Redefining Career Training

From the moment he was aware of who he was he knew there was a job waiting for him. Nepotism pure and simple – it was a job given to him because of who his father was. That was the way it was with royalty, and he was the son of a king.

So, how does the heir to the throne prepare for imperial work, dine with kings, dance with queens, study the anthologies of his ancestors, learn to think, talk and act like a king? This prince went about it a little differently. He walked away from the riches of royalty. He denied himself the adulation of the well-wishers.

He became a carpenter. The prince became skilled at working with wood. He could have had a quality business, a home crafted by his own hand, but the prince even gave up this. His job led him elsewhere.

The responsibility given to him so long ago because of his lineage couldn’t be completed in a workshop. So, wandering around the countryside, the prince began dining with the despised, dancing with children, caring for cripples, loving lepers, shattering stereotypes and inciting riots. He didn’t rule nations or make royal proclamations.

Instead, he befriended an eccentric band of misfits. He spoke to the masses in stories they often didn’t understand. But to his friends he was direct, “My job isn’t over yet. There’s more and it’s not pretty.”

His task, his life’s work, the commission he’d received from his father was … to die. He was to take the punishment for everyone who had ever done or ever would do anything against the king … and that included, well, everyone. It was his job to sop up the justice being poured out on the world, to absorb the fury of his father’s wrath.

I don’t know about you, but his job makes mine look really desirable in comparison. His job stunk. No matter how well-written the want add was, the applicant pool was bound to be small. But that was okay, since Jesus was the only one who had the right qualifications anyway, the only righteous one.

This story is not where most of us would go for career training, but the work ethic of Jesus is the highest around. We can learn many things about working by watching the boss. Be imitators of God. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

As you look back at the story you might start thinking, “I don’t want anything to do with that job.” I understand your hesitation, and share it, but know that while his job was tough it came with a great benefit package. Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee would bow in heaven and on Earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God.

Jesus didn’t climb up the ladder of success. He turned the world upside down by voluntarily climbing down the ladder. He was scarred beyond repair, despised by a multitude, ignored by even more. But, when he reached the very bottom of that ladder the God of the universe, his father the king, loving lifted his broken body, the body that had born the sins of the world. He welcomed him home like a prodigal son, wrapped a royal robe around him and set him above all things forever and ever.

That same father – his father, your father – promises you the same thing in your job. He doesn’t guarantee you’ll reach your career goals, doesn’t pledge a promotion in the company. However, he vows that the greatest among you will be the servant of all.

“Yeah, but isn’t all that stuff about our Christian life? I mean this is my job, my life.”

Scripture teaches us that there is no distinction. You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

There is the key, the truth that Jesus knew. His job was not about him. No, it really wasn’t about us either, not in the grand scheme of things. It was about bringing glory to the Lord our God.

Your job is no different. It’s not about you. It’s all about him, bringing him glory. Yes, you may have to fix cars or fight crime, command masses or clean messes, but whatever you spend your day doing, it should be bringing glory to the Creator of the universe.

“Wait a minute, if I do that, bring glory to God in my work, couldn’t that backfire. I mean, what if I do the right thing, but doing that makes me lose a business deal. What if bringing glory to God brings unemployment to me? That can’t be God’s plan, can it?”

Those are good questions, and to answer them think back to the story of Jesus. What did doing the right thing bring him? If you said, “death” you win. If doing the right thing makes you lose your job, then that is exactly God’s plan.

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life (job) will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Brining glory to God will probably not require physical death, but death to your pride – oh yeah, death to your passions – definitely, death to your own ambition – for sure.

When you bring glory to God in your career you may find yourself climbing down the ladder of success, but remember this promise. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. He’s offered you a benefit package to die for.

Redefining Career Choice

“I don’t know.” His shrug was nonchalant, but the look in his eyes told me another story. “Not only do I not know, I don’t have any idea how to find out. This decision is way too big for me.”

He was teetering precariously on that fine line between child and adult. The decisions changed from do I want to ride my bike around the block again to what am I going to do with the rest of my life? He was only seventeen, but to pick a college he had to have a major and to pick a major he had to have career aspirations. He didn’t.

