Faith and Work ~ Work Can Destroy You

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Pray | Lord, give us insight on how my faith should shape our work, because our work matters to you and to others.

This week in looking at work and its relationship to the fall in the Garden, we’ve seen that we’ve been working from the very beginning, and that work became more difficult after listening to the serpent. Limitations set by God are for our good, and brokenness causes us to ignore those boundaries creating difficulties in and between us. Today we’re considering how our faith can influence our work, and that if faith doesn’t, our work has the potential to destroy us.
Read | Psalm 119:30; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; Micah 6:8 

Psalm 119:30
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.

1 Thessalonians 1:3
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 
Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on one or more of the following:

Pastor and theologian, Tim Keller, in speaking on faith and work, offers four ways faith can serve us in our vocation. The first is faith gives an inner stability without which work can destroy us. 
If our self-worth, importance, identity or competence comes from work, our successes go to our head and our failures go to our heart. If we are not absolutely certain of our worth, we’ll be whipped back and forth but faith can keep us grounded in the stormiest of times.

Faith reminds us of the dignity of all work.
With this truth central in our hearts, we won’t have a belittling attitude toward others’ work. The shutdowns during the pandemic revealed and reminded us of some of the unsung heroes in our midst. Our uplifting of them showed we valued their dedication and work, that their work very much mattered.

Faith gives us a moral compass without which work could corrupt us.
With so much pressure for profitability, and with culture leaning toward moral relativity, leaving our faith at the door may cause our clarity and conviction to become soggy and soupy.

Lastly, faith gives us a world view that shapes the character of our work, and without faith, our work could master and use us.
We might find ourselves giving more to our jobs than to our families, which in turn causes us to prioritize in a disordered manner, putting our best effort, energy and position toward work. Our work has the potential to shape us if we walk unaware of if we are shaping or being shaped by our work environment.

Though people can be difficult, and work is harder and slower due to a ground cursed with thorns and thistles, that’s not all we’re left with, we have faith. Faith gives us hope in all circumstances, so let us not leave it at the door as we finish our prayers, begin our day and enter our work.

Does my faith shape my work, or am I being shaped by my work? If so, how? Am I certain of my self-worth and identity outside of my job or role?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional
Link here to the second message in a four part series on Faith and Work
Pastor Jonathan Haage // (message The Curse of Work begins at 16:12)

Your Work Matters ~ Embracing Limits

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Pray | Lord, help me see the limits you have in place for my daily life.

“Should babies have maple syrup?” my daughter-in-law asked as I dipped a piece of pancake into syrup before plopping it in my granddaughter’s mouth as she murmured “Mmmmmm.” Turns out, they should not.

Just because the taste is sweet, or something looks appealing, doesn’t mean it’s good for us. Sometimes it’s as simple as syrup for a baby, but it can be as complicated as the fruit on a forbidden tree. 

Read |  Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-5 

Genesis 2:15-17
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 

Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on one or more of the following

In the Garden, God forbid Adam and Eve the fruit of one tree. Enter the serpent, who out points out to Eve the prohibition of one tree, neglecting God’s provision of the rest of the trees, implication — God is restrictive. While living within the limit God set for them, Adam and Eve lived harmoniously and uninhibited with God and one another. But once they broke that boundary, they suddenly felt naked, ashamed, covering themselves and even hiding from God. When asked what they had done Adam blamed Eve (and kind of blamed God, “The woman you put here with me . . . “) and Eve blamed the serpent and they became fragmented. That decision to take the forbidden fruit still affects work environments and relationships today; we can be difficult with each other, have a hard time taking ownership of our actions, we can be disagreeable and prideful . . . fragmented.

Interestingly while living within God’s limitations in the garden, work was fulfilling and good, yielding much. But with disregarded limitations, work became harder, there were thorns and thistles to contend with. Those thorns and thistles are still present in our work today, they can pop up as tedium, exhaustion, blaming, difficult deadlines, co-workers, clients, bosses and such. But we still have the option to embrace God’s limits today, and when we do, we live with each other much more harmoniously, and work is good and fulfilling.

How might the brokenness back in the Garden affect your relationships and work life? Do you have a sense of God’s limits for you? What are some limitations that have yielded fruit in your home and work life?

