Broadcasts – Christian Working Woman

Presented by Jenn Miller The concept of achieving balance between work and personal life has captivated our culture because it seems like everyone is struggling to achieve it. Do you find yourself struggling to balance all life holds? I think it's fair to say that most women in the Western world feel like there's just not enough time in the day. Why is that? Part of the problem is that untrue beliefs have crept in and added unfair burdens. Let's consider the mindsets that can trap us as women into feeling like we cannot manage the life God has called us to. The most common trap is the belief that you can have it all. You know the lie—it expects you as a woman can have a successful full-time career, be a devoted wife and mom, keep an immaculate home, cook only the healthiest family meals, serve regularly in church, keep workout routines, always look fresh and put together, and have that calm and sweet demeanor like it's all no big deal. I'm tired just thinking about that list, but many of us feel the weight of these expectations, and I'm here to tell you the truth. Here it is: You cannot have it all, sister! You were never meant to. God created you and me as finite human beings with a limited time each day, with physical needs for rest and sleep and food, with a limited emotional, mental, and relational capacity. And you know what? Those limitations are not bad! They are God-ordained. Hear this truth and let it be a balm to your heart—God does not call or expect you to do it all! Isn't that good news? Instead, Scripture counsels you and me to continually be discerning, to continually come to the Lord and seek out his plan and his priorities. Where is God calling you to invest your time and energy? As you wrestle with this question, Psalm 25 provides a wonderful posture in which to come in prayer. Verse 1 says: To you, oh Lord I lift up my soul. The Lord is the one we ultimately answer to. Would you lift up your soul to the Lord in order to discern where he is calling you to use your time and energy and where he is not? Verses 4-5 provide a wonderful prayer as a guide. It says: Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. In the midst of hectic days and crazy schedules, may you and I center our hearts on God our Savior, seek his plan, and hope in him alone.

presented by Lauren Stibgen The seasons are changing again, and it is hard to believe that kids have returned to school. I have seen so many social media posts about preparing kids for school from elementary to college. Moms lamenting about lists, waking their kids up on a schedule, and trying to balance this with work and other commitments. Trying to get into a new season of balance.    The reality is our lives are full of these changes no matter the season and no matter the reason. When it comes to seeking balance in work and life, part of our problem is separating the two things to begin with. The fact is all of life is some type of work, whether we are on the job receiving a paycheck, at home with family, or even volunteering.    Change and disruption happen by the moment in our lives. Change can be good and change can be difficult. Change can be expected and unexpected. Sometimes we make choices to change and sometimes we don't.     I think this is why the Bible refers to life as a sojourn, a temporary stay or visit in a place that is not our permanent home. The turmoil this life causes is well characterized in 1 Peter 2:11, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul (ESV).    Repeatedly, the Word reminds us this world is not our home. Ephesians 2:19 states, So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (RSV). We are fellow citizens and saints as members of God's household. But what does this look like, and how can we use this citizenship and membership to bring our lives into a better balance today?   First, let's consider what brings us out of balance with this citizenship we have as believers. What did Paul mean in 1 Peter 2 when he mentions the passions of the flesh waging war against us?   These passions of the flesh can show up in any of our work, at home or on the job, and we need to be aware of how these things are creating the lack of balance we perceive. I would sum up these passions of the flesh with one short word—sin. God's Word has many verses that summarize these sins both in the Old and New Testaments, but the verses in Galatians 5:19-21 specifically mention the flesh.   The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.    All this wages war on our citizenship and is often a root cause for feelings of imbalance in our life whether we are in control or not. There are words from this list that are very present today. I want you to ask:   What rivalries am I a part of? At work, in my family, or in my community?  Where am I causing dissent or division? Am I causing strife at work?  Am I jealous of someone or what they have?  Am I striving for significance in my life?  Have I been angry in the last week to the point of yelling?  What am I thinking about so much that it has become an idol to me?    Again, you may not be the cause of some of these things that wage war on your flesh. For example, maybe someone has caused division at work, and you are an unfortunate recipient of the backlash. Perhaps you have some rivalry in your family that you are not choosing but someone else is. Maybe someone is jealous of your achievements and is acting out because of this.    You see, this is why chasing balance here in this world can never happen, but we can shift our focus on our citizenship and as fellow members of the household of God. This shift can help us feel more in balance when the world seems to work wildly against us—you know, the part about waging war. While the word war seems dramatic, I want you to remember that even Jesus told us that in the world we will have tribulation. (John 16:33)    I love the other side of the promise Jesus has in John 16:33. He promises that in him we will have peace because he has overcome the world! He tells us to rejoice and be glad because our reward is great in heaven. (Matthew 5:12)    Nehemiah 8:10 tells us to not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is our strength! Psalm 16:11 states that God makes known to us the path of life and that in him is the fullness of joy!    Jesus is peace. We can have joy in the presence of the Lord, and with him is the fullness of joy! Personally, when I am worn out from all that life is handing me, I tell my husband or close friends, “I just want peace.” It feels like a beautiful stillness and a place where all the things in this world cannot reach me. It is full of light and joy! The truth is I already have these things because I believe in Jesus Christ and through him, I have a home in heaven with God the Father. This good feeling of joy that is my strength needs my focus and attention. That's why we are commanded repeatedly in Scripture to rejoice in the Lord! (Philippians 3:1 and 4:4, Psalm 118:24).    When I really want this peace and joy, I start by acknowledging where it comes from because I cannot produce it on my own. True joy is found in the filling of the Holy Spirit. In fact, joy is a fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. So, to find Jesus and experience his peace, hope, joy, and the rest of the Spirit's fruit, I need to be giving the blessed Trinity my time.    When was the last time you took 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to heart?    Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. A verse from Philippians 1:12 has been rolling over in my mind for a few months now. Paul writes, Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. It really got me to think about my circumstances; both the highs and the lows, the good and the bad. God uses all of this to advance the gospel, but do I allow this?    It is easy to rejoice when things are easy—when we celebrate, receive a promotion or a raise at work, or welcome a new child into our family. But what about a posture of rejoicing even when we are experiencing the opposite?  In James 1:2-3 we are told to Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. This is echoed in Romans 5:2-5:   …through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  Can I take this posture of rejoicing in my suffering, knowing these times will produce endurance, that endurance will produce character, and this character will produce hope?   Like many of you, I work in a high-pressure job. The demands change and, with many personalities, priorities shift. The team can feel the demands of the moment. There are more times than I can count in the last few years when I have heard, “You always stay so hopeful” or, “I don't know how you work through all of this”.    Now, this does not mean I am not real about the trials I face, but what I have found is some of the suffering has produced an endurance that has truly changed my character. I am able to stay consistent, hopeful, and caring for my colleagues. Seeing people how God would see them.    My favorite conversations are the unexpected ones. During a difficult moment one day, I chose to walk away for a few minutes. I needed a refocus on my mindset and take some space to tell the Lord how I needed him to help me with my words and patience. Honestly, I was frustrated and on the verge of tears. After a few minutes, a colleague followed and asked how I deal with things. My reply was that honestly without my faith in God, I truly wouldn't be able to some days. What followed was a beautiful conversation about faith and Jesus that was so unexpected, but I can truly say that what has happened to me has served to advance the gospel.   In this moment, I was not rejoicing, but I was thinking about my flesh—more specifically, how I didn't want my flesh to create a situation of “waging war” through hasty words. And I chose to seek the Lord in prayer. What followed was joy.   Keeping any balance in life as a follower of Jesus Christ is dependent on how focused you are on remembering that your time here on earth is a sojourn. You are on a journey, and you really don't know how long this journey will last. Think about your heavenly home as a member of God's family.   Your ability to find this joy, peace, and hope starts with your practice of abiding. How are you staying firm and steadfast in your relationship with Jesus? Is Jesus the center of your life or just someone you think about on a Sunday during church?   As you evaluate all the aspects of your life, where does Jesus fit into your job, your relationships, your health and wellness, your goals? Do you have a lens of biblical wisdom on all these matters, or does the Word of God sit on a shelf in your house? Do you own a Bible?   How often are you reading God's Word or deeply meditating on it? After all:   For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope (Romans 15:4). Are you in a Bible study or small group? Do you have faith-filled friends who love Jesus like you do?    What about prayer? How much are you talking to God? Do you have other people praying for you on a regular basis?  Abiding. Jesus asks us to abide in him, and he will abide in us. He tells us he is the vine, and we are the branches. In this abiding, we will bear much fruit. (John 5:4-5) Jesus also tells us that apart from him we can do nothing.   If in abiding we can bear much fruit, this means we can bear true joy! Remember, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit.    How have you assessed your abiding? Be encouraged! If you are reading this message, this means you long for Christian encouragement. While this is not a substitute for any of the other forms of abiding, may it be a reminder to pick up your Bible, find community, and pray!   It is in this place that you learn about your true identity and citizenship. As we all sojourn here, may we encourage one another as we look toward what our hope is ultimately in—the eternal life which God has promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2) and the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   I pray today you are filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding, joy that fills you from head to toe, and a hope for things to come! May you be able to say, “What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel!” 

Presented by Lauren Stibgen You truly can't take it with you. I am sure you have heard this statement before, but do you live it? Let's face it, no amount of accumulation of things, titles, or achievements here on earth can be taken to your heavenly home. How much are you thinking about the past and about the future rather than focusing on just this moment? All this overthinking can lead to feelings of an out-of-balance life and will steal the joy from the moment you are in. This mindset can be difficult. With the ever-present noise and connectivity of our culture, how can you refocus on the present? Job 33:4 reminds us: The Spirit of God has made us, and the breath of the Almighty gives us life. Pause a moment and think about the wonder of your life, and who gives it to you. Do you wake up each day with gratitude for the wonder of the breath in your lungs? Think about this­—you do not have any control of your breath. You can't earn your breath. You can't work for your breath. It is a gift that powers your body, which is equally wonderful. If you like scientific variables, a statistical analysis performed on the probability of your unique individual self being born is calculated as 1 in 400 trillion. (Ali Binazir[1]) While I am not a proponent of measuring what God creates, this human statistical analysis gives you an idea of how amazing you are! I can hear you almost saying to me, but Lauren the moment I am in right now it isn't filled with joy or peace or happiness! Understandably, if you are in a season of unexpected loss of a loved one, illness, job loss, you probably want to know when you will move past this time. This is why I have brought the focus down to the gift and wonder your life is! Finding gratitude and a moment of centering on this can help you truly know that God created you for a reason. He created you as a one of one. And, as a follower of Jesus Christ, he chose you as part of his royal family. Pray: God, thank you for the breath in my lungs! Thank you for creating me in your image and loving me so much that I know Jesus Christ as my Savior. I am thankful to be part of your royal family, and I rest in this today. So many things can bring our lives out of balance, but God can help root us in his truths that bring us peace. [1] Binazir, Dr Ali. “Are You a Miracle? On the Probability of You Being Born,” Huffpost, August 16, 2011

Presented by Lauren Stibgen What consumes our thoughts can often lead to a life that is truly out of balance. You know, too much of a good thing can stop becoming a good thing when it is causing you to feel like you don't have balance. “In the United States, achievement is life's defining commandment: ‘Thou shalt make something of thyself.' You are what you achieve.” This quote from Everything is Never Enough, by Bobby Jamison[1], sums up how our culture runs. What have you achieved? More importantly, how is this being measured? Achievement can be about the accumulation of things that never fill. Achievement can also be about what you achieve at work in the form of a title, salary, or even about the freedom of being a founder of your own company. Again, promotions, raises, and even entrepreneurship are not inherently bad things! Perhaps this is even what God has planned for you. However, when running towards this achievement takes the place of God in your life this is when the trouble begins. Are you making something of yourself without giving glory to God? Colossians 3:23-24 tells us: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Are you working for the Lord when you are working towards achievement? Can God say, well done good and faithful servant, or is your striving more about the recognition you will receive from colleague or others in your sphere of influence? What about patterns of self-indulgence? We can self-indulge in almost anything. From food to alcohol, to dining out when we don't have enough money to overspending on any one item, we have the tendency to self-indulge. Sometimes we can focus so much on these things that we cause ourselves more stress in having to work harder to feed our needs for self-indulgence. If you think about any one thing more than you think about God, this has become an idol in your life. God wants us to achieve everything he has in store for us, and he wants us to enjoy the good things he has created! But he wants us to enjoy him first! Pray: God, help me to have the right attitude about achievement. Lead me in the paths you have for me. Help me, Lord, to enjoy what you have allowed and to give you glory in all things. [1] Jamison, Bobby. Everything Is Never Enough: Ecclesiastes’ Surprising Path to Resilient Happiness (WaterBrook, 2025)

Presented by Lauren Stibgen If you always want more, you will never enjoy what you have. Have you ever thought about that? Is your striving for more causing an imbalance in life? What leaves you wanting more? Then I saw that all toil and skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor (Ecclesiastes 4:4a ESV). If envy is driving you to work more, to earn more, to have more, you need to pause and reflect. What enjoyment will you have with something if the reason you are working for it stems from envy? In fact, once you achieve this thing you may gain something even worse than the envy­­—pride. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18 ESV). Achieving anything that causes you to feel pride leads to fleeting satisfaction. Ecclesiastes further warns: He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income, this is also vanity (Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV). Earning a good income and trying to better yourself is not inherently wrong, but if your toil is for the wrong reasons, you simply will never be satisfied. Perhaps you are working more hours to save for something that you need. Or, maybe you are trying for a promotion that comes with an increase in pay. Where is this desire coming from? If it comes from a genuine place, where you are not comparing yourself to others or continually chasing for more, this is not necessarily bad. It is when you are always needing more and more. Or when you are striving to keep up with other people. Hard work is valued by God when it works for his kingdom. Think of the Proverbs 31 woman. She buys and sells and rises when it is still night. She provides food for her household and for her maidens. Her lamp doesn't go out at night but she opens her hand to the poor and the needy (Proverbs 31:18,20). Hard work to gather more for yourself will never fill, but hard work that will give to the glory of the Kingdom will always feel good. We are called to see the needy and love. Think about what you are working for today. Are you striving because you are coveting? Pray today! “Lord, change my heart. Help me to see where I am striving for material things that will never fill. Help me to see how I can use my time, treasure and talent to give to those you care about the most.”