As a parent I felt the same tug I’ve felt since I heard him crying in his crib that very first night he was home from the hospital. I want to rush in and help, fix it, make things better. Growing up is tough, at least his growing up has been tough on me. Letting go, watching him fall, crash, mess up, get discouraged, sin – it has all be hard on me.

But, when it comes to his future career I can’t do much. He has to make that decision, as most of us have done. As a high school teacher I get to watch a lot of students work through these choices and I’m always amazed at how some students know exactly what they want to do. At seventeen I was just like my son. I didn’t have a clue. Actually, I’m 46 and I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.

People in the United States change careers approximately three times over their work life. This is a relatively new phenomenon. Years ago people often spent their entire career with the same company. Now they bounce not only from company to company, but from career to career. At the same time, jobs are becoming more and more specific, so training is more specialized. No wonder kids and many adults are confused.

In our constantly and quickly changing world it is important that we teach our kids what Jesus tells us about careers and career training. It’s important for you to remember his words too.

Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25)

Your career is not your life. It’s the means by which you make money to take care of necessities such as food and clothes. Could you get food and clothes working at a different job than the one you have now?

“Sure, but I couldn’t afford the house we live in, or drive that sweet ride I have,” you might say.

Almost every year I have my students fill out a sheet telling me what career they want to have. Over fifty percent of them pick high-income careers in entertainment, medicine or law. Can you imagine what our country would be like if half of the workers were in those three industries? Scary.

Too many people have bought into the American Dream Nightmare, where their success is based on how much stuff they have. This puts extra pressure as far as career choice. I’ve got to have a career where I can make the most money.

Unfortunately, it is because we’ve completely forgotten Jesus words to us about careers and life. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

When we – and our kids – place our trust in God, we can reduce the anxiety over careers. “Consider the birds of the air: they neither so nor reap, nor gather in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 5:26)

Redefining the Work Place

The boat rocked on the water, the occasional soft splashes the only noise
coming from the boat besides the sporadic shuffling of feet. Deft fingers plucked seaweed from the strands of the net, the only evidence they had even gone fishing. There was no joking, the joviality that was normal seemed to have vanished in the same way the fish had done throughout the night.

Shoulders sagged from fatigue and failure. Hard work was nothing new to these men. They liked the work, the burning muscles as they pulled in heavy nets filled with fish, the smell of sweat and fish and water. But to fish the whole night and not have a single fish to show for it, that was tough. Discouragement etched their faces.

Until.

Until, a man stepped aboard their boat. The man wasn’t invited. He didn’t ask for their approval. He merely climbed in, sat down and asked them to cast off from the shore a little ways. They obeyed.

The man, his name was Jesus, began to speak, and in moments he redefined their work place. The old fishing boat became a chapel, a holy place. Dirty fishing nets became curtains for the stage on which sat the teacher, who spoke the words of life. The same voice floated from that boat that had drifted across the dark expanse of the universe before time began. The word became flesh and dwelt among us, came right into our work place and changed it … changed us forever.

That story took place two thousand years ago, but Jesus is still looking for fishing boats … and offices, classrooms, and workshops where he can come and sit. Places he can rest, bringing peace along with him. He envisions your place of employment as a spot where his words can flow freely, bringing hope to the masses, or maybe only to the few employees working away there every day.

That’s how he sees it, but how do you think about the place you work? Jesus wants it to be an imitation of heaven. Ever pictured it that way? When he taught us to pray he told us to pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. His will done in your work place like it is in heaven.

It sounds wonderful, but there’s a flip side.

Satan doesn’t want Jesus in your work place. In fact, he will fight to make sure that doesn’t happen. You won’t see him, but he or his minions will be there trying to spoil heaven on earth. Your work place is a battlefield.

“Wow, you’ve been there,” someone might say.

The petty fights and gossiping that stir up trouble, that eat away at your own slice of heaven are not caused by your workmates. Warriors of evil instigate squabbles among us. The hordes from hell hope to harass the kingdom of God until your workplace has no resemblance to heaven at all.

