Called to Business

“Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.” (Job 41:11)

Have you ever been in a situation where you are arguing with God? Do you question His will and wisdom? Are you slow to respond to His prompting or argue the answer to a prayer that may be no, when you wanted yes. Perhaps He treats others in a way you want to be treated, or you expect Him to do one thing when He does another.

Step back for a moment and think of just how crazy that is. How asinine, how ridiculous. We are the created, He is the creator, we have limited vision, He has unlimited knowledge and understanding. Perhaps if we argued less, gave up resisting and moved quickly to agree and be obedient, we would see much more of the fruit we desire in our lives.

Quick Prayer. “Forgive me for arguing and not getting on with doing your will.” Amen

“LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand and all of it belongs to you.” (1 Chronicles 29:16)  

The promises of God are “yes and amen”. True beyond all doubt. If we are enjoying abundance it comes from His hand. With abundance comes responsibility. By any worldly standard we are blessed and have a responsibility of being a part of building the Kingdom of God. The nuts and bolts of building and serving in a local church are a part of our responsibility.

Part of our response to receiving from God is an obligation to help sow back into His work. This should come not out of compulsion but out of a grateful heart, thankful in acknowledging that it has all come from Him. He loves to give good gifts to His chilrden, just as we do ours. he will ensure we are not spoiled, but He is generous.

Quick Prayer. “Thank you for your promises Lord, and for the responsibility to respond to your generosity.” Amen

“To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14)

Everything; now there is an all encompassing and all containing word. No exceptions, no exclusions, no special case, nothing left out. It all belongs to God, whether we agree or not, accept or not, believe or not.

If it is in heaven it is His and if it is on earth it is His. All we have and all we think we own, is His. If this is true, then we are merely stewards of what belongs to God.

If we really thought about that and understood this fact in all its ramifications, would our lives be different? I think we would be more generous, less frivolous and more thankful. To begin with perhaps we should acknowledge that He owns it all, and then maybe He will respond by giving us a greater revelation of how we should steward that which is His.

Quick Prayer. “It is all yours Lord.” Amen

“The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11)

This truth is perfectly presented in the person of Jesus. The greatest of all was the servant of all. As we seek to serve others, God will exalt us. As we seek to be exalted he may well oppose the proud. This is counter to human nature as we all want significance and to be esteemed.

There is a part of us that will use others to advance ourselves. We need to be reminded of God’s way to counter our own ambition. Let’s learn from the Master and learn to serve.

As we choose to be faithful in serving, doors will open that no man can shut, and opportunities will come as we prove to be faithful in the discharge of our God-given responsibilities.

Jesus is our example!

Quick Prayer. “Teach me to serve like you did.” Amen

“Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

Here is a bombshell, it is not about you. We spend a lot of time with a self centered view. Take a moment to look to others and see their needs.

Interestingly we are commanded to esteem, look upon and be concerned about ourselves, and others. This is not a denigration of self but an additional focus on others. So whilst we are not to undermine ourselves we do need to raise our awareness of those around us.

As you go about your business today, look around, God may have someone for you to minister to today. In fact I could guarantee it. Often He is just looking for a willing accomplice.

Quick Prayer. “Help me be aware of others needs today Lord.” Amen

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9)

Bless those who curse me—are you kidding? Seek out those who hate me and bless them—are you insane? Repaying evil with good seems to not make any sense, but God’s ways are not our ways. He has a better view. If we have given our lives to Him, we need to trust Him and do it His way.

We have a choice when our human logic and His Word seem to collide. Often there is an almost paradoxical set of options. He does know better than us, so trust Him to have the answer and follow His ways, and the way becomes clearer.

It is not easy. It is a narrow path, but it is a higher way—a true way.

Quick Prayer. “Sometimes you just don’t make sense, help me to trust you and do it your way.” Amen

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.” (Colossians 2:6)

How good was it when you first gave your life to Jesus? Do you remember that surge of zeal and willingness to tell others of your new experience? What about the sense of release as you left the burden of sin behind?

The Bible implores us not to lose our first love. We need to continue to press into God and deepen that relationship. That takes time. Set aside some time; you may be surprised by what you hear.

It is not a going back, but a continuing to press on. Your relationship should always be developing, growing, and changing. If it feels stagnant, begin by seeking to put aside time for Him again. You’ll be so glad you did!

Quick Prayer. “Help me serve you with a pure heart.” Amen

“In Christ Jesus, then, I have legitimate reason to glory (exult) in my work for God.” (Romans 15:17)

We work for God. Regardless of our occupation, we are in His employ. Because of this, when we experience success, it is legitimate to glory in it. In fact, we can glory in the very act of service as we work for God in the marketplace.

But what of humility? Surely the ultimate in humility is agreement with God. He says we can glory in our work, so let’s drop our false humility and enjoy it as He intended. There is nothing wrong with enjoying all His good gifts. He provides them for our enjoyment and provision and to make us effective in His kingdom.

What a privilege. If we really grasped this truth, it would revolutionise our work life.

Quick Prayer. “Thank you that I work for you.” Amen

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” (Ephesians 6:7)

We will always work for flawed people in a flawed environment. We will be let down, disappointed, not appreciated, and sometimes even taken for granted.

However, if we shift our focus and serve a perfect God, we will look through the imperfect to serve the Perfect. It is all a matter of perspective. The added benefit is we become more effective in the marketplace. We become like that which we focus on. Let’s focus on God and shift our mindsets to align with His.

This perspective if very powerful and unlocks the service mentality, the ability to see purpose and to work wholeheartedly regardless of the circumstances.

Quick Prayer. “Keep my eyes on you please Lord.” Amen

“In the beginning God created….” (Genesis 1:1)

How gracious it was of our Creator to model work in His very first act on our behalf. In the beginning He…created, an act of work, followed by rest. Is work important to God? Oh yes, it is so important that he acted it out in the very beginning of creation.

Why would He do that unless He wanted to point something out? He values work. Often we work for a wage, a profit, and see it as just a way to provide. God clearly has a different perspective. Will we allow Him to shift our worldview?

He took the time to carefully lay out the creative process as a working week. He values our work as a Godly attribute. If it is important to Heavenly Father, it should be important to us.

Quick Prayer. “Thank you that you value what I do for work.” Amen