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Are you working from a place of fear? I don't want you to think about work as the job you are paid to do. Think of work as anything requiring your physical or mental energy to produce something. So, as you are trying to work, is fear an underlying feeling? I know we could all describe the feelings surrounding fear which could include worry and even grief. Physically, fear can cause us to feel the tension we desperately want to release. Are you having a hard time sleeping? Does your heart race at thoughts of something you are working on? Do you get headaches? Perhaps you are afraid of failing at something. Is there a new skill you are trying to master? Maybe a project is looming with a deadline you feel like you will miss? Is there a threat of layoffs at work? Maybe you are afraid of losing your job. Or are you spending too much time at the office and are afraid of losing connection with your spouse or children? Perhaps a new hire has started at the office and is receiving a lot of attention. Are you afraid of losing ground with your colleagues or boss? All of this is life tension! And it is all rooted in our thinking, or rather our wrong thinking, about a situation. I am not saying it is easy, but the Word of God is clear. We are not to be fearful or afraid. God calls us to a deep faith and reliance, trusting in him for everything. This includes our work. In Isaiah 41:13 the word says: For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” When fear is creating unhealthy tension, think about God being with you. He is there to help. And, if we fear anything, God is the one we must fear (Ecclesiastes 5:7b ESV). The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes12:13 ESV). When you are fearful, turn that fear of worldly things to fear of the Lord. Ecclesiastes tells us this is our whole duty! Fear God and follow his commandments. One of his commands is that we don't fear because he is there to intercede on our behalf. Cry out to the Lord in prayer. It can be simple, “God, hold my right hand. I am afraid. I know you will help me.” Proverbs 14:27 reminds us: The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Why do we talk repeatedly about work-life balance? It seems like a problem we cannot solve in our current connected society. I mean, we are always “on”. But why? What is creating urgency? The statement alone suggests the tension people feel about work and life, but why have we separated these two words? Life has taken on a definition it was never intended to hold. Here's what I mean. According to the dictionary, the word life has almost 20 different uses, but all of them encompass the state of being. For example, when talking about a biography of someone, you say it is about their life. A biography is about someone personally and professionally, about their family and accomplishments, hobbies and all. Fragmenting work life, personal life, family life, and social life surely creates tension! So, you can't have a work-life balance, but you can have a balanced life! The book of Ecclesiastes has me thinking about a balanced life. Why do we feel this tension? And what does work have to do with it? It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with (Ecclesiastes 1:13b ESV). This verse alone suggests the inherent tension we feel as human beings about the business we are busy with! And sometimes that business is work business and other times it isn't. For example, you may love your job and have a wonderful time each day with your colleagues but then return home to be a caregiver, which is very stressful. You see, “work” is defined as physical or mental effort directed toward producing or accomplishing something. And God created us to work! We start to feel the true tension of this work when our underlying motivations about it aren't what God would want for us. I really think becoming more attuned to God's views on our work can help us relieve some of the tension we feel in life! Having this view can bring us into a better balance of life. After all: What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:3 ESV)

Don't you wish we had some kind of meters we could look at that tell us “Your energy level is down to minus ten. Take a break!” Or “You are at the end of your emotional meter—you're going to start saying and doing things you will regret. Get some rest.” Or “You've been working too long at this, and you're out of new ideas; your creativity meter is below zero. Give it a break!” Maybe then we'd stop trying to do everything, be everything others want us to be, and please everybody!   The truth is, we do have very good guidelines—meters if you wish—to give us this information. We have to make the right choices that keep us from going into overdrive, into burnout. We have to learn how to keep ourselves replenished! And those guidelines are found in God's Word—in his truth.  As long as we keep our meters where they should be, we’re able to give of ourselves to others, to do what we have to do, to meet needs and expectations. But when the wells start to run dry and we try to take water out of a dry well, we are fast entering burn-out territory, and our effectiveness in all we do suffers greatly!  I’m beginning to realize I need to check my meters frequently, because I tend to push myself too much. God has given me a strong body and a high energy level. There are so many needs I see all around me, and I want to be involved and make a difference. I often come up with new ideas as to what could be done. But I have to learn that if I want to be effective in the long-haul, to be running smoothly next year, and the next and the next, I have to make certain I don’t run down the engine this year.  An article I read puts it so well. In essence, it says that at some point, we have to accept that our to-do list won't get finished today, and that's ok. It'll still be there tomorrow. Choosing to protect your health matters more than pushing through years of nonstop, exhausting busyness.  That’s smart thinking. How can you and I be certain we are doing today the things that will enable us to run the entire race and not burn out? Well, I think we need to learn how to read our meters, know when they’re running low, and know what we have to do to re-supply them. I have put together what you might call a Check-up Form, asking myself probing questions to help me read my physical, emotional, and spiritual meters.   I’d like to share that with you, as you may find it helpful. First, ask yourself:   How is your physical meter doing?  We’re made up of body, soul, and spirit, and each has an effect on the other. So, if my physical body is running at less than optimum, that will affect my spiritual and emotional condition quite dramatically.    Here are some key areas to check on your physical meter:  Am I getting enough rest?   Sleep deprivation can cause the blahs. Some symptoms of sleep deprivation are falling asleep in the middle of the day while sitting at your desk. Or finding it almost impossible to keep your eyes open at a meeting or at church.   When you go long periods with less than adequate sleep, your body may adjust and you keep going, but eventually it catches up, and you find yourself living in sleep deprivation mode. That takes more than one night’s good sleep to replenish. They tell us we need seven to eight hours of sleep at least four nights a week. Are you getting that?  What are my eating patterns and habits?   If you always eat on the go, lots of fast-food meals, skip meals often, go without breakfast regularly, or have an unbalanced diet, you’re bound to be harming yourself physically. You may not think of it this way, but your eating habits are a spiritual matter, and if you know you should eat differently and don’t, that’s not just a bad habit, that’s sinful. We’re quick to denounce drug and alcohol as harmful and sinful to our bodies, but poor eating habits are equally bad.   I find it easy to rebel in this area. God has to continue to convict me that what I put in my body is important to my service for him, and I’m going to be accountable for that. Maybe you need to get serious about eating right.  Do I exercise regularly?   All the evidence is in to tell us that regular exercise is absolutely essential to good health. Without it, your physical meter is going to run low. Have you put exercise in your schedule yet? Please don’t neglect this.     Is it time for a physical check-up?   Those regular dental and doctor maintenance visits are important. We can avoid many serious problems with early detection. God expects us to use whatever technology and expertise is available to us to monitor our bodies carefully and make certain they’re in the best shape possible.    Many people today are consumed with their physical well-being because they are totally self-focused. But as Christians, our motivation is far more important and eternal. Our bodies are the temples of God’s Spirit, and we need to keep that in mind. To honor the presence of God's Spirit in our bodies, we should want to keep them in the best condition possible    How is your emotional meter doing?  Now, the second meter we want to check is our emotional meter. This is one we often ignore. Lots of people are pretty good at checking their physical meter, and others watch the spiritual one closely, but we forget about our emotional meter. There are certain things which drain us emotionally, and we’re often unaware of those. Then we find ourselves emotionally empty and wonder what’s wrong.     Here are some questions to find out if your emotional meter is running low:   Do you often cry for unexplained reasons?   If you find yourself in tears frequently and there doesn’t seem to be a reasonable explanation for them, it may be a sign you’re emotionally depleted. Now, for sure, sometimes tears are good—happy tears and sad ones. God created our tear ducts, so there's no need to be ashamed of crying, and they are there for good reason. But if you are often crying out of emotional burnout and you can't exactly say why, that could be because your emotional meter is running on empty.    Do you find yourself easily angered and testy with people for no good reason?   This is an important gauge for me. I know I’m getting low emotionally when I get angry over very small things. When was the last time you were really angry? Was it out of control and harmful? Those are good signs your emotional meter is running low.    Do you continually think about running away or getting away from everything or everybody?   Now, we all naturally think about leaving it all behind occasionally, but if you find yourself daydreaming about it daily, it’s probably a sign your emotional reservoir is low.     Do you find yourself vulnerable to moral temptation that usually is not a problem?   For some people, this can signal that your emotional tank is dry, when immoral thoughts and temptation seem to attack you.    Do you resent having to give of yourself to other people, even your family and those you dearly love?   If you frequently find yourself hoping that your children, mate, or some other close person in your life won’t want to talk to you or ask you to do something for them or with them, check out that emotional meter. It’s running low.    Is there a financial problem in your life?   When you are under severe financial pressure, it can surely deplete you emotionally. There may be changes necessary in your spending habits. And if you’re not giving God his share, that is undoubtedly a major factor in your financial woes.     These are some suggested questions to help you determine where you are emotionally. You may have other questions that apply to your emotional well-being, different from these. But the important thing is, do you often check up on your emotional well-being?     If not, you should. And when you find these are running low, remember you need to take the needed time to replenish them. I don’t think there is one way we all use to fill up our emotional tanks; it will vary for each of us. For me, some quiet time, some non-people time is one thing I need. Time when I don’t have to talk or listen.     Another way to replenish the emotional tank is to do something totally unrelated to your daily routine. I remember going home for a holiday and my dear nephew asked me to speak at his church. I said, “Todd, I’d love to, but for this week, I’m not going to be The Christian Working Woman.” There are times we just have to get away from the normal routine and do something totally unrelated to our normal daily duties. And that's true even if you love what you normally do.    That’s true for all of us. How often do you mentally and physically remove yourself from your daily routine and responsibilities so you can replenish your emotional tank? Don’t feel guilty about needing to do that. Mothers and fathers need to get away from their children for a while. We need breaks from our jobs, our church responsibilities, even the things we love the most. If you never get away from it, you’ll run your emotional tank dry. And that getting away has to be complete mental separation, not just physically getting away. Can you leave your job behind at the end of the day? It’s important that you be able to do this.    How is your spiritual meter doing?  Now, the last meter you need to check regularly is your spiritual meter. Here are some questions to find out where you are spiritually:    Is there any area in your life where you know you’re disobeying God?   Known disobedience in a Christian’s life will always lead to despair. Hanging on to some known sin in your life will keep you spiritually dry, even the small things that don’t seem important. If God’s been dealing with you about something, it’s important, and nothing short of obedience will solve that problem.    Are you spending daily structured time in Bible reading and prayer?   I’ve talked about this so much, and it is still the key factor in your spiritual life. If getting to know God is not your highest priority, then obviously your spiritual well is going to run dry.    Is there a relationship problem in your life?   Perhaps there’s a person in your life who is taking you away from God, and you’ve been unwilling to sever or curtail that relationship. Or perhaps you need to mend a broken relationship, or maybe you’re pining over a relationship that hasn’t happened yet. Relationship issues are usually directly tied to our spiritual well-being.    Is there someone you need to forgive?   The lack of forgiveness will drag you down and sap the spiritual life right out of you.    These are some suggested questions that can help you determine if your physical, emotional, and spiritual meters are where they should be. Perhaps you’d like to have a copy of these questions to use in your own life. I’ve put them in a check-up form, and you can download it here. I strongly encourage you to begin to regularly check your meters and by God’s grace, get serious about keeping your life in balance in these three areas.      

What does God think about your busy life? I wonder if you have some bad habits that are making matters worse, causing you to be unnecessarily busy, eating up your time and keeping you from doing all the good things God wants you to do. Here are some of those things that can exacerbate our busyness: Poor time management. If you're not good at managing time, here are four things that will help you: Whatever you have to do today that you don't want to do, do it first. Believe me, this will help you immensely. If you tend to put off what you don't want to do, then it piles on you. You will be amazed at how it will free your mind and energy to know the thing you didn't want to do today is already done! Eliminate as many interruptions as possible. If others interrupt you frequently, think of ways to minimize it. More importantly, stop interrupting yourself. Stay on task. Set goals for yourself, give yourself rewards for staying on task—whatever you can do to eliminate interruptions will save you much time. Finish one job before you start another, if possible. Jumping from one task to another always wastes your time. If you can finish one thing before starting another, you'll eliminate a lot of “start-up time.” Always have a plan for your day in writing. Whether you use a to-do list, a calendar, your smart phone or computer—when you make a plan for your day, with some sense of priority and time frames, you will see great improvement in the use of your time. Procrastination A simple cure for procrastination is this: “Do it right and do it now!” If you have to do it, don't put it off. Living by this simple principle will bring remarkable changes in your life. Negative attitudes Get rid of them! Negativity drains your energy and slows you down. Paul wrote to the Philippians that we are to rejoice in the Lord always. That leaves no time for complaining, griping, and being negative. How does God feel about your busyness? Are you busy for the right reasons? Has busyness become a point of pride for you? Do you set appropriate boundaries on your busyness? Do you stay busy to avoid confronting issues in your life that need to be changed? Is your busyness an obstacle to your spiritual growth? I hope these thoughts will cause you to think twice about your own busy life.

If you're very, very busy, it could be because it's your way of avoiding some issues in your life that need to be addressed. We're asking the question: How does God feel about my busyness? Maybe you need to ask yourself:  Do I stay busy to avoid issues that need to be confronted? I know how easy this is to do, because I did it for ten years. During this period many years ago, I was running from God's control in my life. I wanted to be in charge. So, my lifestyle was not what it should be, and I knew it. But I didn't want to face it; I didn't want to relinquish control of my life. I just kept busy. I made sure every minute was filled with some kind of activity. Every weekend, every evening—if I didn't have anything to do, I found something. I got involved in all kinds of activities simply to stay busy. That way I didn't leave time to think; I didn't allow quiet moments when the convicting voice of God's Spirit could get to me. It didn't really work. I was under conviction the whole time, but busyness became my escape mechanism to avoid confronting the sin in my life. What a foolish thing to do. We can't hide from God, no matter how busy we are, and eventually we must face ourselves. If you're staying busy because you don't want to hear what God has to say to you, let me urge you to give it up. God wants only good things for you, and you don't even realize how heavy your burden of guilt is until you get right with God, accept his forgiveness, and turn the controls back over to him. One final question to ask yourself about your busy schedule: Is my busyness an obstacle to my spiritual growth? Are you too busy for time with God? Is that what falls through the cracks when the schedule gets heavy? I believe this is one of Satan's best tricks to pull on us—to keep us so busy we convince ourselves we just don't have time to read our Bibles, develop a meaningful prayer life, get to know God better. If you're too busy to have a consistent daily time with God, you're too busy. That's for sure.

Someone has said, “There is always time to do God's will.” Certainly, that has to be true. What God has given us to do we will have time to do, provided we know how to manage our time well and are disciplined in our work habits. Here's the next question we need to ask ourselves: Do I set appropriate boundaries on my busyness? Did you ever realize Jesus knew how to say, “That's not my job”? In Luke 12 we read where a man asked Jesus to be a judge, and Jesus said, in effect, “That’s not my job.” I'm sure this man figured Jesus was the right person to settle this argument between him and his brother. But Jesus told him he was not called, nor did he intend, to become an earthly judge in human affairs. He was not unkind about it, but he certainly was direct. In Mark 1:35-38 we see another occasion where Jesus disappointed some people. The whole town had gathered to hear Jesus, and his disciples were most anxious for him to come and please this crowd. But Jesus said no to his disciples because he said he must go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come. No doubt he disappointed his disciples and the crowd, but Jesus stayed focused on his mission. He knew how to set boundaries and refused to try to please everyone. I used to think if I was everything I should be, everybody would be happy with me and I’d be able to please everyone. But when I realized Jesus set boundaries and said, “That's not my job” when necessary, it freed me to know I too could set boundaries. Just because someone asks you to do something doesn't necessarily mean you should do it. For many of us saying no is very difficult. That’s because our worth as a person is too much based on what others think of us. When we are dependent on the opinions and affirmation of other people to feel good about ourselves and what we’re doing, then we are at their mercy. We’re going to jump through their hoops, trying to be super people, to gain their approval and therefore feel we’re okay. If you haven't learned how to set biblical boundaries in your life, I urge you to take this matter under consideration. There are some good Christian books on the topic, and it will be well worth your time to find out when and how you should be setting boundaries on the busyness of your life.