Written for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional
 

The Book of Job ~ Day 3 of 3

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Pray | Lord, may I turn to you, your Word, your Truth, and your promises when I am confused.

I JUST NEED TO TALK TO GOD

As we read through Job we see that he holds on to what he knows is true, he has done no wrong. After the ongoing, sometimes long winded (hello Elihu), monologues of friends, Job really just wants to talk to God. He wants to hear what God has to say, he begs to plead his case directly to the Judge, while also realizing God’s wisdom is so profound that Job couldn’t actually dispute him, but what he could do is plead for mercy. The wisdom in Job is this – I just need to talk to God. After loss, grief, pain, standing in integrity, then questioning, blaming, shaming and careless words, I love how chapter 38 begins, “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.” For what a storm it had been.

Read |  Job 38-42

Reflect | 

God gives this tour of the universe, asking if Job was there at the earth’s foundation, asking if he had given orders to the morning, entered the storehouses of snow, and on and on. God speaks in incredible detail about land, sea, animals, birth and more, showing Job (and us) It’s just not all about you. When God says to Job – Ok you do it, you run this universe, unleash your fury, crush the wicked where they stand, it creates a moment of deep humbling. I can’t think of one person who would truly believe they could run the universe; some of us might think we could run our universe, but given that power we’d see that so many other people and events are tied to ours that it would be beyond overwhelming to our eyes, hearts and minds and we would immediately realize our limitations.

The Bible Project’s podcast on Job points out God is displaying that the world is in order, but there can still be suffering because in many ways “it’s still got wild in it, and it’s still dangerous.” Not to mention the free will part and also the evil that exists. In the end Job’s response boils down to, I thought I knew, but now I know I don’t. I thought too highly of my abilities to understand how things work, and his mind, heart and posture changed.  I love when God points out that Job did speak this truth – he didn’t deserve what happened to him, it wasn’t anything he did.

We are so very intelligent, sending rockets to space – for science and now even for pleasure. We have learned incredible secrets of the universe, and can do more and know more than ever before, and what we don’t know we Google! We want to know and understand everything, and when we don’t, when things just don’t make any sense, when it seems there cannot be sense made of some things, what do we do? Do we write off God? Do we silently tell him, If I don’t see any good in this then you’re not good? Do we possibly want a God we are equal to?

Our true best hope in dark and confusing times is in humility before God. I don’t get this, it makes no sense, I am sure this grieves even your heart Lord. but I trust you still. To some this will make no sense, you have to know God to trust him. Understanding God’s character and deep love is a path to trusting him; and the truth is we can’t humble ourselves before someone we don’t trust.

Do you know and trust God? Where does your mind tend to go when you can’t make sense of things or events? When it seems God isn’t intervening, do you trust him still? What storm do you need God to speak out of?

The Book of Job ~ Day 2 of 3

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Pray | Lord, you are good and trustworthy; by your Holy Spirit, help me to believe that when I’m confused by the difficult and tragic things of this world.

BUT IS HE REALLY RIGHTEOUS?

In the book of Job, in a counsel meeting of sorts, Satan tells God that Job, a man the Lord Himself called blameless and upright, is only that way because God has blessed him over and over, of course Job is a good man because he’s rewarded for it. And so begins the loss, suffering and responses of this man of integrity, this man who fears God and shuns evil.

Read |  Job 1 – 2

Reflect | 
In the Bible Project Podcast’s on Job they submit that the question of Job is “If God is just shouldn’t the world always be run by the principle of just compensation?” They surmise that what Satan might be saying to God is that if righteous people are always rewarded doesn’t that have potential to corrupt their righteousness? Will we maintain a posture of righteousness if, or really when, we suffer?

This question has had my mind busy this week; suddenly the book of Job wasn’t just about this man who was experiencing unexpected tragedy, but about me and my beliefs, which I now realize might sometimes fall under the just compensation theory. How many times has my heart whispered up to God, But they’re such good people, please, please fix this. Is it possible some of us accidentally, maybe sometimes believe that because God is good and just that he would, or even should, make sure that good begets good?

