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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MAKING GREAT TIME

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The late great baseball player, Yogi Berra, got lost on his way to his Hall of Fame induction. He looked at his wife and said, “We’re lost, but we’re making good time!”  That’s a funny comment but in Yogi’s humor is some wisdom that can be applied to us as workplace believers.

 

How often have we let our to-do lists and responsibilities at work take priority over God or family time?   There have been many hard workers who were “making great time” in their careers but were totally lost to their families and God.  Two friendly reminders:  1) always let the Lord set your priorities and 2) the reality is that you will never finish everything that needs to be done at work…there is always more work to be done!

 

This month, keep your priorities in-line with what God’s word says. Stick around for next month’s tip as we dive deeper into this topic!

 

Proverbs 5:23- He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

 

 

1 Timothy 3:5- If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?

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