2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Today, the Lord leads me to talk about human relations and attitudes in the workplace. The question here is: When I am a “new creation in Christ,” how should that impact my attitudes and actions in the workplace? I’m sure by now that it is clear that when a person accepts Christ becoming a “new creation in Him,” a real transformation by the renewal of his mind has taken place [see RO 12: 2]. That sets up a challenge for this person which is frequently met head on in the workplace. The believer must deal with taking his “mountain top” spiritual life into the valley of the secular world. Our Lord wants us to mature and to spread the Gospel-not an easy task. If the Gospel is to be spread in the workplace, it is unlikely to be done so by the direct “let’s have a Bible study” method. It is far and away more likely to be done by the example a believe sets in the way he goes about doing his work and interacting with others there. Often, God challenges us to mature spiritually by our circumstances. There are times when the clash between spiritual and worldly values in the workplace becomes great enough that the believer is forced to ask if the job he has is the right one working for the right company. But, let’s look at God’s perspective on that and at ways the believer can deal with this clash of values when it happens short of having to leave the job he has.COL 3: 23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for men. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what He has kept for His people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.” Since this directive comes along with all the other ones we are given in the Scriptures, it must be taken that way. Obviously, if a boss is asking a believer to do something that is clearly morally and legally wrong, the believer must refuse-even if it means the loss of his job. However, there are many times when the boss’ order isn’t that extreme, but it does test the faithful obedience of a believer.I remember one such situation that I had many years ago when I worked for a short time in an insurance company in the financial district of San Francisco. I was a claims adjuster at the time when only a handful of women were being allowed in that vocation. My goal was to work there just long enough to make enough money to pay for tuition for graduate school. This job required the adjuster to go to sleazy places at times to take recorded statements where there had just been an auto accident, a fire, or a burglary. I didn’t always feel safe, so I asked my supervisor on occasion to allow me to be accompanied by a male adjuster. There were times when this request was honored, but I knew I couldn’t ask for it very often or I wouldn’t be allowed to keep my job. Since teaching jobs weren’t a dime a dozen at that time, keeping the job I had was important to me. I always asked the Lord for protection before going to a place that I wasn’t sure of and tried to use my head as to when to ask a male to accompany me.My faith was tested on a few occasions when I would encounter people who were upset about what had just happened to them and wanted to take it out on me. An adjuster’s job can be very difficult at times, and at least at that time, most of them were sadly underpaid. However, I discovered just how powerful the influence of being faithful can be on others. I made it my business to remain calm when a claimant was upset and to be kind toward them. That is what the Lord would have a believer do. If we understand that our real power comes from the Lord and not from what we do for a living, who our boss is, or how much money we make, our loving Abba will not let us down. That power is considerable, and the Lord entrusts us with His power proportionately to the faith we have and the responsibility we exercise in using it. It has always been my prayer that someone, more likely someone I’ll never know, will come to faith as a result of something I said or did. Being faithful in the workplace is a prime opportunity the Lord gives us to grow spiritually and bring others to faith by the example we set.When we put God’s perspective on this situation, we learn to look at the big picture. I have cited MT 6:19-21, the passage where Christ tells us to store our treasures in heaven and not on earth, many times. Seeing the big picture is keeping that in mind when we are deciding how to interact in the workplace. If someone is asking you to take the expedient choice which is different from the morally correct choice, God is giving us a chance to “stand in the gap,” in other words, to demonstrate the courage of our faith. Today’s workplace is often not a friendly place to be. The trend is to allow the profitability of a company supersede the quality of its products and pride of workmanship or ownership. Sadly, money has become more important than people. Obedient Christians are faced with a dilemma. That is when they must look at the big picture in deciding how to approach the challenges they face. Our best approach is to go to the Lord with our problems in humble prayer. Our Father loves us and will give us the direction we need to face this challenge. His ways may not be easy, but we can take comfort in knowing they are always righteous and in our best interests. Remember RO 8: 28, “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose.“There is more comfort in 2 THESS 2: 13-14. “We must thank God at all times for you, brothers, you whom the Lord loves. For God chose you as the first to be saved by the Spirit’s power to make you His holy people and by your faith in the truth. God called you to this through the Gospel we preached to you; He called you to possess your share of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” While this message was originally written by Paul to the believers in Thessalonica, it is also a message for us. When we keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Lord, He is right there with us to help us work through the dilemmas brought on by our interface with the values of this world. He really does want to share Christ’s glory with us. I hope you find that as comforting as I do.PRAYER: O Lord, You often present us with prime opportunities to grow spiritually and to spread our faith in the workplace. These circumstances present us with dilemmas that are caused by coming face to face with the values of this world, which are so different from those You teach us in the Scriptures. Help us to keep our eyes fixed firmly on You and to reach toward Your more perfect perspective, the one that transcends the grave. We need to remember that even these difficult problems we face are opportunities to bring us closer to You. Thank You for loving us that much. You deserve our praise, worship, and adoration. We are blessed, because You want us to share in the glory of Your Son. In His name, amen.Dear Ones, we are blessed, because we can go to the Lord with our problems. His shoulders are wide enough to deal with our burdens, and His heart is full of compassion. He will guide us and care for us. Feel loved today, because you are! Pete and I send our love too.Grace Be With You Always,Lynn <-- Back to Archives