When situations don’t seem fair, that is a critical time to lean into God, to ask ourselves if we really believe and trust God. Could we pause to acknowledge I’m feeling like this seems not okay from my vantage point, but then also consider and trust that it has passed through the hands of God, taking in that his complexity and perspective is so much wider and deeper than ours – much more than our brains can even conceive. And that sometimes things and people grieve even his heart too.

In the podcast when speaking of our own limitations, they mention that dogs can’t learn algebra. In talking this through with my daughter Erin, she added, “And dogs don’t need to know algebra. We’re like that too, we don’t need to know everything; that to know everything is actually beyond our brains and capacity.” This is wisdom, to know we can’t know it all . . . but we can know the One who does.

Can you think of a situation where you maybe believed that good begets good? When was the last time you were confused by a suffering that hit you or someone you love? How did you, or do you, manage your confusion when that happens?

Feel free to comment, we can all learn from each other.

Written originally for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

The Book of Job ~ Day 1 of 3

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Pray | Lord, by your Holy Spirit, help me to seek and value wisdom as I walk in this day, and then day by day, for all of my days.

THE MAN WHO LOST SO MUCH

This week we’re looking at wisdom in the book of Job. When I consider the book of Job my first thoughts are of a righteous and good man who suffers horrific loss through no fault of his own. There’s an example of friendship ~ friends who travel to sympathize and comfort Job, who are so pained to see their friend’s great suffering that they simply sit in silence with him for seven days and nights (I want to be that friend). At some point though they do begin speaking their many thoughts and sharing their beliefs about how God works and about what Job must have done to be on the receiving end of this tragedy. But Job knows what he knows – he is innocent and he clings to that truth. Eventually confusion enters, Why, God, why? If God is just, why am I suffering so? Eventually the Lord speaks, not answering Job’s question directly, but giving an answer nonetheless. We’ll begin in chapter 28, which is about where wisdom is found.

Read |  Job 28

Reflect | 

In this chapter the search is on for silver, copper, gold, onyx, crystal, topaz and even more precious gems. The author describes how we tunnel through rock, lay bare the roots of mountains, and search rivers to find what is valuable. While we aren’t out mining for what we believe is valuable, maybe we’re expending much time and energy seeking other things we believe matter most – personal satisfaction, financial gain, comfort, the best job, status, relationships, distraction or even reaching the end of our to do list. Not that these things are bad or wrong, but the question may be about how much time and energy we also invest in seeking God’s wisdom. And by the way, where does wisdom dwell? Where can we find it? Job reveals that it is with God, who views everything, to the ends of the earth. While we, like viewing a parade, just see the portion in front of us and have recollections of what has already passed. But to view and consider everything to the ends of the earth is not ours to have. Wisdom is with the One who knows and has seen it all.

Today let’s consider if we truly see wisdom as something to be valued. And if it is, do we seek it as such? Do you believe wisdom lies with God?

Written originally for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

Holy Spirit ~ Day 3 of 3

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Written originally for Five Oaks Church Daily Life Devotional

Pray |Lord, by your Holy Spirit, show me when I’m forgetting that I need you.

RIGHT HERE, ALL THE TIME

In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes about when Jesus initially said to Peter, “Follow me.” He writes that Peter followed with no hesitation, that “The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it.” Peter was sure he could follow Jesus, even unto death, but one night at a fire pit  he denied three times even knowing Jesus when questioned by a servant girl. Peter had come to the end of himself and his ability to stand in the truth.

Chambers’ line, mentioned above, “…and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it.” has caused some reflection for me this week. As you re-read that line, are there situations in which you may not even be considering the knowledge, wisdom or power of the Holy Spirit? Are you leaning on your own strength and understanding, only doing things in which you don’t need the Holy Spirit to help me?

Day 3 — Read

Acts 1:8
Romans 8:10-11
2 Corinthians 3:17
Galatians 5:22-25

Day 3 – Reflect

There’s just so much to say about the Holy Spirit, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is within us through the Holy Spirit – but do we believe that? If so, that should be a confidence booster. It is written that there is freedom in the Spirit of the Lord – he doesn’t bind and restrict us, he gives boundaries (like any good parent) and all sorts of freedom within those borders. The Spirit gives us the power to be gentle, to serve one another, to have joy – even within difficult situations and times. He has the power to transform us so that the old is gone, our eyes can become new, hearts of stone can become tender, and we are given armor as well as weapons to stand firm. Clearly this part of the Trinity is full of power and might, invaluable to all who believe and receive the Holy Spirit.