Are you busy? Your response is likely to be “Are you kidding? Who isn't busy?” I want to ask some questions to help us determine what God thinks about our busyness. The first question I asked was, “Are you busy for the right reasons?” Here's the next question to ask yourself: Has busyness become my identity? Do I take pride in my busyness? Some years ago, I recognized this was true of me. I found my self-worth, in part, in staying very busy, accomplishing lots of things, and having people notice. Often I would hear, “How do you do all you do?” I would take pride in knowing people noticed how busy I was. For the most part I was busy doing things in ministry, doing things for Jesus, but far too much of my motivation was to get the praise and admiration of others. That was who I was. As God's Spirit revealed this spirit of pride to me, I began to pray that God would deliver me from being addicted to busyness. I truly believe it can become an addiction when we are driven to keep going and stay busy because that's who we are! We have built our worth on our accomplishments instead of on Christ. One way you can tell if this is your problem is to notice how much you talk about how busy you are. Do you wear your busyness like a badge of honor, a point of pride? You may be doing good works, the good things God put you here to do, but if your busyness is all about you instead of pure service to the Lord, then you need to pray about this. Ask God to deliver you. Not from doing the good things he wants you to do, but from that sense of pride and identity based on your busyness. I've noticed we are prone to play one-upmanship. You know what I mean. We say, “Hi, how you're doing?” and the other person gives a litany of how busy they are. Then we reply with our own list, as though we're trying to prove we're busier than the other person. And on it goes. Subtly, without realizing it, we've taken on a spirit of pride in how busy we are. I hope you'll ask yourself this question: Has busyness become my identity? and be willing to let God change that attitude in you, if necessary.

Let's talk about a topic all of us, both men and women, are very familiar with—and that is busyness! We are all busy, aren't we? When was the last time someone told you they didn't have enough to do? No, we connect significance with busyness, and most of us either boast or complain about how busy we are. But what does God think about our busyness? I want to address five questions about our busy schedules, to help us determine how God thinks about it. Our first question is: Am I busy for the right reasons? We must look at what we're doing and make sure we are doing what God wants us to do. For sure, doing what God has put us here to do will keep us busy. Ephesians 2:10 says: For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are here, as God's people, to do the good works he has planned for us. We are to be busy doing those good works. God doesn't honor laziness or wasting time. But one of the traps we can fall into easily is staying very busy for the wrong reasons. When I was a staff member in my church, getting volunteers to fill all the needs of a local church was a constant challenge. So often when we ask someone to take on a job, we hear the list of excuses why they can't do it. Admittedly some are legitimate; I don't believe we have to say yes to every request that comes our way. But far too often the reason people aren't available is because their lives are filled with things of no eternal value. For myself, I love being busy; I get bored easily if my plate is not full. But I also know I can easily fall into the trap of trying to do too much and not being busy for the right reason. Are you willing to honestly ask yourself this question: Am I busy for the right reasons? Make it a matter of prayer; write all your commitments and responsibilities on paper, and then one by one ask God, “Is this one of the good works you put me here to do?” That is how we get serious about doing God's will and ridding our schedules of the things God never intended for us to do.

You know, when you're tired, it's reflected in your voice, in your face, in your body language, in your attitude. It affects all areas of your life. So, it is something to consider and by God's grace to control in our lives. Otherwise, you can find yourself on a not-so-merry merry-go-round! First, let me assure you it’s okay to be tired. It's not necessarily a sin. Jesus was often tired while he was here on earth. You remember when he went to sleep on the boat and a terrible storm didn’t awaken him? He was tired. Have you ever been tired from traveling? You may see travel as exciting, which doesn’t sound like hard work, nonetheless travel can be very exhausting. We read in John 4 that Jesus was tired from a long journey. He understands that kind of tiredness. Sometimes having a lot of people around is tiring, isn’t it? As much as I enjoy being with people, speaking and getting to know new people, I find that after a time of being surrounded with people, I’m tired—not of people, just mentally and physically tired. I think there is abundant evidence that Jesus frequently grew tired from having so many people crowding around him all the time. He also grew weary from dealing with people who were not always so easy or pleasant to deal with. You can hear the exhaustion in his voice in Matthew 17:17: “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” I think, like us, he was just tired of the hassle that people sometimes brought into his life. I’m not sure which is the most tiring—physical or mental exhaustion. But it’s for sure that as long as we are in these earthbound bodies, we will be tired and weary at times. Jesus was tired in body often and also tired mentally, just like you and me. It’s good to know that Jesus understands our tired bodies and minds, because he experienced all it while he took the form of man here on earth. He sympathizes with our weaknesses and the limitations we face. Just knowing that helps me a lot. Jesus was tired from bodily exhaustion because he was continually involved in giving his life for others. Giving of yourself to others' needs is tiring, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Is that why you’re tired today? Have you been doing and giving to others so much that you’re truly tired from it? That’s to be expected when you are a caregiver and a servant of others. Jesus calls us to a life of service, that's true, but he also understands it is tiring. You remember how exhausted Elijah was after his victorious encounter with Baal, where he performed mighty miracles of God and defeated the enemies. He was so tired, he wanted to die. You should expect to be tired and weary after a spiritual high. Maybe God has been using you in an unusual way, and you’ve seen God’s blessings on your life. Remember after those times to expect to feel tired and weary. There are many occasions in Scripture where we see the disciples tired. They were so tired that sometimes they fell asleep at inappropriate times. Our physical bodies have limitations, and we must understand and accept that they will be tired. But it's important to consider if you are tired for the wrong reasons. Have you been trying to be all things to all people lately? That’s exhausting and you can never succeed. Perhaps you’ve taken on jobs God never intended you to do, and you’re tired from trying to do too much. Maybe you’re trying to do everything to total perfection. Perfectionists are usually very tired people, trying to prove something to themselves and to the world by being perfect all the time. Lately God has been quietly showing me that there is only one Savior in this world, and it is not me! I cannot solve other's problems or concerns, as much as I may want to. Does that strike a chord with you? Are your overhelping and rescuing inclinations running on overdrive? It can happen even when your motivation and intentions are good. Our culture is in fast forward mode. Everything about us is geared for speed, and that is very tiring. You would think with all our modern conveniences today, life would be easier for us, and we’d be less tired. But it isn’t true, is it? Our time saving technology seems to have made us more tired. And then, let's face it, sometimes we are the guilty party, don't you agree? Do you find you are often your own worst enemy because you unnecessarily push yourself too far, too often. I remember when my daughter was a teenager, and we had chosen some new wallpaper for her room. It was lovely, and it was my intention to install the wallpaper that day. As I found myself rushed and stressed because I had decided it must be done that day, my daughter simply said, “Mom, we don't have to do it today.” I remember that moment because it was a new thought—to just stop and say, “I don't have to do this today.” I had set an unnecessary and unrealistic expectation of myself, causing unwarranted stress for my daughter and me. When you’re tired because of unrealistic expectations and pressures you put on yourself, it’s time to ask, “Why am I imposing these unrealistic expectations on myself?” Perhaps you need to take a red marker and get rid of a few items on your schedule. It’s easy to get our priorities confused, and that is very tiring. When you get the cart before the horse, you’ll find yourself in burn-out mode quite easily. Someone has said, “There’s always time to do God’s will,” and I think it’s true that God would never ask of us more than our bodies and minds can do without going into overload and burn-out. But when we confuse our priorities, it causes weariness and exhaustion. Let me say to you again what I so often have to say to myself: God has not called you to be a superwoman or superman. He is not asking you to do everything and do it perfectly. When Jesus was here on earth, he refused to do many things asked of him. He knew how to say “no.” Do you? There’s one principle which we see throughout Scripture that we need to understand, and that is that God has ordained periods of rest for us. The Old Testament law ensures that people took one day out of seven for absolute rest. He established the Year of Jubilee, when every seven years the land would be rested for one full year so it could refresh itself. God knows we must have periods of rest for tired bodies and minds. How about it? Have you been neglecting those needed rest periods? You may think you don’t have time for them, but the truth is, you can’t afford to neglect them. If you don’t make certain that your body has one in seven days to refresh, you’re going to discover you’re always tired. Another thing I notice in Scripture is we have to allow others to help us. In Exodus 17, we see a moment when Moses got tired. He was holding up his arms as the people of Israel fought the Amalekites. As long as he held up his arms, they won, but when he lowered his arms, the enemy won. However, Moses got tired trying to keep holding up his arms. So, we see in verse 12 that Aaron got on one side of Moses and Hur on the other, and they held his arms up for him. Moses had a job to do for God but he needed help. He grew tired doing God’s work. I have to confess that sometimes I have a wrong perception that I can abuse my body and ignore my needed rest as long as I’m doing God’s work. But God is teaching me his principles of needed rest apply, even when we’re involved in ministry for him. God wasn’t asking Moses to do it all by himself. He sent needed helpers alongside him. Maybe you’re trying to do it all by yourself today, and you need to ask for help. Or you might need to volunteer to walk alongside someone in ministry and tell them you’ll be glad to hold up their arms. Two principles about being tired: We must have rest periods—the equivalent of one day in seven—and we must share the workload. Many hands make light work, and how true it is that when we share the load, it’s so much easier. I know when I’m tired, I need encouragement. When someone is tired, that is not the time to offer advice or criticism or start making plans for the future. It is a time to simply encourage. So, I want to give you some encouragement. First, let me read a poem that really encourages me: Dear child, God does not say today, “Be strong;” He knows your strength is spent; He knows how long The road has been, how weary you have grown, For He who walked the earthly roads alone, Each bogging lowland, and each rugged hill, Can understand, and so He says, “Be still, And know that I am God.” The hour is late, And you must rest awhile, and you must wait Until life’s empty reservoirs fill up As slow rain fills an empty upturned cup. Hold up your cup, dear child, for God to fill. He only asks today that you be still.1 Grace Noll Crowell Are you tired and weary today? Just turn your empty cup to God. Admit your weariness; that’s a good place to start. And then start searching your mind, your schedule, and your lifestyle to see if you are causing some of this tiredness unnecessarily. Are you trying to be a super-person? Are you trying to do everything to total perfection? Have you never learned how to say “no”? Do you have some confused priorities which contribute to the problem? Are you always in rush mode? How about those rest periods? Do you make certain that you have times of rest for your body and mind? Take a good look at these areas in your life and confess to the Lord anything that needs to be changed. Then turn your empty cup up to him and ask him to fill it for you. Remember, he understands what it’s like to be tired; he’s been there, and he knows how to refresh you. And nothing can fill that cup like God’s Word, so let me give you some priceless treasures from the Bible right straight to your tired body and mind: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:28-31). Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30). Nothing refreshes like God's Word; like simply sitting still and knowing that he is God. I know you have duties and responsibilities that cannot be ignored, but I remind you that perhaps you are often guilty of trying to do too much, reluctant to ask help from others. And when that happens, resentment and anger can start to build up in your heart. Then without realizing it, your service for others becomes a drudgery—a drain, a slog. And the joy of the Lord is gone, which means you lose the strength you need, and you are doubly tired. I encourage you to examine your priorities, your lifestyle, and your commitments. Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do, you're not trying to please everybody—because you can't—and you are resting in the knowledge that God will give you the strength you need to do his will. Sources: Grace Noll Crowell, “For One Who Is Tired.”  

Presented by Julie Busteed Sometimes it feels like I'm living for a break—for that time when I can finally get away, rest, and come back refreshed and energized. And there's certainly a place for getting away and resting. But I've realized it can't be my only plan. I need to learn how to be refreshed in the middle of everyday life, rather than always looking ahead to the next vacation or weekend. I don't want to spend my life, as our culture sometimes puts it, “living for the weekend.” God gave us a rhythm of rest. He set apart the seventh day as a day of rest because he knows you and I need it. We need weekly rest, not just vacation rest when we leave town. And yet, it can be surprisingly easy to ignore this rhythm. I've been talking about how busyness and our tendency to say “yes” to everything can spill over into our rest. And sometimes our unwillingness to stop or our failure to trust God with what needs to get done can keep us from truly resting. But I believe it is important and shouldn't be ignored, especially since it is God's Word. Putting this into practice will take some intentionality. It's not simply about time management, although, in a way, it is. We have to actually make space for rest and protect that time. And that isn't always easy. Resting doesn't have to be on Sunday. I realize that doesn't work for everyone. What I do want to emphasize is the importance of intentionally setting aside 24 hours each week to rest. I think there's also freedom in how we practically do this. Maybe, for you, your Sabbath begins around Thursday evening and continues through Friday evening. Maybe you mark that time as different by not running errands. Perhaps you make a special meal you enjoy, take a long walk, spend time with a friend, or do something you wouldn't normally make time for during the week. And, of course, it should include time with God. Time to simply rest and be with him rather than always doing. Read his Word, but don't rush through it. Meditate on what you're reading. Read a good book. Take your time. Don't let yourself be ruled by the clock. I encourage you to prayerfully ask God how you can build regular Sabbath rest into your life the way he intentionally designed it for us. God designed us to work from a place of rest, not to work so hard that we find ourselves exhausted and needing rest. Walking worthy of Christ sometimes means knowing when to stop, be still, and simply rest with him.

Presented by Julie Busteed How do we live our lives walking worthy of Christ and not spend our day constantly exhausted? I've been looking at how God created us to rest. And, as always, Jesus is our best example. Jesus was constantly in demand. Crowds followed him. His disciples needed him. Sick and hurting people came to him. The Pharisees watched and challenged him. And yet, Jesus made time to rest. Luke 5:16 says, But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Around this time, Jesus was healing people, and the news about him was spreading quickly. Crowds were coming to him to be healed of their diseases. Yet, right in the middle of all that demand and attention, Jesus withdrew to a lonely place and prayed. He wasn't driven by the desire to be popular, needed, or in demand. The kind of recognition that can so easily become a driving force in our lives wasn't his priority. His priority was doing the Father's will and that began with getting away from the crowds and spending time alone with God. Sometimes I think we're afraid to be alone. We need constant busyness or noise. Maybe you and I are simply so accustomed to it that we don't even notice it anymore. But we need quiet. Our souls need time alone with God. Psalm 46:10 says, Be still, and know that I am God. God calls us to himself to be still and simply be with him. Jesus also needed physical rest. John 4:6 says, Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. Jesus was tired, so he sat down and rested. He allowed the other disciples to go into town to get the supplies they needed while he stayed behind. And while he rested, he had an amazing conversation with the woman who came to the well. Jesus didn't neglect his physical needs. He rested. And he trusted others to take care of what needed to be done. I recently had the opportunity to get away and rest for a few days at a lake house. I noticed this saying that was on a plaque in the home: “Time wasted at the lake is time well spent.” I take it to mean that rest and not doing your ordinary life of work–getting out of your daily routine and relaxing and enjoying time at the lake is not wasted. That rest is important. That this time is valuable. I would argue that we also need to “waste time” with God. Not because our time is actually wasted, but because sometimes the most productive thing we can do is simply rest in him. I think the plaque could read “Time wasted with God is time well spent!”

