1 Peter 1:13-17; 2:1, 12
These are not work-specific passages, but in just a few short verses, Peter gives some interesting ideas, ideas that are far from what you coworkers might expect. Be self-controlled. Set your mind on Christ. Be holy. Stay away from malice. Don't lie. Get rid of hypocrisy. Don't be envious. Don't slander others. Crave spiritual growth. More than a laundry list of do's and don't's, this is a recipe for how to not fit in. But that's the point. We talk about our kids and their desire to fit in at school. Yet we're no different from them. But Peter is telling us to be different. "Live such good lives among [your coworkers] that, though they [don't accept or understand you], they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Stand out from the crowd.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Encourage One Another
Hebrews 3:13
cf Hebrews 10:25
This passage is a little bit of a stretch in terms of applications to workplaces. The writer of Hebrews is telling Christians to encourage each other. However, I think the idea of being an encourager is something that can be applied beyond just the Church context. Consider the people around you at work. How can you be an encouragement to them? Showing encouragement to others may be one of the most important ways that you can reflect Christ to them.
cf Hebrews 10:25
This passage is a little bit of a stretch in terms of applications to workplaces. The writer of Hebrews is telling Christians to encourage each other. However, I think the idea of being an encourager is something that can be applied beyond just the Church context. Consider the people around you at work. How can you be an encouragement to them? Showing encouragement to others may be one of the most important ways that you can reflect Christ to them.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Let Your Yes Be Yes...
James 5:12
Jesus said it first, and James re-emphasizes it here. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Say what you mean. I think many times we get caught up in saying what people want to hear. It's part of office politics. And don't get me wrong, I do think a certain amount of audience analysis is a good thing. But when everything is said and done, you need to say what you mean and follow through with anything you commit to. When you say one thing, mean it. If you say that you'll do something, then do it. Don't be duplicitous. It's a great thing when people know they can take you at your word.
Jesus said it first, and James re-emphasizes it here. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Say what you mean. I think many times we get caught up in saying what people want to hear. It's part of office politics. And don't get me wrong, I do think a certain amount of audience analysis is a good thing. But when everything is said and done, you need to say what you mean and follow through with anything you commit to. When you say one thing, mean it. If you say that you'll do something, then do it. Don't be duplicitous. It's a great thing when people know they can take you at your word.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Pay People What You Owe Them
James 5:4
"Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty." Pretty strong language, particularly if you supervise others. The context of this passage is a warning to the rich who got that way on the backs of the poor, one of the consistent themes in James. The application has to do with what it means to be a good supervisor or manager. Pay people what you owe them. It's unfortunate, but I hear stories of managers and owners trying to find loopholes to avoid paying their employees the money for which they've worked. James is saying, pay what you owe to your workers.
It's a little bit more of a stretch, but this might be extrapolated to say, pay a wage that your workers can live with. There is a lot of talk these days about a living wage, which recognizes that minimum wage is usually not enough to live on, particularly with a family. As I said, it's not explicitly mentioned here, but I think this living wage is very consistent with the overall message--don't try to increase what you have by not giving your workers the pay they deserve.
"Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty." Pretty strong language, particularly if you supervise others. The context of this passage is a warning to the rich who got that way on the backs of the poor, one of the consistent themes in James. The application has to do with what it means to be a good supervisor or manager. Pay people what you owe them. It's unfortunate, but I hear stories of managers and owners trying to find loopholes to avoid paying their employees the money for which they've worked. James is saying, pay what you owe to your workers.
It's a little bit more of a stretch, but this might be extrapolated to say, pay a wage that your workers can live with. There is a lot of talk these days about a living wage, which recognizes that minimum wage is usually not enough to live on, particularly with a family. As I said, it's not explicitly mentioned here, but I think this living wage is very consistent with the overall message--don't try to increase what you have by not giving your workers the pay they deserve.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Do Not Boast about Tomorrow
James 4:13-16
I am a big fan of day planners and to do lists. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to have a plan before I do anything. My dayplanner is divided into an elaborate, color-coded system of plans for the year, for the month, for the week, and for the day. In some ways, this passage in James 4 is one of the hardest passages in the whole Bible for me.