It’s not that Satan cares if your office is peaceful. His plans are much more sinister than strife and discord. Those are just tools he uses. You see, some of your fellow workers are on a path to destruction. If your work place becomes a place where Jesus can come in, sit down and speak the words of life that may change. They may find hope, forgiveness, peace, and Satan won’t stand for that.

Guess who gets to fight them? Paul said, we do not wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. God has placed you there to fight for their freedom.

“But I don’t know how to fight Satan,” you might say. There’s good news. Psalm 144:1 says, Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. You can defeat the forces of evil in your work place and allow God’s will to be done as it is in heaven.

If we view our office or shop as a place where God wants to dwell, how might that change our job? An old preacher was contemplating this once when a woman told him she hated her job. The old preacher gave her a wizened look. “I believe Jesus has sent an angel to your place of employment.”

“Seriously?”

Nodding solemnly the preacher sent her on her way. As she entered the building the next day she greeted each person she came in contact with. She let others use the copy machine before her. When things didn’t go the way she wanted, she smiled and took a deep breath, thanking God for letting her work with an angel.

The next time the old preacher saw her, the woman was telling him about the wonderful place she worked. There may be no angels where you work, but the one who spoke the world into existence wants to sit in the cubicle with you. He wants to ride next to you in the service truck, to join you in the classroom, to sit with you at work … and quietly speak words of life. Isn’t that a place you’d want to work?

Redefining Work

Stripped and dirty, they pulled him out of a deep pit. His hands were

tied together, and he was forced to walk for hundreds of miles staring at the back end of a camel. Behind him was a family where he was the favored son, a home of some wealth … and his future?

The auction was loud, though he only understood some of it – the important part, he was being sold. Quickly he was learning the language of his captors, and so he understood some of what his new owner, his boss, said. He was to work in the house as a house slave.

The work was hard, but rapidly he figured out his duties, and excelled at them. He didn’t complain as the other slaves often did. They cried about the injustice of enslavement, or their duties, or their lives in general. He was silent.

Soon his owner noticed that he surpassed the other slaves and began to give him more and more responsibility. The other slaves complained about this as well. He quietly went about his business, doing his best.

Before long his owner had placed him in charge of all the other slaves, making him second-in-command to only the owner himself. He was able to call the shots. The slave was at the top of ladder, if slaves have ladders.

Until.

Until the owner’s wife noticed that he was a handsome man, a man even her husband respected. “Come lie with me,” she whispered. “He’ll never know.”

“I can’t do a thing like that. He has trusted me with all that he has.”

She pulled him toward her bed. He scrambled back. In desperation he skinned out of his cloak to get away from her grasp.

“Help! The slave has tried to rape me.” Her eyes held no remorse as she said it. Her hand held his cloak as evidence.

Stripped and cowering, they pulled him out of his hiding place. His hands were tied behind him and he was forced to walk the long road into a darkened prison. Behind him was a position as the favorite slave, power and authority … and his future?

The prison was loud, but he was only aware of one thing – he was a prisoner. Whips bit his skin and fists cuffed his head. Fear lurked in the dark shadows.

The work was hard, but rapidly he figured out his duties, and excelled at them. He didn’t complain as the other prisoners often did. They cried about the injustice of imprisonment, or their duties, or their lives in general. He was silent.

Soon his jailer noticed that he surpassed the other prisoners and began to give him more and more responsibility. The other slaves complained about this as well. He quietly went about his business, doing his best.

Before long his jailer had placed him in charge of all the other prisoners, making him second-in-command to only the jailer himself. He was able to call the shots. The prisoner was again at the top of ladder, if prisoners have ladders.

Joseph was a slave and prisoner, but in both of those roles he was also a worker. You may have had a job at some time where you felt like either a slave or prisoner. It may be the one you’re working now.

How was it that Joseph, no matter where he was, rose to the top? We can’t say luck, since anyone with luck wouldn’t end up a slave or prisoner. So, what was it? What special something did he have?

In the story, as it’s told in Genesis, there is a phrase that is repeated several times, “And the Lord was with him.” That was his secret. God went with Joseph, to the house of Potipher and even to prison. “Okay,” you might be thinking, “I’m a Christian. God’s with me in my job, right?”