Presented by Julie Busteed Are you the kind of person who would rather do everything yourself than delegate or ask for help? I can be that way sometimes. It’s not because I think I can do everything better than everyone else. Sometimes it’s a control issue. Other times it simply feels like more work to explain the task, ask for help, and trust someone else to follow through. As I’ve thought about that, I’ve realized I sometimes treat my relationship with God the same way. Without even realizing it, I start acting as though everything depends on me and my effort, my planning, my ability to keep checking things off the list. And before long, I’m exhausted because I’m striving in my own strength instead of depending on his. As I’ve been learning to develop healthier rhythms that aren’t centered only on work and productivity, God has been showing me something. I wasn’t created to carry everything myself. More than anything, I need to trust him. I’m finite. He is not. I have limits. He doesn’t. One of my favorite passages is maybe a familiar one to you—Proverbs 3:5–6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Those verses raise some honest questions for me. Do I really trust him in every area of my life? Or am I quietly depending on my own abilities, my own plans, my own resources? Do I truly believe he will lead me? That he has good purposes for today and for my future? Notice what the passage doesn’t say. It doesn’t tell me to figure everything out or make every path straight myself. It simply says to trust him and submit to him. That’s incredibly freeing. When I humble myself before God, remember his promises, and surrender my plans to him, I don’t have to carry the weight of being in control. I can rest in him. He already knows my limitations. He never expected me to do everything or carry every burden on my own. So how do we live this out? It’s one day at a time. Really, one moment at a time. It’s choosing to seek him throughout the day instead of relying only on ourselves. And it’s choosing to set aside one day each week to stop striving. To let go of the unfinished work. To trust him with everything waiting for us next week. Sabbath rest becomes an act of trust. It’s where our minds, emotions, and bodies are refreshed. It’s where we stop toiling long enough to remember that God is still at work, even when we aren’t.

Presented by Julie Busteed Do you ever feel like you’ll never get it all done? The to-do list just keeps growing, and there never seems to be enough time. I’ve certainly been there. There have been seasons when I had so many responsibilities that I felt like I simply couldn’t keep everything together. And when I finally slowed down, it wasn’t because I had chosen to rest. It was because I was completely exhausted and had nothing left to give. I want something different. I want healthier rhythms in my life. Rhythms that don’t require me to pour out until I collapse. Maybe you can relate. The interesting thing is I don’t struggle because I dislike rest. In fact, I enjoy it. My struggle is that rest can feel irresponsible. My thoughts run to: “What if I fall behind? What if I don’t get everything done? What if I disappoint someone or miss an opportunity?” Yet Scripture invites us to rest not because our work is unimportant, but because God is faithful. Every time we intentionally pause, we make a declaration: my security doesn’t come from my constant effort. It comes from the Lord God who never grows weary. The challenge is our culture celebrates busyness. When someone asks, “How are you?” how often do you answer, “Oh, I'm good just super busy!” Sometimes busyness becomes a badge of honor. It makes us feel productive, needed, and even important. But what is all that busyness doing to your soul? To your body? To your relationships? In God’s economy, busyness is never the goal. Faithfulness is. God cares far more about our relationship with him than about how many items are checked off the to do lists. Yes, he has given us meaningful work to do, but he has also commanded us to rest. I remember a season of my life when I said yes to almost everything. I enjoy helping people, so saying yes came naturally. I’d volunteer to help, pick up an extra shift, make a meal for someone in need—good things, worthwhile things. But there was a cost. As I looked honestly at my life, I realized that while I was caring well for everyone else, I was neglecting my own home and family. I liked being the person others could count on, but I wasn’t paying attention to what it was costing the people closest to me—or even myself. That’s when I realized I needed a new rhythm. Now, instead of automatically saying yes, I pause. I pray. I look at my calendar. I ask whether this is really what God is asking of me in this season. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it’s no. And that’s okay. Learning to rest isn’t about becoming less productive. It’s about trusting God enough to believe faithfulness is more important than constantly staying busy.

Presented by Julie Busteed I'm sure you've heard the phrase “work-life balance”. When I hear it, I picture a seesaw, constantly trying to stay perfectly balanced. But if you've ever been on a seesaw, you know that's not easy. There are always ups and downs. I'm not convinced that “balance” is the right goal. I think God calls us to something different—to healthy rhythms. Life has seasons. Some seasons are naturally busier than others, but how do we live out those seasons without always feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and out of sync? The truth is, you and I were never created to live at full throttle all the time. We were created to regularly rest. We were created to practice Sabbath. But what does that really mean? And what does it look like in our lives today? Going back to the very beginning of Scripture, we see that God himself established the pattern. Genesis 2:3 says: Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Think about that. God didn’t rest because he was tired. He rested because he was establishing a rhythm for his creation. A rhythm you and I are meant to follow. The Ten Commandments also references the Sabbath. Exodus 20 says: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…. God points back to creation as the reason. Just as he worked for six days and rested on the seventh, he calls us to do the same. Now, Sabbath certainly includes worship but notice that God also repeatedly emphasizes rest. He tells his people to stop working. To cease striving and to follow his example. And perhaps even more importantly, I think we need to change our mindset. Instead of thinking, “I have to take a day off,” what if we saw Sabbath as a weekly declaration that God is enough? It’s a way of saying, “God, you’re in control. The world keeps turning even when I stop working. I trust you to provide. I trust you with what didn’t finish today.” Sabbath isn’t primarily about following another rule. It’s about nurturing our relationship with God. It’s about trusting him enough to stop, worship, rest, and remember that he is the one who sustains our lives.

So, what is the hymn “Come Thou Fount” referring to with this obscure and unfamiliar phrase about raising an Ebenezer?  When you hear the word Ebenezer, you probably think of Scrooge from Dicken's Christmas Carol. Not too many people name their sons Ebenezer these days. But in Scripture we find this word in 1 Samuel 7:12:  Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”  Literally the word Ebenezer means “Stone of Help.” Samuel set up—or raised—this stone as a memorial, a marker-stone, to commemorate the Israelite victory over the Philistines. This was not a stone to be worshiped; it was not to make a certain place holy, like a Mecca. But Samuel knew well that the Israelites were very prone to forget God's goodness and blessings. So, he raised this stone as an everlasting reminder of how God had helped them win this victory.  I'd like to talk about Ebenezer stones—or stones of remembrances—for our own lives, by looking at the life of Moses. There were some definite Ebenezer stones in his life—stones of remembrance, stones when God helped him. And these turning points in his life relate to ours as well. As we look at Moses' stones of remembrance, consider how your own life may have some similar ones.  The Stone of Salvation  You are no doubt familiar with the story of how Moses's life was saved as a baby by a very creative mother and sister. When Pharaoh's daughter saw baby Moses in the basket on the Nile, she took him into Pharaoh's home and raised him as one of her own. He was physically saved, so there would be a Stone of Salvation for Moses.  Do you have a Stone of Salvation? I'm talking about salvation from the penalty of your sins. Can you tell of a time when you were made aware of your sins, where you were convicted of your sinful condition, and you knew you could not save yourself?   If you have not yet set up your stone of salvation, here's all you have to do:   If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).  The Stone of Shame  As Moses grew to manhood, he was educated as an Egyptian with all the privileges that came from being raised as Pharaoh's daughter. But he never forgot that he was one of God's chosen people, so he wanted to help his people. Pharaoh kept the Jewish people in bitter servitude, and they were sorely mistreated. One day when Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brothers, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. He thought he was doing the right thing to defend his countryman, but the next day, when he saw two Hebrews fighting each other and tried to stop them, they turned on him and said, Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian? (Exodus 2:14).  Well, this just blew Moses away. He thought his murderous act was a secret, but now he realized it wasn't, and when Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. So, Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he became a lowly, humble shepherd. For forty years Moses lived in exile in Midian.  Here Moses would need to raise a Stone of Shame.  Overnight Moses went from the prestigious position as Pharaoh's grandson to that of a fugitive. He had disgraced himself by killing a man, and now he had lost his honor and position, and he was reduced to being a shepherd in a foreign land—for 40 long years.  Have you ever had a Stone of Shame in your life? I have. My period of shame lasted for about ten years. Ten years when I decided I could run my life better than God, and I walked away from my commitment to him and did my own thing. I told myself a lie and believed it—and the lie was that life would be intolerable as a single woman. There could be no happiness or fulfillment if I didn't get married! Now, I know I'm not the only person in the world to ever think like that, but that's the truth!   So, my legitimate need for love and acceptance became an addiction, as I determined to do it my way instead of trusting God. During those ten years, doing my own thing led to a sinful lifestyle, one that was not pleasing to God and one of shame.   Maybe some of you are in that place now. You know something is not right in your life. You're living in disobedience to God's plan, and you know it. Or there is a big dark cloud hanging over you from your past, and you're stuck at the Stone of Shame. God wants to help you put this Stone of Shame behind you so you can move forward to the good things he has for you.  Stone of Assurance  Moses figured he had blown it so badly that God would never use him again. But he was wrong. After 40 years, as Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock at Horeb, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.   As God spoke to him from the burning bush, he commissioned Moses to rescue his people from the hand of the Egyptians. Moses is now a humbled man, and he insists he cannot do it. But God says to him, “I will be with you. I am who I am, and you will tell the Israelites that ‘I am has sent me to you.'” (Exodus 3:14). Moses feared they would not believe him, so God gave him some signs to assure him that as long as God was with him, he could do what God called him to do.  So, here Moses would raise a Stone of Assurance.  Do you need a Stone of Assurance today? You need to know that God isn't through with you yet, and he has a plan for you. Like Moses, you may need reassurance that he will be with you, but you have to give him control of your life.  What is keeping you from doing what God has planned for you to do? Is it fear? Is it that you have your own plan, and you just want God to bless your plan? Is it laziness? Is it lack of trust in God's ability to do through you what you cannot do yourself? Is it a relationship? Until you submit it to God, you cannot go forward to the good things God has for you, the good works he put you here to do.  Stone of Deliverance  After forty long years Moses was finally ready to do what God had called him to do. And now begins the battle between Moses and Pharaoh to let God's people go! You know how God took them across the Red Sea, escaping Pharaoh's last attempt to catch them and bring them back. They crossed on dry ground, and Pharaoh and his army were drowned as the waters came rushing back over them.  There Moses could raise a Stone of Deliverance.  Maybe you need to raise a stone of deliverance, a memorial to God's faithfulness in your life. A testimony of his goodness to you in spite of all you've done and all your failures. Has he been faithful to you? Then raise your Stone of Deliverance.  Stone of Commitment  Many years later as Moses was presenting to the children of Israel the tablets with the Ten Commandments, he said to them:  The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. (Deuteronomy 26:16-18).  He challenged the people to set up a Stone of Commitment.  They were to declare before God and his servant Moses and before all the people that they were committed to obey the Lord, to walk in his ways, to keep his commands, to glorify their God all the days of their lives.  Today you may need to set up a Stone of Commitment, where you say to God, “I'm not playing around any longer. I am serious about walking with you, obeying you, living for you, spending time getting to know you.”   Yes, there are landmark times when we need to set some stones of remembrance: a Salvation Stone, a Stone of Shame, a Stone of Assurance, one of Deliverance, and a Stone of Commitment. What stones—what Ebenezers—do you need to raise even today? Could you reflect and let God's Spirit speak to you. This could be a good time for you to raise some stones of remembrance; stones to help you to go forward to the new thing God wants to do for you and through you in this year.    

The Bible not only describes foolish behavior for us, but it also gives clear guidance on how we should respond to foolish people. Here's another principle for dealing with foolish people: Principle #3 – Don't argue with foolish people. 2 Timothy 2:23-24: Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. You will be tempted to argue with a foolish person. All your emotions will lead you in that direction. They bring out the worst in us, so you need to pray for patience and self-control. If you allow them to drag you into an argument, they have brought you down to their level, and you will never win that argument. You will just end up in great frustration. Someone has said: “Never tell a fool that he is a fool. All you’ll have is an angry fool.”  Principle #4 – Protect yourself from the resentment and anger caused by foolish people. Proverbs 27:3 (NLT): A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is heavier than both. In her book, Foolproofing Your Life, my friend, Jan Silvious gives good advice about setting boundaries for the foolish people in your life. She says to think of living in a castle, with a moat around it and a drawbridge over that moat. When you see that foolish person coming at you, think of pulling up that drawbridge. It may be a mental or emotional drawbridge, or actually putting some space between you and that person, but learn to set those boundaries.[1] Yes, you have responsibilities toward some foolish people. Yes, you must interact with some foolish people. Yes, you can't avoid all foolish people. But it is your responsibility to protect yourself from their words, their actions, their accusations, and their behavior. As Jan puts it, if you have to feed them, use a long-handle spoon. Well, there is a lot we can learn from Scripture on how to deal with foolish people. [1] Jan Silvious, Foolproofing Your Life: Wisdom for Untangling Your Most Difficult Relationships (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 1998).

The important issue we must consider is how we should respond to these foolish people. Our normal response is anger and frustration. But what does God want us to do? Let's see what the Bible says. How are we to respond to foolish behavior? Pray for them. God can change anybody. Don't ever give up. You can't change them, but you can pray for God to change them. Keep the right attitude and motivation toward foolish people. It's easy to become judgmental and arrogant toward them. Remember, God loves them as much as he loves you. Be prepared to set boundaries and protect yourself from being harmed by foolish people. Now, here are some Scriptures that give us further guidance on how God wants us to respond to the foolish people in our lives. Principle #1 – Don't try to change them with advice. Proverbs 23:9 (NLT): Don't waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. You may present the most logical, clear, helpful presentation of the right thing they should do, but they will not have ears to hear. If you keep trying to offer your advice, to persuade them with words, you will be continually frustrated. Principle #2 – Don't give them honor or luxury. Proverbs 19:10: It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury – how much worse for a slave to rule over princes! Proverbs 26:1: Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool. Foolish people are easily spoiled and generally have no regard for taking care of possessions. They can ruin a car, a home, and clothes with no shame or concern. Giving them things will not solve their problems, though they want to get anything they can. They will ask for and expect gifts. To give them undeserved honor of any kind is neither smart nor helpful. To give them places of honor is to invite trouble. They don't know how to handle honor or responsibility.

