iWork4Him PowerThought

Workplace politics. If you're working, you're involved in them. And as Christians, we don't have to disengage just because the term is distasteful. "Workplace politics" are the strategies people use to gain advantage for themselves or to support a cause. What if, we employed biblical wisdom and strategies to deal with the politics? .... such as Matthew 10:16 "I am sending you out like sheep with wolves all around you. Be wise like snakes and gentle like doves. If you've chosen to "not participate" or given up trying to, you can't be an influence in your workplace. .... How about praying today for wisdom at work, and in the politics in your workplace, and then participate, for God's Glory

In today's culture, respect for our elders and wisdom, has been replaced by idolizing youth and outward appearances. As Christians, we believe that ALL human beings are created by God in His image. Therefore every person has inherent dignity and creator-ordained worth. To be created in the likeness of God means that each person bears His image and with it, a value beyond our unique characteristics or individual attributes. Do you treat ALL people at work with the same respect? Do you say hello, and look into the eyes of the janitor or the server at lunch? The FedEx guy? Do you know their names? We challenge you this week to treat everyone you meet with the dignity and respect you previously reserved for only those "who merit it."

I heard recently from a retired army guy that he was taught to run TOWARDS the problem, not away from it. .... I wonder how many of us run towards OUR work problems vs. away from them. Perhaps we think "confrontation" is un-Christ-like…but how did Jesus deal with problems?

With the woman at the well, He confronted her, asked and answered questions. In the temple, He confronted with over-turning the tables and admonishing. Did he EVER run away from a problem? Never. His way to address problems were spirit-based AND involved action of some kind. But He never opted out, avoided or ignored the situation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Won't YOU use Proverbs 3 to run towards YOUR problems at work today?

Businesses always seem to be searching for "the magic bullet" that will propel them into the "big leagues". We've heard hundreds of stories of eternally successful companies and their practices and believe we know the secret. It's excellence. Excellence as unto the Lord. Not being great at what you do, but EXCELLENT. .... It's the very top level. Consider these synonyms for excellence: high quality · superiority · brilliance · greatness · eminence · supremacy · peerlessness. Remind you of anyone? These words describe Jesus Christ. And since our entire purpose is to conform to His likeness, these words should be describing US, and our work, and our organization. .... DO they?

Have you ever tried to ignore God and His direction in your work or career? Tried to go your own way, and kept running into roadblocks, un-ending NO's and shut doors? Sometimes in our career, we try to LOGIC our way towards our calling, to where WE want to be, but God has His plans. Remember the Israelites? It took them 40 YEARS to make a 14 day journey. That's 14, 600 days of blindness, vs. 14 days of obedience. That's A LOT of resistance. So, the next time you're being led somewhere you don't want to go, try praying about it, asking several devote friends to join you in praying for an answer. If you're paying attention, God is probably speaking through others to you as well, to guide you. You can fight God every step of the way, but we don't recommend it! We challenge you today, to PRAY your way through your career options and challenges.

I recently had my concept of "neighbor" challenged. Does neighbor mean only the people in my neighborhood? The ones we live near? Actually, in a broader sense, it is anyone "living or located near another". That means the folks all around us at work, in the next cubicle. The teacher in the next classroom. The person exercising next to us at the gym. Our neighbors are everywhere and the Lord had a great deal to say about them. Some Hebrew origins of the word, also translate it to mean "fellow man". Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Today, how will YOU show love to ALL THOSE who you work around all day long?

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.

There is a common phrase that many people, especially working moms use. It's "stretched too thin". In the shadow of that statement is the often ignored concept of "self-care". Many people have been taught growing up to put themselves last, after their spouse, children, their home and their work. So it's no wonder many of us fail to take care of anything having to do with our own health and well-being. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. The word of God says we are to care for ourselves, so we can THEN care for others. What will you do today, this week, to take better care of yourself?

Sacrifice. It's defined as surrender of something for the sake of something else. We are called to do it in our life as a Christ follower, just as He did. 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. What does love-based sacrifice look like in our workplace? .... We sacrifice pride, to choose what's best for the organization, over our own ideas. .... We sacrifice time, when we put a co-worker's needs before our own. .... We sacrifice "top sales numbers" to do what's best for the client, not our own paycheck. HOW are YOU willing to be sacrificial in your workplace this week?

Sometimes we wonder, do the little things I do even matter to God? How can I, just one person, make a difference? In 1893, a teenage girl named Helen Cadbury, daughter of the president of Cadbury Chocolates, was so excited about sharing her faith that she organized a group of girls who sewed pockets onto their dresses to carry the small New Testaments her father had printed. The girls called their group "The Pocket Testament League." Today, more than 110 MILLION gospels have been shared, and the PTL membership is now 662,000+ strong. What an AMAZING story of how God uses our tiny act of faith to move a mountain. .... What small act of faith will YOU do today, that God can multiply?