iWork4Him PowerThought

For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. So how about you? Are you resting from your work? Are you taking a day off every week and keeping it holy? Are you honoring God with your business and keeping the Sabbath, not only for yourself, but for your employees and customers? Two of the giants in retail, Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A are closed on Sunday, and their profits are up! The world says "you're crazy to close on Sunday", but God says differently. If you're working on Sunday, or asking your employees to, we challenge you to go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him "How can I honor you by keeping the Sabbath holy?"

Are you feeling as though you're just going to work on auto-pilot? That you can do your work now, with your eyes closed, with one arm tied behind your back? When's the last time you asked God to stretch YOU, in your work? Comfort is not a place Christ-followers should be camping out in. .... So how about you? Are you brave enough, to ask "Lord, will you stretch me today? Will you put me to better use, in the place where you would have me be? Will you bless me today with the work you have chosen for me, at this time in my life? .... Hebrews 11:6: And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Are you a leader in your organization? If so, what are you doing to care for your team members? Your employees? Are you ignoring the big stresses in their lives? If you are, it could be costing you in a big way. For example: The divorce of a $60,000 a year employee will cost $86,000 in lost productivity. There are legal, low cost remedies to helping your employees get the help they need to calm the sometimes raging seas of their lives. So how about YOU? Are you turning a blind eye to the pain in your workplace? Wake up! Look and listen, and seek to put benefits and programs in place that make employees lives easier. And commit today, to start being the good shepherd. The one who sacrifices his life for the sheep. For more about iWork4Him and our vision to transform the workplace of every Christian into a mission field, go to iWork4Him.com That's iWork the number 4 Him dot com

At work, sometimes we walk away from a meeting or conversation and think to ourselves "Boy, that person sure needs some fixing." But, in reality, if we took a moment, and thought more carefully about it, maybe even looked a little deeper, we may just see what needs to be fixed is US, not them. Leaders know this. They know that the organization is a reflection of WHO they are and WHO they are being. A leader knows that before their "team needs fixing", THEY need fixing first. So how about YOU? Are you a leader that leads knowing they need to fix themselves first? Or are you the leader that looks at all the fixing everyone else needs to do? We challenge you today, if you have a thought about someone else, to first look at yourself, and see what needs to change.

Do you want to see your workplace as a place to live out your faith? Your work is a place where you finally get that chance to be involved in fulltime ministry. Then do these things. 1st Start praying for those you work around, by name every day. 2nd look for ways to serve those same people over and above what your job requires you to do. 3rd look for ways to build a friendship with those you work with, outside of work, where real relationships can develop. 4th Look for ways to pray with people when you see them having a rough day. And 5th, all along be a person of excellence, in your work. Do these things and you will see your workplace transformed by God right before your eyes. We call this the iWork4Him Nation Covenant.

Some things in life are more challenging than others. Like finances. And even more challenging: How do we glorify God with our finances? If you think you've mastered your finances, there's a next step, a better way to glorify God with them. To transform the money we make from working for the Lord, and seeing that it is invested in Kingdom building. It's called Biblically Responsible Investing and it's transforming the way Christians look at the money they invest, and where they invest it. So how about you and your finances? .... Are you willing to look at every dollar and steward it even more for God's Kingdom? If you are, we invite you to pray about it, and go to our website for next steps on how to transform your finances into the ultimate Kingdom resource.

I wonder how much of our life is lived from a place of "taking". Not consciously, but just getting up and living our life, as we go to work and just delve in. I've found my unconscious self is pretty selfish. If I don't pray first, submit in obedience, my day, my hands, my mouth, eyes and ears, to serve all those I come in contact with, I'll just spend all day at work taking what I need and want. .... So how about you? Are you living your life and work day taking? .... We challenge you today, to stop unconsciously working, and living as a taker. But to set up your day from a place of "How can I be a giver today? How can I contribute to everyone I come in contact with?"

Is God building another testimony for you, through your workplace? Often, hard times come in our work, and we're called to respond as a Christ-follower. Not react with fear, self-pity, anger, resentment or push-back. But with a keen sense and trust that God is sovereign in our work. That He may have brought something to an end, for His Glory, not our punishment. So how about YOU? .... Are YOU going through a hard time at work? And if you are, how are you responding? We recommend first taking it to prayer, and asking the Lord what He wants you to know about the situation, how you can grow from it, and what does he want you to do next, for His glory? Then take some time and pray for those you work alongside for the tough time they are going through too

How do you measure your work success? We're referring to eternal success in your work. One way is to ask yourself: Is my workplace better off because of having me work there? Have I changed it for the better? Would my co-workers say that I am a blessing to work with? A roofing business owner in Florida told us he takes an inventory every year, looks back at the year to see what benefit or good he has added: to his customers, his employees, his community and his family. So how about you? WE invite YOU to incorporate this "taking inventory" process by adding it onto your calendar once a month. David Jeremiah said, "If we don't take inventory every once in a while, and give thanks to God for the great things He has done for us, we get totally out of perspective." Make sure you take time to ask the question of yourself today "IS my workplace blessed because I work there "

Jon Dengler, a ministering bicycle business owner in Tampa, said this about his business and its ministry: By doing our work, we're rehearsing a reality that we're dreaming of. We're trying to usher in the coming Kingdom. Phenomenal. He is using all of his gifts… daily… and working as if his current work is representing the Kingdom. He is re-creating the Kingdom today, in his city, in all he does as he works on bikes. As he teaches others to fix bikes. As he gives them away. As he develops relationship with each person he comes in contact with. All those things john does restores a piece of the Kingdom on earth. So how about YOU? Are you ushering in the coming Kingdom with your work? With every person you meet? We invite you tomorrow morning, to pray and commit that your work would be ushering in the coming Kingdom