In the book of Nehemiah, we learn that Nehemiah’s preceding Governors had placed a heavy burden on the people by demanding onerous taxes and provisions. These leaders seemed motivated by self-interest. Nehemiah had the same taxing rights, but his motives were different. Rather than look to his own self-interest and grow his wealth, Nehemiah ...

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In Nehemiah 4, the Israelites rallied together to fight off their enemies while rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. But by Chapter 5, the strain of the work, plus the impact of famine, caused the people to begin complaining about the oppression they experienced by their own leaders. Due to oppressive debt, these leaders had put their own ...

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Nehemiah had a vision of rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. When it came time to start the actual work, Nehemiah decided to allow teams to work on specific sections of the wall. He could have had everyone work together on the entire wall. Nehemiah 3, however, reveals the brilliant part of Nehemiah’s strategy. Nehemiah understood ...

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A fourth-century church manual, the Apostolic Constitutions, called Good Friday a "day of mourning, not a day of festive Joy." Historically, many have called Good Friday to be a day of sorrow and fasting. In our busy work activities, we rarely take time for reflection or sorrow for our brokenness and the brokenness of the ...

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Today is Maundy Thursday. On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus, the Son of God, modeled for us a surprising act. In ancient times, Maundy, which means, “washing someone’s dirty feet,” was one of the worst jobs a servant could be asked to complete. Yet, on Jesus’ last night, He humbled himself and washed ...

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Recently, a new comedy club opened in our neighborhood. An advertisement led me to believe that the show may be family-friendly, so Kathy and I decided to give it a try. We were sorely disappointed. A small crowd had to experience vulgar and very offensive dialogue that left us disgusted. In contrast, my daughter gave ...

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Our work generates value in many ways, but we need to guard how we let it define us. In a recent Substack post, pastor and author Scott Sauls cautioned against measuring our value by our work. We become anxious, he wrote, when “we believe our worth depends on what we produce, how visible we are, ...

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Many in business have learned the hard way the importance of hiring people with strong character. God’s view on integrity, however, is different from the world’s view. Many universities teach moral relativism, allowing you to decide right and wrong. God’s moral code, however, starts with the concept of fearing God. Fearing God is to ...

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It’s not uncommon for workers to see their work as the source of earthly rewards like income, insurance, or even a sense of purpose. But our jobs also can provide eternal benefits when we use our work circumstances to serve others. From customers, to coworkers, to supply chain partners, work puts us in contact with ...

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If you have ever wondered if God values work, consider the number of jobs he has held. In “Workplace Grace,” authors Bill Peel and Walt Larimore list nearly two dozen occupations of God, including landscape architect, judge, farmer, environmental engineer, teacher, and inventor. The creation story in Genesis recounts God’s work. “This is the ...

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