once you’ve established spiritual conversations with someone, encourage them to take the next step. Maybe even invite them to church.

 

Mark 16:15- "And he said to them, “go into all the world, and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

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APRIL 

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Last year team USA won the 4 x 100 meter relay race at the World Championships.  The anchor leg, and the star that got to cross the finish line was speedster, Noah Lyles. 

 

Lyles wouldn’t have been able to cross the finish line with his arms raised in victory, if it wouldn’t have been for the other three runners on his team. 

 

One of our victories as workplace Christians, is to see others come to know Christ. It is great to be the anchor leg, the one who leads someone directly to Christ. However, most of our time is spent being the lead off or middle runners. In those roles we plant seeds, share our knowledge and testimony about Christ with others. 

 

Always be ready to “run” for Christ, no matter what role you find yourself in.

 

Stay tuned, next month we’re going to talk about how to do this in more detail.

 

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

”But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.“

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ARE YOU READY

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During the late 1980’s, the NBA’s “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons, won back to back Championships. One of their dynamic bench players was Vinnie Johnson. 

 

He averaged as many as 15 points a game. Johnson’s nickname was the Microwave. It was given to him because he was always ready. He was prepped and ready to be inserted and score at any moment.

 

How about you? What do you need to do to be ready when God calls you?

 

If God calls you to move to a different job or career or volunteer for an assignment at work, will you be ready? If someone in your workplace asks you to tell them about Jesus, will you be ready?

 

Philemon 1:6

”And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.“

                                                                   

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THANKFULNESS

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As a Christian in the workplace, we always have the choice of being thankful or not. God graciously gives us the free will to choose.

 

Have you ever got so busy that you forgot to do something important? This is often the case with the practice of thankfulness. 

 

Here’s a quick list of some do’s and don’ts that will help you stay on top of your thankfulness game!

 

DO

• Thank God for His blessings

• Thank Him for your gifts and talents

• Keep a humble heart

 

DON’T

• Let you heart fill with “self-made” pride 

• Try to impress others, only God

• Take all the credit in workplace successes 

God has given us the gifts and talents that we use every day in our workplace. Let us always be thankful for that. Any success we have, is a direct result of those gracious gifts.

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1 Thessalonians 5:18- Give thanks, in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

Colossians 3:17- Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything, in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him.

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STAYING IN ALIGNMENT

 

Last month we talked about the importance of letting God establish our priorities in life.

When we assume sole responsibility of setting up our priorities, we expose ourselves to aligning with the world’s priorities instead of God’s.

 

Here’s what God’s word, says about some of the most important topics in our lives.

 

God- He is our counselor and guide. (Romans 12:2)  

Health- Without our health, our ability to influence many things on this list may be limited. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) 

Family- Our families and their proper structure, have been ordained by God (Genisis 2:23-24)

Work- Gives us purpose, generates provisions and permits us to glorify God. (Proverbs 16:3)

 

Are you focusing more on what society values or what God values?

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