iWork4Him PowerThought

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.

We all have a calling, have you heard this before? Some of us get called to the pulpit and some to the foreign mission field but most of us get called to our cubicles, construction sites, care facilities or whatever your job site may be. Your Workplace, It's your mission field and in that mission field, you and me, we may be the only Jesus our co-workers, employees and bosses may ever meet. That Job that you hold and the work that you do, and the people that you work with, none of that is by chance. The people that you work with need to meet Jesus and you may be their only chance. So, as you contemplate the value of your work today, realize this…You don't need to quit your job in order to go into fulltime ministry. You are already in fulltime ministry, right there where you work.

Love, Dignity, Respect. .... Three simple words. Love, Dignity, Respect. What do they have to do with your workplace? .... If someone were to visit your workplace, would they see these in action? .... What about you? .... Are you giving love, dignity and respect to all the people you encounter in your workplace? Or do you reserve it for only those you believe are worthy of it? .... We challenge you this week to show love dignity and respect to each person you run into in your workplace this week. Smile, say hello, look them in the eye, and learn their name. This is where workplace transformation starts.

What if the only business book we had was the bible? How would we do business differently? .... And what if we only had Jesus's words to do business by? .... Every workplace leader we've spoken to (and the number is now in the thousands) basically summarizes their leadership philosophy as this: "My number one job as owner and president of the company is to take care of my people first. To love and care for them." .... Regardless of your management level in your work, what if you started here? What if you worked from this philosophy every day? The fruit of that way of work is clear. The fruit results are abundant. More than we could ever ask or imagine. Won't you try this philosophy out this week?

Seems like there is an unlimited number of worldly solutions to every business problem we encounter. There are formulas, theories, the current "theory of work", or leadership or "how to make your customer rabid fans of your business." But the more I hear from Christ-following business folks, the more convinced I am that there is only ONE answer to every workplace situation. .... Jesus Christ. .... He IS our answer, our business partner, our priest, our prophet and our King. Going to Him with whatever we are facing in our work, IS the answer. Stop searching for the world's answers. .... He's waiting for you to come and seek His counsel in your work. Won't you seek HIS counsel in YOUR work today?

Dan Anderson from Kingdom Way Ministries has a powerful saying. Kingdom Way Ministries wants to turn Sunday's inspiration Into Monday's perspiration! .... What a great motto to write down, stick in your bible and pull out on Sunday morning during church while you listen to the sermon. What if you listened with ears that asked "How does what the pastor is preaching relate to my work? .... The people I work with? .... My relationship with my boss? .... My co-workers? .... What is ONE THING I CAN DO, starting Monday morning, that will put into practice, what I learned during church on Sunday? Start today turning Sunday's inspiration into Monday's perspiration.

Heard this from a workplace chaplain, whose job it is to listen to and love on female employees in a construction tool company. "I tell people: Love God, love others, enjoy the rest." What a powerfully simple clear summary of our faith and how to live it. Matthew 22 says Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' As a working Christian, what would happen if YOU lived this motto in your workplace today? We challenge you to try it and find out.

What's to be done when we as Christians at work, get in a disagreement with a co-worker? How do WE deal with it? .... We can use this 6-step apology by Ford Taylor from Transformational Leadership:

1. ONE, Acknowledge the offense: "I did _____."
2. TWO, Admit, "I was wrong."
3. THREE, Use the words, "I am sorry; I apologize."
4. FOUR, Ask, "Will you (when you can) forgive me?"
5. FIVE, Say, "I give you permission to hold me accountable."
6. SIX, "Is there anything else I need to apologize for?"

We want to challenge you to memorize these six steps, and to USE them in YOUR workplace today

Here's a word definition quiz. Let's see if you can identify what word it defines: cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength. .... –. It's REST. Rest is the other SIDE of work. God did it. He even modeled it for us. So why does it constantly get a backseat or no seat on our bus? We need to make it a priority. Your work will flourish, your home life will flourish and you will have more capacity to do his work in YOUR work. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation!

There is a movement afoot in the workplaces and marketplaces across the globe. It's the faith and work movement. And it is especially true right now with women in business. All across the US and the world, women of faith are gathering in community to support each other and achieve the mission and vision God has placed on their hearts. .... There ARE Christian Women's organizations available today in your area. If you truly want community, you CAN have it now. .... …. professional women of faith to talk to, to pray with and do life and business together. If you are alone, we encourage you to pray for a community to be a part of and then make the effort to join one. It's biblical! Proverbs 15:22 Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success