New Power for Work

Jesus is the only boss who will not drive you into the ground, because his work for you is finished. The work under the work has been satisfied by the Son, allowing you to do your work differently, better, and with more resolve. When you know for whom you work and the reason for why you work, suddenly, work becomes much more satisfying. Your audience of One is God, and therefore your work becomes very important. Not for money, not for glory, but all for God.  

All for One

One of the best things I have ever done for my work was to involve God and His Gospel. I humbly admit that I have not perfected it, it’s a constant work in progress, and there are days when his word gets lost in the shuffle, but when he is truly the CEO, only then am I able to serve the work, my company, and my employees. Only then is my outcome remarkably different and fruitful. When we tweak the purpose of our work to serve the One, only then can we truly serve all. Hiring God to be our CEO has allowed our company to serve our clients, be transparent in our goals, and set a precedent of how best to succeed. It has made all the difference.

God’s Disclosure

Unlike the disclosures found at the bottom of many business sites, God’s disclosure is all-inclusive and all-encompassing. He doesn’t speak legalese, rather he speaks love. At the time, his contemporaries were like my lawyers… there was a law and He needed to abide by it. Yet, here was a man who claimed to not just know and understand God, but actually be God. He was throwing out everything people had believed God deemed important and announcing the old era was done and a new day was dawning.

Written on ALL Hearts

Have you ever watched the movie Amadeus? It’s primarily about Mozart’s rise to fame as a remarkable composer of his time. It’s also about Antonio Salieri, a contemporary composer of Mozart, who wondered how God could promote and give talent to such a morally depraved man. Haven’t we all wondered this at one time or another? Why do some of the most unchristian people, produce some of the richest or most culturally advanced creations? Why can we see God in the most ungodly places and people?

Your Work Handbook

In my business, it wasn’t until I focused on the Gospel, that I could finally relax into my role as CEO. Before that, it felt like a never-ending, ongoing battle to make money. It was only when I allowed the Gospel to shape our business, that I began to find, that although our company is “pro profit,” it’s also pro client, pro employee, pro family, and pro God. Only through the Gospel was this shift possible. We could benefit the commonwealth, by benefiting each other. 

Workship vs. Worship

We put a lot of stock in our careers and they become our saviors. We work to be noticed, loved, paid, admired, cared for, and provided for.  The problem with this is when work IS the only defining characteristic and the ONLY thing that can save us, God is no longer in the picture. He is no longer the motivator or end goal and our performance is not based on the gospel, but on a paycheck or even a compliment. We are no longer in a state of worship, but a state of workship.

The DNA of Selfishness

When I was a slave to my ambition alone, I felt a gulf between myself and others and a widening chasm between myself and God. It wasn’t until I admitted that my talents, the opened doors of opportunity, and my growth were not from me but from God, that I could relinquish the responsibility and begin looking for ways to use these gifts as a way to serve others. My work could be a conduit to God, and not just to me alone. 

Chasing the Wind

In Ecclesiastes, the philosopher “Qoheleth,” contemplates the plight of the worker and says, “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:17 Wow. That’s dark. As I mentioned before in last week’s post, this section […]

Fruitless Endeavors

I tend to err on the side of optimism, believing wholeheartedly that I can make a difference in this world through my hard work. Although I believe this, I’m also constantly reminded that my best intentions can be thwarted by my own mistakes, the failures or indifference of others I work with, economic factors, and/or other environmental issues, like natural disasters, pandemics, and social unrest.

This may seem unfair, but it’s the nature of a fallen world. At one time, we were able to experience work at its fullest. Before the fall, the calling given by God allowed us to grow and prosper within a perfect world. After the fall, “thorns and thistles,” “labor and toil” became intricate parts of our work lives. Work became what we know it to be today

To Do Good

Once upon a time there was a young man who learned the art of the deal. He realized that a good real estate deal could reap so many financial benefits in so many ways that he built a lucrative empire on this understanding. He bought properties steeped in equity and then pulled out all the surplus cash and either lent it out to other real estate investors, or bought other deals ripe with equity. This strategy worked really well until the housing bubble burst and with it his dreams of grandeur. He learned a few huge life-lessons in the crash: 1.) Don’t overextend yourself, and 2.) Don’t work solely for the almighty dollar. 

This is a true story… It is my story. When I first started buying and selling real estate, I was driven by an insatiable desire for palatial homes, lots of toys, and big bank accounts. When I lost it all, I realized I wasn’t fulfilled by my previous motivations. Even though I had everything before the crash, I became nothing without it. It was a very hard lesson, but an extremely valuable one.