The Bible has a lot to say about foolish behavior. For example, they handle money recklessly, they quarrel frequently and pick fights, they tend to be lazy and lack focus and ambition. And sadly, they never seem to learn from past experiences. Proverbs 27:22 says, Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them. With all the trouble they bring on themselves, fools still never seem to learn. No matter how bad the consequences of their behavior are, they repeat the same things again. The Bible also tells us about the consequences and effects of foolish behavior on other people. A foolish person brings trouble on his family (Proverbs 11:29), and parents of a foolish child are in for heartache. Proverbs 10:1 says: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother. Also, a foolish person on the job can wreak havoc. Proverbs 26:10 says: Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or any passer-by. Foolish people cause problems and present unique challenges. Whether you work with or for someone who behaves foolishly or have a family member or friend who fits that description, they can cause you many hours of pain, confusion, anger, and frustration. I urge you to think of the people in your life who demonstrate some of these foolish characteristics, perhaps write their names down, and begin to pray for them. Remember, no one is in your life by accident, and God has a purpose for allowing them in your life. Your challenge is to see the big picture from God's eyes and know how to respond in a godly way.

Is there anyone in your life you consider to be a foolish person? I imagine you can think of someone. It's important for us to recognize foolish behavior and respond to it correctly. Let’s look at how the Bible defines a person who is foolish: Quick-Tempered Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult (Proverbs12:16). It is foolish behavior to lose your temper. A foolish person will say and do all kinds of foolish things because of his/her temper. Their temper is often notorious. Acts Impetuously and Without Regard for Consequences Wise people think before they act; fools don't and even brag about it! (Proverbs 13:16). A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless (Proverbs 14:16). Do you know someone who does or says whatever pops into their head, without any regard for how it affects their future, other people, their pocketbook, etc.? Foolish people have little regard for consequences; they live totally for the pleasure of the moment. And they brag about it! Talks endlessly, brags, spouts off frequently The wise person makes learning a joy; fools spout only foolishness (Proverbs 15:2 NLT). A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions (Proverbs 18:2). Proverbs 10:19 reminds us: When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Jesus warned us that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken (Matthew 12:36). Foolish people have an opinion on anything and everything. Even though they may have very little knowledge, they always have an opinion. And of course, they are very vocal about their opinion with little regard for anyone else's opinion. Refuses Advice, Accountability and/or Discipline A fool spurns a parent's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence (Proverbs 15:5). A fool never accepts advice or correction of any kind. They are unteachable. And they refuse needed disciplines in their lives like being on time, fulfilling their promises, being accountable for their actions, being dependable, following through and following up. These are not very complimentary descriptions, are they? If you have some foolish people in your life, ask God to help you respond appropriately.

The Bible clearly describes foolish behavior and warns us about it. Some people behave foolishly on a sporadic basis; others are consistently foolish. As we talk about foolish people, we need to be aware that we could be talking about ourselves as well. None of us is exempt from any of these foolish characteristics. I spent ten years doing my own thing, walking away from my commitment to Jesus Christ, and I shake my head as I think of how foolishly I behaved in those years. We will look to God's Word to define foolish behavior for ourselves and look again to tell us what our responsibility is when we deal with that kind of person. Not all foolish people have all these characteristics. You may know foolish people with only one of these traits, but it is so pronounced that it consumes them. What is foolish behavior? Denying, disregarding, or rebelling against God The fool says in his heart “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). It is very foolish to ignore the living God. In fact, nothing could be more foolish. And this applies not only to those who are outright atheists or agnostics but also to those who live as though there is no God. If you asked them, many would say, “I believe there is a God.” But nothing in their life or lifestyle shows any acknowledgement of God. They live as though God does not exist. The Bible says they are fools. Slandering, lying, deceiving He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool (Proverbs 10:18). Foolish people don't hesitate to lie. They are big on running other people down. Their mouths often get them into trouble. Just think of the foolish people you know. Isn't their mouth one of their biggest problems? When our mouths are out of control, we, too, are foolish.

As Fran arrives at her office this Tuesday, she's just logging in to her computer when her coworker walks in and shuts the door behind him. This signals to Fran that something is up but what?   “Hi, John,” Fran says, “have a seat. What's up?”  “Thanks, Fran. Well,” John begins, “this is kinda touchy, and I need to ask you to keep it between you and me if you don't mind—okay?”  “Wow, sounds serious. What is it?” Fran asks.  “You know the proposal you helped me with last week for the commercial real estate company? After you helped me figure out what the bid should be, my boss thought my numbers were too high. So, he told me to cut them by 30% because he said we really needed some new accounts to make our numbers this quarter,” John said.  “Goodness!” Fran says. “That's a huge cut. So, did your manager tell you the company would support your reduced numbers, and you could do the work for those numbers?”   “No, just the opposite. My boss didn't clear this with anyone else. He said we could come up with some excuses afterward to explain why we had to raise our prices, but we just had to win this account,” John explains.  “Well, the reason he didn't get it approved is because he knew he wouldn't get it approved. We trimmed those numbers as much as possible and he knew it,” Fran responds. “Did you agree to do it, John? Tell me you didn't.”  John hung his head and got very quiet. “I had to, Fran. What could I do? He said if I wasn't willing to cut the numbers, he'd give the account to someone else. After all I did to get them to let us bid on their account—I wasn't going to let that happen,” John replied.   “And you've already given them the proposal?” Fran asks.  “No, but the presentation is tomorrow, and I am really worried. My boss wants to go with me. He's afraid I will lose the account, I guess. I know this is wrong, and it will backfire. Now I just feel trapped. That's why I wanted to ask you what I should do?”  Fran pauses to take this in. Why does John want her input on this? She recognizes this could get risky, so she quietly sends up an emergency prayer, “Lord, what do you want me to say? Please give me wisdom.”  “John, why did you think I could help you with this? I'm just curious,” Fran asks.  “Because you are the one person here I know would do the right thing. I mean, you always seem to be confident of what is right and what is not, and I just thought maybe you would have a suggestion of how I could somehow change my boss's mind and still not lose this account. I mean, I know you're a really religious person so, well, that's why I asked you.”  Fran thinks a moment. She figures this is a time to speak truth in love—in kindness—and not to be afraid of the consequences.   “Thanks for that, John. I don't think of myself as religious so much as I'm just a Christ-follower, and I really try to do what Jesus would want me to do. John, first, let me ask you this: Do you think you could get the account with the right numbers?” Fran asks.  “I really think so,” John says. “You and I talked about it, and we both felt we were giving them an exceptional value for their project. I think I could sell it honestly, but now—now I don't know.”  “Okay, you've asked my opinion, so I'll tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes. Then you must decide if you're willing to do it. Fair enough?” Fran asks. John nods and she continues. “Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do, John. It's that simple. So, you must decide if you're willing to stand up for what you believe is the right thing. As you have noted, you believe your original proposal is accurate and fair and competitive, right?”  “Yes,” John agrees.  “It's not like you didn't do your homework or you aren't trying your best to win this new account. So, if I were you, I'd go to your boss and say that. I'd tell him you are confident you have a very good chance to get the account with the original numbers, but you're very uncomfortable in presenting numbers you know aren't realistic. So, you tell him you'll make the presentation tomorrow if he agrees to your original proposal, but if not, he'll have to find someone else.”  “Fran, he'll be furious. He'll probably fire me or something. I don't know if I can do that,” John is obviously frightened at Fran's suggestion.  “Okay,” Fran says. “Then you've made your choice to do what you believe to be wrong in order not to make your boss angry and perhaps even lose your job. Is that what you're telling me?”  “Well, I wouldn't put it that way, Fran,” John stammers.  “What way would you put it, John?”   “I don't know. I just don't know,” he replies. “You really think I should stand up to him?”  “It's your choice, but maybe he would respect you if you did. I don't know. You may be right. He could try to fire you. You just have to decide if you're willing to do the right thing or not,” Fran says.   The conversation ends. John says he'll think about it and leaves her office.  Fran stops to pray: “Lord, I don't know why John came to me for advice, but I did the best I could. Please give him courage to do what is right and protect him, Lord.” And with that she finishes her work for the day and heads home to be with her kids.  The next day, about mid-morning, John's boss, Bruce, storms into Fran's office obviously livid. “Fran, you told John to refuse to do what I told him to do, is that right? Now he says he won't give the presentation today the way I told him to, and I'm left holding the bag. We're likely to lose this account because of you, Fran. Who do you think you are, giving advice to John who works for me, telling him to refuse to do what I told him to do? You're not his manager; he doesn't report to you. If we lose this account today, Fran, I'm holding you responsible, and you will pay the price.”  “Bruce, I didn't tell him what to do. He asked what I would do, and that's what I told him. I had no idea whether he would take my advice or not,” Fran says.  “Well, evidently he listens to you and not to me, so he's going to give the presentation his way today. I think it will be a disaster and if it is, you haven't heard the last of this,” Bruce says and storms out the way he stormed in.  Did Fran do the right thing? As a believer working in a world that doesn't necessarily value honestly and integrity, should she have just shifted the decision to John and let it go? Was it right for her to offer her advice?   When we declare we are followers of Jesus Christ, there are times when doing the right thing can be very costly. What would you have done?   To the new believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul wrote: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Ephesians 4:1 ESV). Those are our marching orders today as well. And if you go into a secular workplace each day, it can present you with some difficult decisions.  Walking worthy of your calling—walking worthy of the Lord—means you desire to do what Jesus would do. To say what he would say. To respond the way he would respond. And to do that, you have to maintain a close daily walk with Jesus. You have to spend time in his Word and prayer and keep your mind focused on walking worthy.  Some time ago a friend of mine faced a walking worthy decision. Her manager asked her to lie for her—to tell a client something that was not true. This manager was not easy to work for and was not liked in the organization, but she was smart and successful. So, my friend Beth knew if she refused to lie, it would not go well. But Beth said there really was no decision; it was clear she could not lie and that's what she explained to her manager. She tried to find some alternative way to handle it, but her manager was upset. She made life miserable for Beth for quite a while but Beth walked worthy of the Lord.  Frans story ends here. We don't know whether this boomerangs on John and Fran. When we act with integrity—when we do what we think Jesus would have us do—we do so out of obedience and love for Jesus, whether we suffer for it or not. Peter wrote: But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God (1 Peter 2:20). So, don't forget when you face issues of integrity and honesty, it is commendable before God even if you suffer for doing the right thing. 

Presented by Lauren Stibgen One who waters will himself be watered. Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord is what the Proverbs are all about! Shifting our focus from what God hates in Proverbs six to Proverbs 11:25b which can be summarized by a secular proverb, “what goes around comes around.” I like the biblical version much better, one who waters will himself be watered. This is a beautiful thought to carry with you to work each day as we think about others around us. Watering is not to be left to managers and leaders in the workplace. And, after all, this proverb benefits both the waterer and the watered. Let's think about the results of watering for a moment. Whether rain falls from the sky or we are using another method to water something like a houseplant, the result is growth, and in some cases new life. Plants can bear beauty in flowers, or vegetables and fruits for us to eat. I also think about when it rains in the desert. Not only do plants sprout up, but wadies (or dried up riverbeds) come to life with animals and even aquatic life like frogs that have been dormant waiting for the rain. Who or what needs watering at work? Sometimes we don't even realize things need water! I have had two different conversations with fellow Christian working women this year where I suggested they water what otherwise seemed dead. More specifically, one woman wanted more affirmation from her manager. She knew she was trusted by the work that was given to her but never received feedback. When I asked if she thought her manager received affirmation, the answer was probably not. I suggested that she “water” her manager with some positive feedback. You see, some people aren't in the practice of watering until they are watered themselves! She stated this watering had very positive results! The other woman felt the same about receiving no feedback. So, she decided to write notes of gratitude to all her colleagues. She watered an entire department! While too soon to know if she will be watered in return, the initial responses were very positive. Who can you water at work with kind words or an act of service? God promises you will be watered in return. The Proverbs can help remind us that God wants us to walk with integrity at work. Clearly there are things he doesn't want us to do. But there are things we can do to increase our integrity at work each day!

Presented by Lauren Stibgen The final three things that are listed in Proverbs six are what God hates will likely have you saying, no way! Not me. I surely do not do any of these things. Not at work. Not at all. Devising wicked plans, shedding innocent blood, and running to evil. All of these remind me of an old AC/DC song with the refrain; “I'm on a highway to hell.” Words like wicked, blood ,and evil should not ever belong at work or in our life. And they remind us the wicked surely do not display integrity! Devising wicked plans. Another way to think of this is scheming. Proverbs 24:8: Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer. Have you ever been part of a conversation about getting someone fired or removed from a department when it wasn't your job to do so? This is an example of colleagues scheming about another. Maybe this person has impacted you in some way, but scheming is not how to address the situation. Most companies will have a process for appropriately addressing concerns. Perhaps choosing to address the person directly about your concerns would be the kindest thing to do. God hates when we scheme. Be up front and honest when addressing the issue. You may be thinking you don't shed innocent blood, but do you? If you are working in supply chain and manufacturing, there is a movement to look at how every part of the process is impacting human flourishing. From fair treatment of workers in the form of wages and conditions to preventing human trafficking. Companies and laws are taking a deeper look at how our goods reaching consumers are impacting people. Are you aligned with a company that cares for people in a way that honors God's requirements of you? While you may not be making the decisions that are impacting these larger issues, it is important that you ask questions as you consider where you are working. What about running to evil? As a follower of Jesus, we can assume any sin is evil. Are you quick to walk in ways contrary to your new life in Christ? Do you look different or the same as all your colleagues? If you don't walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fulling pleasing him and bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, what are you running to (Colossians 1:10)?

Presented by Lauren Stibgen We are looking at seven things that are an abomination to God, and now we will focus on our mouth. More specifically: a lying tongue, a false witness that breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Three of the seven things on the list God hates have to do with how we choose to use our mouth. And all three of these things that God hates us to do with our mouth can show up at work. Clearly if we use our words to lie, we lack integrity. What about a lying tongue? Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is for a moment (Proverbs 12:19). God wants you to be honest in all ways. This includes those little lies you may call “white lies”. Did you say you sent an email when you didn't? Were you late for work, but said that you were on time? God still grieves this. The Word tell us a lying tongue is for a moment, and truthful lips endure forever. Eventually truth comes to light. In the context of work, depending on what you have lied about, it could have implications on how long your employment “endures”. One of the ways we can lie is by being a false witness. If you don't know, don't comment! And don't assume! Providing untrue information about someone or something at work can have implications far beyond your passing comment. This includes speculating about someone's motives in a situation. If you don't have direct and honest information, it is best to say nothing at all. In Proverbs 12:17 the Word tells us: An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. It is easy to think we know things when we really don't at all. Sometimes at work, you will be called upon as a witness. It is important to only state facts and not assumptions about what you are asked, and not to comment if you truly don't know anything. Sowing discord. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverbs 12:18). Think about what happens when you quickly comment about something at work. Being rash means proceeding without a lack of careful consideration of the possible consequences and in this case, of the words being used. Do you blurt things out? Comment in meetings at an inappropriate time? Complain about company policies or other colleagues? Do your inside feelings of dissatisfaction come out? All of this can sow discord and God hates this. How can you bring healing instead? Sometimes, saying nothing is the best thing you can choose.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Are you doing what God hates at work? Let's keep in mind that the book of Proverbs is not only instructing us what to do but also what not to do. The following verses in Proverbs six are not actually proverbs as we previously defined but are part of the poems in the first nine chapters of Proverbs. While not “proverbs” in a defined sense, these verses can help us consider things we should not do since God hates them. They can help us with our integrity at work. There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19). Consider the weight of verse 16 that uses the words hate and abomination for how God feels about the actions listed. An abomination is a thing that causes disgust or hatred. If the goal of the book of Proverbs is to keep us closer to God with pleasing actions, this list should certainly matter to us. Salvation makes me grieve this greatly. I surely do not want God to be disgusted with my actions, or to hate what I am doing! Haughty eyes. Are you coming across as arrogant or superior in an off-putting way? In pride, are you looking down at others at work. Do you brag about a project you have done, a promotion you have achieved? Does your body language speak to others in a way that makes them feel less than? Have you ever smirked or quietly chuckled at someone else's expense? God hates this! Proverbs 16:18 tell us what happens with this pride and haughtiness: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Destruction and a fall. But there is wisdom. Verse 19 continues: It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Wisdom says, “be lowly in spirit.” As our example, in Matthew 11:29 Jesus tells us he is lowly in heart. We just scratched the surface about one thing that God hates! And the list in the verses includes seven things! When we take time to look at the proverbs in chapters 10-29 of this book, we will find practical wisdom to keep us from doing these things God hates.