James is specifically talking to merchants here, but I think the principle applies to almost every profession. How often do we make plans based on our desires and goals without considering God? I heard a preacher one time take this a step further. He said that we make our own plans and then "apply the gravy of God's will." What he meant was we made up our mind what we wanted to do and then looked for reasons why our plan was God's plan. James is strictly condemning that.
I'm not going to abandon my dayplanner. And I don't think that's even the point. The point of this passage is what priorities underlie the goals and schedules that you make. Think about that. What is driving you as you set goals and fill schedules? Is it ambition? Is it a quest for more stuff or for more influence? Or are you driven by God? Are you making goals based on a relentless desire to worship your Lord? Actually, the scary thing is that you ARE driven by a relentless desire to worship your lord, whether it is God or anything else. These passages emphasize that the "things" that we might be pursuing are very temporary, here today and gone tomorrow. That goes for increased influence or prestige, a bigger home, a fancier title. None of it will last. James is encouraging his readers to plan based on eternity, to plan based on God's plans.
I am a big fan of day planners and to do lists. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to have a plan before I do anything. My dayplanner is divided into an elaborate, color-coded system of plans for the year, for the month, for the week, and for the day. In some ways, this passage in James 4 is one of the hardest passages in the whole Bible for me.
James is specifically talking to merchants here, but I think the principle applies to almost every profession. How often do we make plans based on our desires and goals without considering God? I heard a preacher one time take this a step further. He said that we make our own plans and then "apply the gravy of God's will." What he meant was we made up our mind what we wanted to do and then looked for reasons why our plan was God's plan. James is strictly condemning that.
I'm not going to abandon my dayplanner. And I don't think that's even the point. The point of this passage is what priorities underlie the goals and schedules that you make. Think about that. What is driving you as you set goals and fill schedules? Is it ambition? Is it a quest for more stuff or for more influence? Or are you driven by God? Are you making goals based on a relentless desire to worship your Lord? Actually, the scary thing is that you ARE driven by a relentless desire to worship your lord, whether it is God or anything else. These passages emphasize that the "things" that we might be pursuing are very temporary, here today and gone tomorrow. That goes for increased influence or prestige, a bigger home, a fancier title. None of it will last. James is encouraging his readers to plan based on eternity, to plan based on God's plans.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Gossip
James 4:11
cf James 5:9
Don't slander others. The context here refers specifically to gossiping about other Christians, but I think the idea about not gossiping period is born out in other passages. Let's be completely honest--it's tough not to join in when others are talking about someone. You may fear being left out. You may want the approval and acceptance that comes from sharing "your" stories about the subject of the gossip. It's easy to justify spreading rumors with things like "it's not gossip if it's true" and "it's not gossip, they really need to know what this person is like." Most of us have used those or similar justifications. To be fair, this specific passage may be focused on spreading falsehoods about others, but think about this. When you tell stories about someone behind their back, you are typically only giving one side of what happened, a side heavily influenced by your perceptions. Presenting your side of things as the only side is just as false as telling a bald-faced lie, but that is what you do when you gossip about someone.
In another passage, Paul talks about gossip as stirring up trouble. In another place, he condemns "godless chatter," which certainly relates to gossip and slander. In yet a third place, he specifically states that slaves shouldn't slander their master, which might relate to not gossiping about your supervisor. The point is clear--gossip is a bad deal.
Think about what happens when you gossip or slander. Yes, it's true that you may experience the solidarity that comes from a common experience. In the moment, gossip does bring gossipers together. But then it also creates one of two mentalities. First, gossip creates an "us versus them" mentality when you are gossiping about someone that you don't like. Or, gossip can create an "at least we're better than that" attitude when you are gossiping about someone else's unfortunate circumstances. So you either reinforce an attitude of malice or superiority toward someone else, someone who is created in God's image and who is loved by God. And you are doing it based only on partial information, when you don't know the whole story. No wonder Paul and James are so tough on gossipers.