Reflect on a time (or times) when you came to the end of yourself, your self-sufficiency, your promises, but instead of it being the end of the story, it became a turning point. How did the Holy Spirit enter that season?

Holy Spirit ~ Day 2 of 3

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Written originally for Five Oaks Church Daily Devotional

Pray | Open my eyes to your activity in and around my life through your Holy Spirit. Amen.

JESUS LEFT. NOW WHAT?

Young children often learn truths like, “God is my Father” and “Jesus is my friend.” But the Holy Spirit can be a little tricky for a child (ahem, or even an adult) to understand, so one simple way to consider him is this ~ the Holy Spirit is my helper.

Those who walked with Jesus at their side received so much from him; he spoke what his Father wanted people to know and understand. There was healing, teaching, forgiveness, comfort and much more that so many experienced through his presence. Jesus had an impact, and it was good that he was with them, so his departure was confusing to his followers. “I thought he was going to set things right” more than likely traipsed through their minds and passed through their lips. The help they were expecting was short-sighted, for it was for a time and a place, but all along the plan was to grant us help, for all time, in all places, through the Holy Spirit. Another true gift. 

Day 2 – Read

John 14:25-29
John 3:34

Luke 12:11-12
Ephesians 1:17
Romans 8:26-27
Isaiah 11:2

Reflect | 

The Holy Spirit is from God, and if we believe God is for us, then his Holy Spirit is an incredible gift to receive. We so often hear, “Follow your heart.” But the Word says to ask God to search your heart and to guard your heart, for everything we do flows from it. Sometimes it can be confusing to discern what is right and true, but we have access to this amazing advocate who will reveal our heart, show us truth, and remind us of what we have learned through the Word. He will grant us wisdom, revelation and understanding when we seek them, and he will give us hope when it feels there is none. When we don’t even know what to say or ask, he will intercede on our behalf. The Holy Spirit, the very essence of God, is active and available; do we sense him, listen to him? What sort of things in our lives might be set right if we asked for his help and guidance?

Ponder your spiritual journey.  Can you name a few places in which the Holy Spirit was active? Would you consider sharing that story with at least one other person?

Come, Bow, Worship, even if . . .

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Pray | Lord, in my hustle and bustle, joy or anxiousness, may I not be too busy or distant to pause and consider the wonder of who you are.

December is full of such good stuff! Families gather from near and far, friends are meeting up for celebration, lights go up with frozen fingers, trees and streetlights are twinkling, and there’s the buying, wrapping and giving one to another. But that’s not everyone’s story, it can also be a season of dread, loneliness and anxiety. There’s the reality that finances and time are limited, maybe a heart is grieving, conflict is in the air, or one we love so very dearly is not ‘round the tree but in a hospital. 

The Magi must have had their share of challenges that first Christmas. Before their long journey there were travel plans to make, camels to pack and such, and then miles and miles of searching. But even so, it is written that as they traversed, they saw “the star” and were overjoyed! This Advent, as the days tick off the calendar, will there be a point in which we are overjoyed at something so simple but significant?

When these Magi finally arrived at  the house of Mary and Joseph, they saw the child with his mother and bowed down and worshiped. (Can you just imagine the awe and relief of Mary and Joseph?! Maybe saying, “We have indeed understood these messages from the Lord!”)

Oh, that in this season of Advent, of arrival, that we would come to really see the manger, that we consider the baby, toddler, man, Messiah who came to be with us for such a loving purpose. If the calendar is crowded, and “s t r e t c h e d” is the feeling of the day, how much more valuable to pause, bow and worship (Exodus 20:3.) If burdened and heavy laden, now is the hour to make time for Jesus, for he says he’s gentle and humble in heart, that you’ll find rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28-30). If you find yourself confused, anxious, or with a grieving heart over something or someone, then come close, because it is written that Jesus is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). And if you are in a place of abundance and joy, the bid is still to come close (Deuteronomy 8:10-18). One thing is clear, there’s room for all of us at the manger.