Presented by Lauren Stibgen As we dive into integrity, I have been thinking about Proverbs and how they relate to work. They are filled with wisdom, and a good roadmap for working with integrity! I thought it would be helpful to define this book of the Bible that is a home for practical wisdom as a faithful believer in Jesus Christ. In fact, if you take time to read through this book of the Bible, you might be surprised at how much people quote and paraphrase from God's good book of wisdom! First, some facts. The word proverb is defined as “a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.” (Oxford Language Dictionary) While Proverbs is a book of the Bible, there are common secular proverbs like curiosity killed the cat or a watched pot never boils that you may have heard. I am sure you could quip a few more. The biblical proverbs are also short, pithy sayings in general use, and this use in our case is as a guide to living a life pleasing to God. Not to be confused with a commandment or a prophesy, these proverbs are good advice to help keep us on the straight and narrow path and far from sin. We can find proverbs for just about every aspect of life ranging from family and friendship to sex and money!  And, yes, we can find many proverbs which can help guide our work. Although Proverbs is made up of 31 chapters, not all 31 have proverbs. In fact, the first 10 chapters and the last two chapters are poems that help frame our views on wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7a gives us a big hint about the sum of all 31 chapters: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…. Basically, if you want to be wise, trust God; this will lead to life. If you are a fool, you won't trust God, and this will lead to death. Proverbs compares and contrasts actions that lead to a life that thrives in wisdom and a life that leads to death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Proverbs helps guide us in the path of life, away from sin. As believers in Jesus Christ, we know our works will not earn us this eternal life, but we also know we still will fall short and sin. Proverbs provides us with wise reminders of how we can lead lives that point others towards Jesus and not away from him. With a posture of fear, in the sense of reverence and awe towards God, we can seek wisdom in the book of Proverbs that helps us at work!

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Integrity is a big word in business. It is found in codes of conduct, employee handbooks, and job descriptions as a catch all word. I was curious about how much the word integrity shows up in job descriptions alone. According to ChatGPT, this word appears one to three times in postings for leadership, finance, healthcare, ministry, nonprofit, and executive roles.  But what does it mean? Those who have been around for a while know I love my Merriam-Webster dictionary as a launching point. According to Merriam-Webster, integrity has three definitions1. firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility.  an unimpaired condition: soundness.  the quality or state of being complete or undivided: completeness.   As always, the problem with any dictionary definition is it is open to a wide lens of interpretation. Whose moral code is the right moral code? Surely, we have a legal standard within business laws that are guardrails, but this doesn't stop people from having a lack of integrity. It just establishes the standard by which we measure a consequence.   As for an unimpaired condition, we have building codes for this to make sure the structural integrity of a building or a bridge is intact. But again, this can be challenged by builders who skirt the codes to save some money!  And, what about the state of being complete or undivided? You may hear someone say the opinion written by someone has integrity—meaning the paper is complete.  The problem with integrity? Sometimes it is high and sometimes it is low. Like the temperature variance here in the Midwest between January and July, integrity can be wildly off! So, how can we distill down?   In an article entitled “Integrity” from the Harvard Business Review, Karen Christensen interviewed Harvard professor, Michael Jensen who says, “Integrity is a matter of a person's word—nothing more and nothing less.”2 Like the third definition of being complete or undivided, keeping one's word is about doing what you say you are going to do. He separates integrity from the concepts of morality and ethics stating morality and ethics are “normative concepts in that they deal with matters of good or bad, right vs. wrong”. For example, as a Christian, I have a normative set of values that are likely held by other Christians. As I noted above, who's good is good?   Jensen argues that integrity is key to what he calls workability within an organization. “Without integrity the workability of any object, system, person, group or organization declines; and as workability declines, the opportunity for performance declines.” He states that integrity leads to trust.  As a follower of Jesus, I am called to a high standard of morals and ethics. How I keep my word following these morals and ethics is where my integrity comes into play. We will all fail to keep our word at various levels. Sometimes, Jensen argues, we even fail to honor our word to ourselves. This could look like failing to go to the gym when we promised to wake up early to work out to something more aggreges like cheating on our spouse when we promised to be faithful. Like I said, various levels. In the Christian vernacular we call this sin—where our word to keep the standards set by our faith isn't kept. Doing this on repeat makes us seem unreliable, inconsistent and unpredictable according to Jensen. It breaks trust.  In business, these actions lead to broken workplaces and a true lack of performance. Someone breaks her word and doesn’t show up to a meeting. Someone accepts a supplier known to treat its employees poorly, failing to keep her word to uphold the company’s supply chain ethics. Someone accepts a kickback from a vendor for a referral, breaking her word to honor the company’s code of ethics.  GE married the concepts of integrity and performance, weaving integrity into every aspect of their culture. They put into place very specific consequences for violating their company's moral and ethical boundaries especially for leaders who were not holding to the standards. In the Harvard Business Review article, “Avoiding Integrity Land Minds”, the article says, “In no area of corporate life is leadership commitment more important that in creating an integrity culture.”3 They knew if leaders were not walking the talk there were huge implications from the top down for the erosion of integrity in the business.  But what happens when your company culture doesn't value integrity or makes you feel like you are unable to keep your integrity as a Christian? What can you do?  First, what does biblical integrity look like as a Christian? If the matter is as simple as someone's word, as Jensen argues, I would say Christian integrity founded on God's Word is anything but simple. It is a difficult standard to meet, especially given our example is Jesus Christ who was perfect in every way. He kept his word. He was consistent even down to the patterns of his life like waking up early to seek God in prayer. He was obedient to God the Father unto death. You see, Jesus kept his word perfectly to God.  Even our other examples of integrity in the Bible hold a very high standard to keeping one's word. Think of Abraham. God called for him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. He kept his word to be obedient to God getting all the way to the altar before God faithfully kept his promise of make Abraham the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). Or even Daniel. He refused to worship the idol of his king and was sentenced to death in the lions' den. Daniel kept his word to worship no other God, and God ultimately protected Daniel.  As I stated earlier, the standard to which we need to keep our word is high. We are to act like Christ when it comes to integrity—keeping his word to God. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me (John 6:38).  We are to live to the glory of God no matter what we do (1 Corinthians 10:31), take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), and not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). We are called to put off our old selves, corrupt and deceitful and to put on our new selves which are created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).  All of this takes work! Being in God's Word, spending time in prayer, finding community with other believers, guarding our heart, and repenting when we don't live up to our word to God are marks of the Christian life. People should see this in you through integrity and consistency, in keeping your word to God to become more like Jesus every day. We are told to put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature (Colossians 3:5).  Now, back to our workplace. What happens when we are working in a company which doesn't value integrity or makes us feel like we can't keep our word to Christian integrity? The first thing I want to remind you is your workplace is probably not applying the same moral and ethical standard you are when it comes to your faith. Certainly, normal standards are in place, like codes of conduct, standards, and employee handbooks, but even these will never meet the measure of a perfect Jesus. However, when a company is consistently inconsistent, you may be left feeling like you really don't fit in at all. If a company doesn't do what they say they will do in the case of a violation or even with someone lacking performance, by Jensen's definition, the company culture is lacking integrity.  Keeping in mind that you may be the only light this workplace will ever encounter, I want to suggest some actions you can consider when you feel like your personal integrity and the company's integrity are not aligned.  Of course, you may start very practically by having a conversation with your manager or another trusted party within the organization. It is essential to be careful not to cause further disruptions by talking about your opinion with too many people. If you have a trusted colleague, start by asking some probing questions if you aren't sure if you are alone in your feelings. Something like, “Hey, have you noticed we aren't paying our bills on time?” or “It seems like XYZ department is constantly hiring new people because there is a lot of turn over. I have heard the manager raise their voice a lot. Have you ever witnessed this?”  Remember gossip is something we are called to avoid. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies (Psalm 34:13).  Letting someone know how the company may consider changes to better the culture and improve trust may be welcomed. Always have specific, factual, and constructive feedback to provide. Complaining is not a solution.  Of course, if you are asked to do something which lacks integrity big or small you should speak up and let the person know you are not comfortable performing what you are being asked. Again, report this to a manager or higher up in your organization if it was your manager asking you to perform the action.  If the issues persist or you aren't taken seriously, you may also consider leaving the company, but what if this is not an easy option for you? You need the work, and despite looking for other positions, you are going to be just where you are for now.   Remember, even when we don't feel it, God is working all things for our good and for his glory (Romans 8:28). One of the most difficult things we are called to do, aside from having Christlike integrity, is wait. This can be especially difficult when we find ourselves in a culture that doesn't fit.   When the practical and tactical suggestions I mentioned don't work and we find ourselves in the waiting, we can find strength in abiding closer to the Lord in Christ Jesus. Reading the Bible, memorizing Scripture, praying, and building community are all important and will give you the encouragement you need to hold your integrity.  Psalm 37 has recently brought me a lot of encouragement through a period of difficulty. I found the verses were giving me some great advice. It says:   Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong… Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this… Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes (Psalm 37:1, 3-5, 7).  God doesn't want me to worry. He wants me to delight in him and trust him. He wants me to commit my ways to him and to be still. Easier said than done when you are feeling challenged in your integrity right?  Fretting is worrying heavily or being concerned or unhappy about things you cannot control. It happens when we get so wrapped up in these matters it impacts us physically and emotionally. Has stress ever given you a headache or made you cry? Turn your fret into a prayer. Rather than repeating a matter repeatedly in your head, say it out loud to God! He wants to hear from you. These prayers can be simple.  “God, I don't feel like my workplace has integrity. Help me Lord to be a light to others around me. Help me Lord to be different, to be a light to others that they might come to know you.”  Delighting in God can bring encouragement! Think of all the wonderful ways he is working in your life. Think of Jesus and the sacrifice he made for you on the cross. Think of his steadfast love and assurance. Recommit yourself each day to doing God's work! We are called to make disciples and love others.  And we can just be still. God promises he will act on our behalf. Reminding myself of these things again helps me not only to be encouraged in my own integrity but also to show this to others.  How can you hold your word to God today? How can you hold your word to others today? Showing integrity is doing what you say you are going to do with consistency. Write down a few ways you can grow your Christlike integrity today.  Sources:  Merriam-Webster, s.v. “integrity,” accessed June 8, 2026, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrity. Michael C. Jensen, “Integrity: Without It Nothing Works,” interview by Karen Christensen, Rotman Magazine, Fall 2009, 16–20. Ben W. Heineman Jr., “Avoiding Integrity Land Mines,” Harvard Business Review, April 2007, https://hbr.org/2007/04/avoiding-integrity-land-mines.

How to cope with boredom on your job—that’s Fran’s dilemma. But she’s learned some valuable lessons on practical things she can do when she’s feeling unmotivated and bored. Fran took some new approaches to her work and found it put a lot of enthusiasm back into her job. She simply made some changes in her usual routine and did a few things more creatively. That has helped a great deal. It’s Saturday now, and she’s meeting her friend, Nancy for lunch to ask her advice about being bored with her job. They have a long discussion about boredom, and Nancy agrees it’s a challenge everybody has to face on and off throughout their careers. “No job is without its boring aspects, that’s one thing I’ve come to accept, Fran,” Nancy says. “I’m beginning to understand that,” Fran says, “but I really think I’ve outgrown the job in a sense. I’m ready for a bigger challenge.” “Do you see another job in the company that interests you?” Nancy asks. “Yes, as a matter of fact,” Fran answers, “but I’m not qualified; they would never consider me….” “Now, Fran, don’t start with the negative prophecies. You need to identify your career goals and then put a plan in place to make yourself qualified,” Nancy tells her. “Well, I’d like to be… I really think I could do a good job… I’d like my boss’s job,” Fran finally gets it out. “Great…” Nancy starts to reply. “But they’d never consider me. I haven’t been there long enough…” Fran starts again. “Stop it, Fran,” Nancy says. “Let’s just make a list of the qualifications necessary to do your boss’s job; then we’ll talk about what you can do to acquire the skills and experience you need as quickly as possible.” For about an hour, the two of them make notes and discuss what Fran needs to do to be qualified for the job she wants. Then Nancy says, “If I were you, I’d go to your boss and let him know that you want to be in line for his job when he gets promoted. Ask him to give you assignments or suggestions that will help you.” “You mean, tell him I want his job?” Fran is surprised at Nancy’s suggestion. “Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Nancy says. As Fran goes back home, she says to Jesus, “Nancy had some great advice. Thanks, Jesus, for your help.” She can feel his smile of approval and remembers another verse from Proverbs 19:20—when you listen to advice and accept instructions, in the end you will be wise.

Fran is struggling with boredom with her job. She is unmotivated to work hard or give it her best effort because it’s become routine and unchallenging—and she’s bored. Her first challenge is to tackle the slippage of her work habits; that is never right for any reason. She’s aware she must do good work regardless of how bored she may feel. Now, she wants to seek some advice to find out if this is just a boring period she will pass through, or if she’s truly bored with her job. “I think I’ll talk to my Bible study leader, Nancy,” Fran decides. “She’s bound to have been through this in her own career.” She gives Nancy a call and they make a date to have lunch on Saturday. But it’s only Wednesday, and Saturday seems a long way off. When you’re bored, time just drags, so now Fran must find a way to motivate herself through the rest of the week. Fran asks herself, “What can I do to make myself think correctly so these feelings of boredom don’t keep me from doing good work? I need to think of a creative approach to what I'm doing now,” Fran reasons, “like doing it differently…” She begins to think about this as she looks at a proposal that needs to be done for one of her clients. “How could I do that proposal differently?” Her creative juices start to flow, and instead of doing it in the same format as she always has, Fran comes up with a new approach. She calls her friend, Andy, in the art department, and gets a little help from him, and before she knows it, she’s into this project with enthusiasm. At the end of the day, she has her proposal almost completed, but it doesn’t look like any other proposal she’s ever done. Her friend, Louise, walks into her office as she’s finishing, and she shows her the proposal. “Wow, Fran, that is really different,” Louise says. “But I like it. Where did you get the idea?” “If I tell you, you’ll laugh, Louise,” Fran says. “Don’t tell me; I know: Jesus gave it to you!” Louise laughs and rolls her eyes. “Yep, exactly right,” Fran says. “My goodness, is it time to go home already? Where did this day go?” Sometimes we get in ruts, and we don’t have to be in those ruts. Try doing what you do every day with a different approach, and that will take away a lot of boredom. Just changing the schedule and routine can help.