It's tough to not gossip. We want to join in, we want to share what we know. And we want to know what others know. When everyone is sharing stories, it's hard to stay silent, walk away, or even speak up about not talking about that person. But at work or anywhere else, it's the right thing to do.
cf James 5:9
Don't slander others. The context here refers specifically to gossiping about other Christians, but I think the idea about not gossiping period is born out in other passages. Let's be completely honest--it's tough not to join in when others are talking about someone. You may fear being left out. You may want the approval and acceptance that comes from sharing "your" stories about the subject of the gossip. It's easy to justify spreading rumors with things like "it's not gossip if it's true" and "it's not gossip, they really need to know what this person is like." Most of us have used those or similar justifications. To be fair, this specific passage may be focused on spreading falsehoods about others, but think about this. When you tell stories about someone behind their back, you are typically only giving one side of what happened, a side heavily influenced by your perceptions. Presenting your side of things as the only side is just as false as telling a bald-faced lie, but that is what you do when you gossip about someone.
In another passage, Paul talks about gossip as stirring up trouble. In another place, he condemns "godless chatter," which certainly relates to gossip and slander. In yet a third place, he specifically states that slaves shouldn't slander their master, which might relate to not gossiping about your supervisor. The point is clear--gossip is a bad deal.
Think about what happens when you gossip or slander. Yes, it's true that you may experience the solidarity that comes from a common experience. In the moment, gossip does bring gossipers together. But then it also creates one of two mentalities. First, gossip creates an "us versus them" mentality when you are gossiping about someone that you don't like. Or, gossip can create an "at least we're better than that" attitude when you are gossiping about someone else's unfortunate circumstances. So you either reinforce an attitude of malice or superiority toward someone else, someone who is created in God's image and who is loved by God. And you are doing it based only on partial information, when you don't know the whole story. No wonder Paul and James are so tough on gossipers.
It's tough to not gossip. We want to join in, we want to share what we know. And we want to know what others know. When everyone is sharing stories, it's hard to stay silent, walk away, or even speak up about not talking about that person. But at work or anywhere else, it's the right thing to do.
Monday, August 16, 2010
What Causes Conflict
James 4:1-10
Do you ever find yourself having conflicts with people more frequently than usually? Are there certain issues that are "hot button" issues with you? And more importantly, do the people that you work with know what those issues are? James has an interesting perspective on conflicts. The context for this passage is more closely related to church conflict, but I think the principles can be extrapolated to workplace conflicts as well. Why do you have conflicts? James says because of "the desires that battle within you." You want something, but you don't get it. Then you respond by killing and coveting. In a workplace, perhaps we could add you respond by backstabbing, lying, cheating, manipulating. The list goes on and on. James responds, "You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." You do not receive because you ask with wrong (read: selfish) motives. Think about the things that you fight for/about at work. Are you fighting with wrong motives? Be honest with yourself on this one. It's all too easy to say no, I'm fighting for the betterment of the company. But is that your real motivation, more than trying to make your own life more convenient.
The cure is in verses 6-10. Look at how many times James uses the words humble or submit. I don't know that humbling yourself will get you out of every conflict because not everyone will be doing that also. But your approach to conflict will be radically different. Instead of "how can I get my way," perhaps your thoughts will be "how can God be glorified through my interaction with this other person." Then ask God to help you do that. He won't disappoint you as you ask with unselfish motives.
Do you ever find yourself having conflicts with people more frequently than usually? Are there certain issues that are "hot button" issues with you? And more importantly, do the people that you work with know what those issues are? James has an interesting perspective on conflicts. The context for this passage is more closely related to church conflict, but I think the principles can be extrapolated to workplace conflicts as well. Why do you have conflicts? James says because of "the desires that battle within you." You want something, but you don't get it. Then you respond by killing and coveting. In a workplace, perhaps we could add you respond by backstabbing, lying, cheating, manipulating. The list goes on and on. James responds, "You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." You do not receive because you ask with wrong (read: selfish) motives. Think about the things that you fight for/about at work. Are you fighting with wrong motives? Be honest with yourself on this one. It's all too easy to say no, I'm fighting for the betterment of the company. But is that your real motivation, more than trying to make your own life more convenient.
The cure is in verses 6-10. Look at how many times James uses the words humble or submit. I don't know that humbling yourself will get you out of every conflict because not everyone will be doing that also. But your approach to conflict will be radically different. Instead of "how can I get my way," perhaps your thoughts will be "how can God be glorified through my interaction with this other person." Then ask God to help you do that. He won't disappoint you as you ask with unselfish motives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)