Read | Matthew 2:9-12

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.


Reflect | Spend some time reflecting on the following:

We come often to the Lord with our needs and desires, which is so, so good, but what I love about the wise men, is that before Jesus did anything in his time on earth, they bowed, worshiped and gave gifts simply because of who he was, God with us.

May we each spend some time in reflection, asking God to help us come and bow this Christmas, no matter what, and even if . . .

Everyone is Upset

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Pray | Lord, may I consider the posture of my heart this Advent season

King Herod was disturbed when he heard the Magi showed up asking about the one born King of the Jews. It is well documented that he was a paranoid, ruthless man. He killed many including his own sons and a few wives to name just a few of those who suffered death due to his fear of losing the throne.

 But also . . . the people of Jerusalem were disturbed.

Read | Matthew 2:3-8 
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for out of you will come a ruler    who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Reflect | WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME?

King Herod is easily identified as the one least accepting of the idea that the Messiah had arrived within his jurisdiction. But what caught my eye is that the people of Jerusalem were also disturbed. Herod’s reaction seems unrelatable, but the people of Jerusalem being disturbed has the potential to hit a little closer to home.

There are many reasons this news could be bothersome to all of Jerusalem, one being the fear of a violent response from this deranged king who sensed a challenge. But it’s also thought that this arrival could upset the status quo of their own daily lives.

The arrival of a new ruler — shepherd — king, though expected at some point, possibly left them wondering, “What does this mean to me?” The truth is, Jesus’ arrival whether in Bethlehem, the Jordan River, at dinner, the temple . . . or our hearts is a game changer. He just turns so many things upside down. There’s a new conviction in our spirit, while also leaving us peace (John 14:27). Though called to repent, he leads us not to punishment but refreshing and restoration (Acts 3:19-21). It means the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17), and among so many other things, it means there is always a path to forgiveness and freedom.

In this season of preparation, as we string the lights, attend the gatherings, and find our Christmas socks, may we also look for the star, journey to the manger, bow in awe at who has come, and is to come.

This Advent, what are you doing to create space to consider the majesty and wonder found in the manger? 

The Magi

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I was recently invited to be on the Devotion Writing Team at our church, Five Oaks in Woodbury, Minnesota. I’ll be writing three devotions about once a month. Once they have been sent out to the subscribers Daily Life Devotions I will post them here. I’m excited about this season of writing!

Pray | Lord, despite my comfort or discomfort, status, or not, whether I am near or far, overwhelmed or busy, like the Magi, may I seek the one born in Bethlehem.

The Magi – Who were these guys?
There doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer to the question, who were the Magi? It’s likely that speculation, stories, and manger scenes have shaped our thoughts and traditions on who these men were. It is written that they came from the East, they may have been kings, advisors to a king or someone else entirely. What we do know is that they were expecting the Messiah, and they went to find him and worship him.

Read |Matthew 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Reflect | In what tends to be a very busy season, it can seem difficult to consider getting up to go find Jesus. It might be as simple as finding that box of Christmas stuff and pulling out the nativity set. But it could be as complicated as looking back at that confusing crisis that happened (or is happening), and wondering “Where did he go? Where is he?!”

Each year when we set up our nativity, we’ve always set the Wise Men far from the manger, then every day they move just a little closer to Jesus until they arrive in front of him bearing their worship and gifts. As we journey through this month and check off our lists, decorate the tree and buy all the things, may we, like the Magi, find ourselves asking, “Where in this is the one who is King?” Some of us will find him near as we spend consistent time with him, some of us are a little further away, maybe skeptical, or just unsure of coming too close for fear of what we’ve done, or even possibly, what we think he will require of us if we get too close. Wherever we find ourselves this season, the Lord promises in Jeremiah 29:13 that if we search for him wholeheartedly, we will indeed find him. May this Advent be a time for each of us to seek him, journey toward him, to come and adore, bow and worship. As we offer our gifts one to another, let’s also consider what we might offer to the one who came to set us free.

Where might you find Jesus this season?
Is there a specific gift you’d like to lay at his feet?
Words of adoration you might quietly offer up?