How do you battle boredom on the job? That’s what our friend, Fran, is trying to figure out. After a few years in her job, she just feels unchallenged and—well—bored. And that is affecting her work habits, not to mention her attitude. Maybe you’ve had the same problem. Last night she talked with her friend, Laura, who is a teacher, and Laura explained on the days she feels bored, she uses a mental gear-shift technique and tells herself to act the role of a great teacher, like an actress on stage. In that way, she motivates herself to do a good job of teaching even on days when she really doesn’t want to. As she arrives at work today, Fran is still thinking about Laura’s mental gear-shift idea. “Wonder what I could come up with that would help me?” she thinks to herself. Jesus reminds her of the sermon she heard recently on her thought life. “Your Pastor said you have to bring your thoughts into captivity. Maybe your mental gear-shift idea could be a good technique to help you do this. Obviously if you don’t think you're bored, you won’t be, right?” But that seems too simple to Fran. “Well, I don't know. After all, this boredom also has something to do with the repetitiveness of the job, how long I’ve been doing it, and the fact that I would like to try to do other things,” Fran replies. “I mean, you can’t just think yourself out of being bored, can you?” “Well,” Jesus says, “maybe yes, maybe no, but don't you think you need to address the immediate problem of your deteriorating work habits?” “You're right, Lord,” she responds. “I know I have to give it my best whether I'm bored or not. So, my first challenge is to not let these feelings of boredom cause me to give less than my best effort here on my job,” Fran says. “Why don't you seek some good advice?” Jesus prompts her. She remembers that familiar verse in Proverbs 13:10, which says wisdom is found in those who take advice. “Good idea. I’ll do that,” Fran agrees.

Our friend Fran is finding it a little difficult to go to work because she’s feeling very bored and unchallenged. Do you ever have that problem? I sure have. Jesus made Fran aware that boredom can lead to some sloppy work habits. The day finally ends and Fran heads home. After dinner the phone rings and it’s her friend Laura, who is a teacher. They chat for a minute, and Fran says to her, “Laura, you’ve been teaching for eight or nine years, right? Do you ever just get tired of teaching–you know, just plain bored?” “Yeah, sure,” Laura says. “Lots of days.” “You do? But why do you stay in teaching if you’re bored with it?” Fran asks. “Oh, Fran, I’ve learned to distinguish between boring days and periods and being bored with my job. You see, I really believe God has called me to teach, and I believe I can have a godly impact in the lives of my students. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel bored sometimes,” Laura explains. “Well,” Fran replies, “how can you do a good job teaching when you feel bored?” “The key word there, Fran, is ‘feel.’ I feel bored, but I can’t let my feelings control my actions. As long as I take the paycheck that comes with the job, I owe these students the best teacher I can be,” Laura answers. Fran feels convicted as she listens to Laura. “You’re right, Laura, I know, but lately I’ve just been so bored with my job I simply haven’t worked very hard. I know I’m not doing my best work—and Jesus knows it, too.” “That’s a lousy feeling, isn’t it?” Laura agrees. “I know; I’ve been there.” “Well, how do you make yourself do a good job even when you’re bored?” Fran asks, sincerely wanting some help with her problem. “Fran, this is going to sound crazy, but I just talk to myself and say, ‘Now, Laura, today you are not a teacher, you are an actress. And you must play the most convincing role ever. You must act like a great teacher today.’ I go into a mental gear-shift and I see myself as an actress on a stage who must play the role of a teacher. Does that make any sense to you, Fran?” Laura asks. “Yeah, kinda,” Fran muses. “A mental gear-shift, huh?” “Well, it’s just my way of getting myself out of that boredom rut,” Laura says. “Then I discover the boredom usually goes away pretty fast once I begin my acting role.” Laura laughs. As Fran crawls into bed that night, she prays, “Lord, will you please give me a mental gear-shift like Laura has, so I don’t succumb to boredom. Thanks, Lord,” and with that she goes to sleep.

Do you ever get bored with your job? Boredom is a common problem we all face. Our friend Fran deals with boredom on her job. In case you’re not familiar with this series, this is a fictional story of a woman who is learning to practice the presence of Jesus on her job. It’s Tuesday afternoon, and Fran is sitting at her desk looking at the clock. “Three o’clock; wow, has this been a long day. I am ready to go home. In fact, I’m ready for the weekend, and it’s only Tuesday. How am I going to make it to Friday?” She says out loud to herself. She realizes she hasn't had much energy in the past few days. She feels a bit guilty, but she can rationalize it to herself. “I’m just tired of the same old routine, you know,” she tells herself. “I guess I’m ready for a new job. I think I’ve got this one down pat, and there’s no challenge in it for me.” That quiet voice of Jesus says to her, “So, you feel you’ve done all you can do with this job? No new ground to break, no room for improvement?” Coming to understand Jesus is aware of her every word and thought still catches her by surprise at times, but as she is learning to practice the presence of Jesus, she is more and more aware of his reaction to her words and thoughts. She responds, “Well, I guess there’s always room for improvement, but I’ve been here a few years now. Yeah—I think I’m ready for bigger things.” Jesus says, “Have you noticed your attitude in the last few days and weeks? Can you see your work habits have deteriorated a bit, maybe because of your attitude?” That's a little hard for Fran to own up to quite yet. She says, “I don’t think I’ve been that bad. I’m still getting my work done.” “Yes,” Jesus says, “but are you working with excellence; are you doing it with all your might?” Jesus reminds her of a familiar verse from Ecclesiastes 9:10. Fran says, “Lord, I do more work on a bad day than most of my coworkers do on a good day.” Jesus replies, “So, by comparing yourself with others, you can justify your lack of doing your best, is that what you’re telling me, Fran?” Fran is not sure how to answer him, so she shifts in her seat and starts to shuffle papers. Boredom. It can certainly lead to some poor work habits and keep us from being our best, can’t it?

For many years I traveled around this country teaching business seminars mostly in customer service and communication areas. What I taught were principles based on the Bible. My job was to teach something that would work, and I know from experience that Bible-based principles work. And they work in American business just as effectively as anywhere else.  Usually, when we see people who operate without integrity, they have a very short-term perspective, and their lack of integrity will always come back to haunt them long-term. Living our lives by biblical principles allows us to sleep good at night, because we know they will prove right in the end.  Proverbs 21:21 tells us, Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. In part one, we defined pursuing righteousness as always trying to do the right thing. But what is the right thing? We must have a standard, right?   Today, everyone wants to use their own definition of the right thing. It’s called situational ethics—the ethics depend on the situation. But we’ve discovered this doesn't work so well. And American businesspeople are starting to realize we need some unshakable and immovable values and codes of conduct to be successful!  There’s no doubt God’s Word gives us that standard, and as Christians in the marketplace, we can go to it with any dilemma we face and find guidance to know what the right thing is. Then, of course, it becomes our responsibility to obey and put it in practice, regardless of the results.  To bring this right down where we all live, we'll look at two more real-life case studies and see how God’s Word applies in these ethical choices.  Case #2  You work for a manager who has a large ego and feels threatened by anyone who makes suggestions for improvement. You have an idea for a change in procedures which would improve the department’s efficiency, save money, and serve customers better. It would also make life on the job more pleasant for everyone in the department.  Your colleagues agree, but you must have your manager’s approval to make it work. If you want to get his approval, you know you must make him think it’s his idea. If you simply present it as your idea, with your rationale, it is not likely to be approved.  So, you’re thinking of ways to do this, but you’re concerned your plan may border on deceit and dishonesty. However, you’re also concerned with getting the job done.   Is there a problem here with honesty? Is this manipulative? If so, is this wrong?   Here’s a passage that gives us some guidance in this decision:  I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).  You know, as we practice integrity in a world which often doesn’t, we are exposed, and we may appear to be naive and simple—like sheep, operating in a world of wolves. You may have felt this way on your job.  Remember, Jesus has sent us out exactly that way; if we practice integrity in every area of our lives, it may well appear that we are at the mercy of all those wolves, and they’re going to devour us. But we don’t have to worry, because we’ve got Jesus on our team, fighting that battle for us.   But as Jesus went on to say, we are not to be naive in our dealings, but rather, we are to be shrewd. Let me remind you shrewd does not mean deceptive or manipulative. Shrewd means “astute or sharp in practical matters.”   So, based on that principle, I would think you could find a way to present your ideas in a non-threatening way, dropping seeds here and there and helping this difficult boss come to your conclusion. Since the motivation is to do what’s good for the customer, company, and employees, shrewdness would lead you to find a diplomatic, yet honest, way to have your idea accepted.  There were times when Jesus was very shrewd in his dealings with people. For example, do you remember when the chief priests and elders tried to trap Jesus, asking him what authority he had to teach and do the things he was doing? Jesus answered them very shrewdly. Paraphrasing him from Matthew 21:23-37, he said, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?”  Now, Jesus knew he had them trapped with this question. Any answer they gave would be bad for them, so they had to answer:  “We don't know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things (Matthew 21:27).  That, I believe, is an example of being wise as serpents and harmless as doves. And in this case study example, you should find a way to get your idea accepted without seeming like you're just pushing it.  And that reminds me of another passage:  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6).  Allowing someone else to take the credit for what you’ve done is certainly a way to humble yourself. That’s not easy to do, is it? You truly must be motivated for the good of others to have this attitude. And it will be humbling, which means God will honor you for it, in his time.  Case #3  A bright young lawyer works hard to get a position in a prestigious law firm. She does her work exceptionally well, she works many hours of overtime, she aspires to be a partner in this firm someday.  The firm has billing hour goals for each lawyer, and the goals are often unrealistic. Our young lawyer, being a Christian and a woman of integrity, turns in exactly the hours she has worked, which she knows to be more than most of the other lawyers in the firm actually work. Yet it appears to be less, because everyone else pads their hours on their reports.  She has an annual review coming up, and she knows the subject will surface. Her billing hours are not what the company would like.  What does she say to the managing partner who questions her about her hours? What will she do if she is encouraged to pad her hours? What effect could it have on her career?  The ethical course of action is very clear in this case. It is without question wrong to pad your hours, and she has done the right thing in turning in only what she has truly worked, no matter how it makes her look. The question now is, how does she address this situation during her review without pointing a finger of condemnation at others?   Really her only answer is to focus on herself and keep the focus off others. “Those are the actual hours I’ve worked. I’ve kept accurate records, and it’s an honest accounting of my time.” That's her answer.  If her management should explicitly ask or imply that she needs to turn in more hours, she will then have to address it more specifically. Perhaps she could ask, “Do you mean, then, I should be working more hours, more overtime, in order to bill more?”   If she has already established that she’s working considerable extra hours, this will flush the issue out in the open. It’s unlikely, especially in a law firm, that she will be explicitly asked or told to pad the hours.   However, let’s face the fact, if she doesn’t comply, she might be overlooked by the powers that be. She may discover promotions pass her up, and the partnership she wants isn’t offered.  Can you and I, as marketplace Christians, maintain high levels of personal integrity without adverse effects on our career? That’s the question I posed at the beginning. And the answer is, we should never ask the question. This may sound strange but let me explain.   As Christians in the marketplace, or anywhere else for that matter, we should be so committed to doing what is right—pursuing righteousness—that the consequences of that course of action become inconsequential. It simply doesn’t matter whether it has adverse effects on your career, or whether it advances you. In either case, you’re going to do the right thing.  If this is your heart desire and if you go to God’s Word for guidance whenever you face these sometimes less than clear situations, I can promise you he’ll give you guidance. And when you pursue righteousness and love, with pure motives and a genuine concern for others, you can be certain God will stick by his end of the bargain. As Proverbs 21:21 tells us, you will find life, prosperity, and honor.   To apply Bible standards in our lives on a regular basis takes more strength and power than any of us have naturally and normally. It takes supernatural power. But the good news is Jesus Christ came to this earth, died, and rose again to provide for each of us the power we need to live supernatural lives—lives of integrity, lives that care about other people, lives that are pleasing to God.   I challenge you to recommit yourself to a life of integrity, doing the right thing at any cost. 

Can you and I, as marketplace Christians, maintain high levels of personal integrity without adverse effects on our career? That’s the question I’d like to address. The answer to that question is we should never even ask the question. That may sound strange but let me explain. As Christians in the marketplace—or anywhere else for that matter—we should be so committed to doing what is right—pursuing righteousness—that the consequences of that course of action become inconsequential. It simply doesn’t matter whether it has adverse effects on our careers or whether it advances them. In either case, we’re going to do the right thing. If that is your heart's desire, and if you go to God’s Word for guidance whenever you face these sometimes less than clear situations, he’ll give you guidance. And when you pursue righteousness and love, with pure motives and a genuine concern for others, you can be certain God will stick by his end of the bargain. As Proverbs 21:21 tells us, when we pursue righteousness and love, we find life, prosperity and honor. I don’t think that necessarily means prosperity by the world’s measure, but prosperity in God’s eyes. A healthy and prosperous soul is far more important than a prosperous lifestyle. And the honor may not come immediately; but if God has promised it, it will come. Let me say to apply Bible standards in our lives on a regular basis takes more strength and power than any of us have naturally and normally. But the good news is Jesus Christ died and rose again, to provide for each of us the power we need to live supernatural lives—lives of integrity that care about other people and are pleasing to God. Pray that verse in Proverbs 21:21 into your life: Lord, help me to pursue righteousness and love in everything I do. Help me to simply do the right thing, no matter what the situation is, no matter how alone I may be, no matter what it may cost me. Give me your power to make right ethical choices. I can only imagine what would happen if every Christian in the marketplace started to pray that way every morning before going to work. I’m telling you, it would make a difference in our witness for Jesus. We might find ourselves out on a limb occasionally, but we’re never going to be out on that limb by ourselves. Jesus will be with us, and he has promised we will prosper and be honored if we pursue righteousness and love.