The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. If you are Christian, then yes, we have a promise that God’s Spirit lives within us. However, is he truly “with us”? Jesus said that if we abide (live, dwell, stay) in him, then he will abide in us. Are you abiding in him?

Sometimes in the evening my wife and I will be upstairs reading or doing some work, and I will realize that I don’t know if my sons are even home. They often spend time hanging out in the basement. Since both of them drive, they come and go much more often than when they were younger, so if I don’t hear them I’m not sure. We live in the same house, but I’m not always “with” them.

The Holy Spirit lives in us, but if we are not with him, then he is not with us. In the American church being with God is often seen as something that happens on Sunday at a church service. If we don’t take God, consciously, with us to work, then he won’t be there, at least not in a way that will impact what we do.

In Hebrew, the native language of Joseph, is found the word Avodah. This is the Hebrew word for work. Interestingly, the word also means worship. For Joseph his work was his worship. If he was filling the wine glasses of Potipher, it was worship of God. If he was emptying latrines in a dank, dark prison, it was worship of God.

The New Testament says it this way, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17) Is this your mantra as your inbox rises faster than your outbox? Is this your cry as your boss takes credit for yet another of your ideas?

Neither Potipher nor the prison keeper chose Joseph just because they liked him, because he was charming and a nice guy. They chose him because they saw something different in the way he worked. His work was worship of his God.

Is your work your worship? That is a sure way to make sure God is with you when you are at work. It doesn’t mean you’ll get the promotion or that raise you’ve been hoping for, but it does mean he’ll be right there with you. Joseph’s promotions always went down – way down – before he went up, but he didn’t seem to mind.

God was with him. You see, Joseph knew his job wasn’t really about him, it was about God. When your work is your worship, your career is about bringing glory to the divine creator of the universe. Now that’s a job you can get excited about.

Redefining the Mission Field

The view was picturesque. The city nestled at the foot of the mountain. The air was crisp, but the sun warm. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and listened to the noise of nature.

The men in front of him shuffled nervously. Whispers floated between them carrying their insecurities back and forth. He smiled at them, the future of his endeavor.

The men were well trained. He was sure of that. He’d spent the past three years working with them, developing their skills, building their motivation, teaching, training, honing. They were ready.

Well almost. There was one more thing they needed, but it wasn’t quite time for that yet. Soon. He scanned their faces. Soon they would be ready and the world wouldn’t know what hit it.

“Men,” he addressed them. “I’m the boss, and I’m giving you the authority to complete the mission. Go.” With that simple commission he left them.

And they went.

Jesus gave that command – or Great Commission – to the apostles right before he ascended to heaven. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

In many Christian circles this Great Commission is considered one of the most important passages in the New Testament. Go. It’s such a simple command, but unfortunately it gets neglected by many.

Go. Go where? Who is supposed to go? Missionaries? Me? What do we do when we get there … wherever there is? When do we go? Do we all go? When we get there does the command end or do we have to go again … and again … and again?

Maybe it’s not such a simple command after all. One problem occurred in the translation from Greek to English. The word should have been translated as you are going rather than go. That would simplify some things.

As you are going to work … make disciples of all nations. As you are going to the mall … make disciples of all nations. As you are going next door, on vacation, to a party – wherever you are going – make disciples. As you are talking with your children, hanging with your friends, going about your daily life … make disciples.

This simplifies several things. The where is everywhere. The who is every Christian. The when is every time you go somewhere … and even when you don’t.

Pastors often instruct their flocks that God has charged them to go. When you’ve heard a message on this you may have imagined going to Africa, Mexico or an urban soup kitchen, but for most of us going means going to work. The average American spends sixty to seventy percent of their waking hours on the job. Countless people at those places of employment are on a path to destruction.

If you spend 60% of your waking hours going to work, then you have an amazing mission field God has sent you to. If you envision the place you work as the mission field where God has sent you, would it change how you view your job? How you prepare for work? How you pray for work?

Over the next few weeks Mission Field: Work will help you prepare for the mission field – your job.