Those of us who daily go to a job know very well what it means to face a world which often does not operate by Christian principles. I’ve been examining integrity in the marketplace. I’d like to present another ethical case study and see how a Christian should respond. Case #3 A bright lawyer works in a prestigious law firm. She does her work exceptionally well, puts in many hours of overtime, and aspires to a partnership someday. Since she is a Christian and a woman of integrity, she turns in exactly the hours she has worked, which she knows to be more than most, if not all, of the other lawyers in the firm actually work. Yet it appears to be less, because everyone else pads the hours on his or her reports. She has an annual review coming up and she knows the subject will surface. Though her work is above reproach, she hasn’t billed the clients for as many hours as others have. What does she say to the managing partner who questions her about her hours? What will she do if she is “encouraged” to pad her hours? What effect could that have on her career? Remember our guiding verse, Proverbs 21:21. Pursuing righteousness—doing the right thing—makes her course of action very clear. It is without question wrong to pad the hours, and she has done the right thing in turning in only what she has truly worked, no matter how it makes her look. The question now is, how does she address this situation during her review? I believe she should keep the focus on herself and off others. There’s no need to point fingers at others but simply to reiterate that she has kept accurate records and turned in actual hours. If her management should explicitly ask or imply she needs to turn in more hours, she will then have to take a more direct approach, stating her principles if necessary. It’s unlikely, especially in a law firm, that she will be explicitly asked or told to pad her hours. However, if she doesn’t comply, she’s likely to find it is costly to her. She may discover promotions pass her up, performance evaluations are not fair, and that partnership she wants isn’t offered. Integrity can be costly. The good guys don’t always come in first in the world system.

We’re continuing our look into integrity in the marketplace. I’m going to look at another example of an ethical decision on the job and see how God’s Word gives us direction. Case #2 You work for a manager who has a large ego and feels threatened by anyone who makes suggestions for improvement. You have an idea that would improve efficiency, save budget money, and serve the customers better. Your colleagues agree, but you must have your manager’s approval to make it work. You’re thinking of ways to make him think it’s his idea, but you’re concerned your plan may border on deceit and dishonesty. However, you’re also concerned with getting the job done. Is there a problem here with honesty? Is this manipulative? If so, is this wrong? Here’s a passage that will give us some guidance in this decision: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). As we practice integrity in a world that often doesn’t, we may appear naive and simple—like sheep operating in a world of wolves. You may have felt that way on your job at times. Remember, Jesus has sent us out exactly that way. If we practice integrity in every area of our lives, it may appear we are at the mercy of all those wolves. But as Jesus went on to say, we are not to be stupid in our dealings, but rather we are to be shrewd. Let me remind you shrewd does not mean deceptive or manipulative. Shrewd means “astute or sharp in practical matters.” Based on that principle, I would think you could find a way in this particular situation to present your ideas in a non-threatening way, dropping seeds here and there, and helping this difficult boss to come to your conclusion. Since the motivation is to do what’s good for the customer, the company and the employees, shrewdness would lead you to find a diplomatic, yet honest way to have your idea accepted. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6). Allowing someone else to take the credit for what you’ve done is certainly a way to humble yourself. That’s not easy to do, is it? We truly have to be motivated for the good of others to have that kind of attitude.

When Christians demonstrate lives of integrity on the job, they become that Living Word witness to those around them that is stronger than any words they can ever say. My topic is Integrity in the marketplace. It’s become a bottom-line issue for companies and organizations that recognize the benefits of integrity. But for a Christian, a life of integrity is a top-line issue: We are committed to doing the right thing because that’s what Jesus would do. Now, what I’d like to do is take two case studies where integrity is at stake and ask what the biblical way is to deal with them. Case #1 Your departmental manager is not liked by any of the employees. She is very unfair, discourteous, and incompetent. Everyone in the department talks about her in derogatory ways all the time. You’ve been a part of that malicious talk at times. But you’ve decided you don’t want to be a part of that character assassination any longer. How will you keep from getting caught up in this office gossip? Here’s a biblical principle to consider: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29). I will grant you in the world’s view, gossip and backbiting would most likely not be considered unethical behavior, but God’s Word makes it clear that it is. No unwholesome talk out of our mouths—that’s the standard. This is not a moving standard; it remains steadfast regardless of the circumstances. Now, how would you handle situations where others are talking about the boss behind his or her back? Here are some suggestions: Get up and leave if you can. Do it quietly, try not to call attention to it. But walk away if you can. Someone may notice, but that’s okay. If walking away is not an option, try changing the subject. Just find another topic and start in, rather assertively, talking about something else that is harmless and not derogatory. But do it as gently as you can. And then, I would add, don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t think it’s right to talk behind her back.” Or perhaps, “Have you ever talked with her about this?” There may be occasions when you’ll have to state your objections to the gossip. Again, do it as gently and non-judgmentally as you can, but you shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for what you think is right.

Integrity in the workplace has become a hot topic. Corporate America recognizes the cost when there is lack of integrity on the job, and they're trying to figure out how they can put values and integrity back in our good ‘ole American system. It will only happen as individuals put integrity back into their personal lives and make it a high priority. And that will only happen when we are motivated from within, not from without. All the training courses in the world cannot instill integrity into a person’s heart. That must come from a belief system that is committed to doing what’s right, regardless of the cost. If we do what’s right only as a manipulative tool to get where we want to go, only because that’s the “in” thing to do nowadays, we’ll find ourselves waffling all over the place. Doing the right thing takes an internal value system and standard by which we operate. It takes absolutes. If you don’t have an authority and a standard by which actions and attitudes are judged, you will never have integrity—personal or corporate. Relative truth doesn’t work; it’s another name for compromise. If I asked you what was the best book on business ethics, good customer service, and dealing with people on the job, what book would you recommend? Not too many people would ever think of the Bible as relevant to those issues, but let me tell you, it’s the textbook we need. God’s principles, when practiced, will benefit anyone. That’s because he’s the Creator, he knows how things should work and he knows how people are motivated better than anyone else. He wrote the owner’s manual. Whether a person or an organization recognizes God or his principles, when those principles are followed, they bring success. Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor (Proverbs 21:21). Pursuing righteousness and love—there’s the secret to integrity. Righteousness simply means doing the right thing. If you and I are committed to do the right thing in every situation in our lives and to act out of love for other people, we will be people of integrity. Christians in the workplace should always have the highest standards of integrity—doing the right thing with love.

Many business schools are hurriedly designing and incorporating courses on ethics. Seminars and management training are focusing on integrity. There seems to be a sudden awareness of our need for integrity in the marketplace.    Employee theft is a problem of great magnitude, as well as lack of employee loyalty. But, after all, how can you motivate loyalty if you engage in shady business dealings or treat employees unfairly? And now corporate America says, “How can we put values and integrity back in our good ‘ole American system?”  Well, it will only happen as individuals put integrity back into their personal lives and make it a high priority. And it will only happen when we are motivated from within, not from without. All the training courses in the world cannot instill integrity into a person’s heart. That must come from a belief system which is committed to doing what’s right, regardless of the cost.  If we do what’s right only as a manipulative tool to get where we want to go, only because that’s the “in” thing to do, we’ll find ourselves waffling all over the place. Doing the right thing takes an internal belief and commitment and a standard by which we operate. It takes absolutes. And it takes an internal power which many seem to lack.  If I asked you what is the best book on business principles, customer service skills, how to succeed, how to get along with people, how to handle a difficult boss, and how to deal with decisions of integrity on your job, what book would you recommend? Not too many people would ever think of the Bible as relevant to those issues, but let me tell you, it’s the textbook and the authority which we need.  If you don’t have an authority and a standard by which actions and attitudes are judged, you will never have integrity—personal or corporate. Relative truth doesn’t work; it’s another name for compromise. A moving standard which changes based on how you feel versus how I feel or is contingent on circumstances is no standard at all.   The Bible is dogmatic. It gives us very strong guidelines in many areas, with no room for argument. That causes many people a lot of difficulty, because by nature we just don’t like to be told where the limits are. But the interesting thing is, Bible principles work, and they work in the marketplace equally as well as anywhere else.  The best customer service philosophy in the world is based on what we call the golden rule which Jesus set forth 2000 years ago: Treat other people the way you want to be treated. Now, when we base our business philosophy upon this principle, we find we design a dynamite system and way to deal with people, whether customers, employees, or vendors.   God’s principles, when practiced, will benefit anyone. That’s because he’s the Creator, he knows how things should work, he knows how people are motivated, he knows what makes us tick. His principles are based on long-term profit. God doesn’t go for the instant answers most of us look for. He has marvelous strategic insight, and when he sets forth a principle, it is always to our benefit to follow them. So, regardless of whether a person or an organization recognizes God or his principles, when those principles are followed, they bring success.  Proverbs 21:21 tells us, Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.  Pursuing righteousness and love—there’s the secret to integrity. Don’t let the word righteousness throw you. It doesn’t mean perfection or weirdness. It simply means doing the right thing. If you and I are committed to doing the right thing in every situation and to act out of love for other people, we will be people of integrity. And integrity will bring us prosperity and honor.   But more importantly, as Christians in the workplace, it will open a door of witness to those around us that is stronger than any words we can ever say. A life of righteousness and love is a light which cannot be hidden; it is what I call a “question-generating” life, one which causes someone along the way to stop you and say, “Hey, what’s different about you?”  Now in part one and part two, I'd like to look at three case studies where integrity is at stake and ask ourselves what is the biblical way to deal with them. These are only three of many situations you may face, but hopefully they’ll give you some food for thought as to how you can apply biblical principles to your ethical dilemmas.  Case #1  Your departmental manager is not liked by any of the employees. She is very unfair, discourteous to everyone, and in addition, doesn’t perform her own duties well. Everyone in the department talks about her in derogatory ways. You’ve been a part of this malicious talk at times.  But you’ve decided you don’t want to be a part of this character assassination any longer. How will you keep from getting caught up in this office gossip?   First, let me ask a very basic question: Do you think this is a question of ethics and integrity? Is it unethical to gossip about someone, especially if what you’re saying is true? You’re not making it up or enlarging on it. Would this kind of behavior be viewed as a lack of integrity?  Well, let’s go back to our verse in Proverbs 21:21: Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. Remember righteousness is simply doing the right thing.  Here’s another biblical principle to consider:  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).  I will grant you in the world’s view, gossip and backbiting would not likely be considered unethical behavior, but God’s Word says it is. No unwholesome talk out of our mouths. That’s the standard. Only what will build others up and benefit those who listen. This is not a moving standard; it remains steadfast regardless of the circumstances.  In this case study, we have a difficult manager, one who makes your job difficult, and it’s particularly hard to keep your mouth shut in these situations. But the standard doesn’t change for the difficult manager. No unwholesome talk—that’s it.   Now, if you decide to live your life by this standard of integrity, how will you handle situations in which others talk about the boss behind her back? Here are some suggestions: Get up and leave if you can. Just walk away from the conversation. Do it quietly, try not to call attention to it. You don’t want to announce, “I’m not going to listen to this kind of gossip; I’m leaving.” Not necessary; not a good idea. But walk away if you can. Someone may notice, and that’s okay.   If walking away is not an option, try changing the subject. Just find another topic and start in. Rather assertively, talk about something else which is harmless and not derogatory. That will take some fortitude and guts on your part, but you can do it nicely. Remember, it’s okay if someone notices you’re purposely changing the subject. But do it as gently as you can.  And then, I would add, don’t be afraid to say, “Instead of talking about her, why don't we talk to her?” There may be occasions when you’ll have to state your objections to the gossip. Again, do it as nicely and gently and non-judgmentally as you can, but you shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for what you think is right.   You know, integrity can be costly. If we determine to live our lives by Proverbs 21:21 and pursue righteousness and love in all we do, it won’t always be popular. Jesus told us people like darkness because their deeds are evil. And when our integrity turns a light on and exposes dark areas, we may not be appreciated for it. We must be prepared to pay the price, but we shouldn’t purposely expose someone or make an example out of them.  In part two, we’ll look at some other real-life situations where we have to make ethical choices in the marketplace. I hope you’ll take some time this week to consider the biblical imperative for a life of integrity and ask God to show you any areas in your own life where you’ve let down the bars and lowered the standards.   Pray Proverbs 21:21 this week: Lord, help me to pursue righteousness and love in everything I do. Help me to simply do the right thing, no matter what the situation is, no matter how alone I may be, no matter what it may cost me. Give me your power to make right ethical choices.  I can only imagine what would happen if every Christian in the marketplace started to pray this every morning before work. I’m telling you, it would make a difference in our witness for Jesus. We might find ourselves out on a limb occasionally, but if we simply do what is right, we’re never going to be out on that limb by ourselves. Jesus will be with us, and he has promised we will prosper and be honored if we pursue righteousness and love.  I don’t think this necessarily means prosperity by the world’s measure but prosperity in God’s eyes. A healthy and prosperous soul is far more important than a prosperous lifestyle. And the honor may not come immediately; but if God has promised it, it will come. We can trust him. 

I'd like to briefly recap the story I told about the young boy who was attacked by an alligator. He had jumped into the swimming hole and as he swam out, an alligator swam toward him. His father was nearby, and he ran to the lake to rescue his son. As he reached from the dock for his son's hands, the alligator grabbed his legs, and a tug of war ensued. But this father was not letting go, and he dug his fingers into the boy's arms to hold him. A farmer driving by heard the screams, ran to the lake and shot the alligator. But of course, the boy's legs were greatly scarred, and he spent days in the hospital recovering. When asked to show the scars on his legs, the boy did so, but then with obvious pride, he said, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. They are there because my Dad wouldn’t let go.” In Romans 8 Paul tells us those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, and because of that, we can cry, “Abba, Father.” We are permitted to call the God of creation by an intimate term, a family name, if you please—Abba, Father, Papa. He is our heavenly father, and he will never let us go. I think of a friend of mine who never knew her father; he abandoned her before she was born. Others have fathers who simply neglected them, and still others have fathers who abused them. If that is true for you, your concept of a father is likely warped. But let me assure you God is your heavenly Father, and he is perfect. Don't transfer your negative experience with your earthly father to God, because you will then miss the joy of fellowshipping with him as Father, Abba, Papa. I had a wonderful earthly father who never neglected me or mistreated me, but even he could not promise to never leave me. My heavenly Father can say, I will never leave you or forsake you, and I have full assurance he will always be with me. He will not let me go, and the same is true for you, if you are his child. Let me close with these wonderful verses from Romans 8: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

God will never let go of you! If you have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life, he is committed to you and will keep you for all eternity. Jesus said, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one (John 10:27-30). Maybe you're thinking, “Yeah, but Mary, you don't know what I've done. I've committed a sin, knowingly, and I've wandered far from God.” That may be sadly true, but it doesn't change the promise Jesus gave us. If—and that is an important “if”—you have truly been born from above through faith in Jesus Christ, you can't even jump out of his hand. Your own disobedience and sin are not strong enough to break his grip on you. I would remind you of David, a man after God's own heart. You can't go much further wrong as a believer than David did, committing adultery and murder. He tried to cover it up, to bury it and forget it, but until he confessed it and admitted his guilt, he was the most miserable person alive. That's always true for a believer. If you are living in willful disobedience to God's principles, as a true child of God, you will be more and more miserable until you come to full repentance. Read Psalm 51 to remind yourself of David's agony because of his sin. None of us escape the consequences of our sin, whether believers or not, but nothing can separate a true believer from God's love. Not even our sin. I want to encourage you today to come back to God with a repentant heart, with a commitment to forsake your sin and walk in his way, and he will restore to you the joy of your salvation, just as he did to David. My own story corroborates this truth, for I foolishly chose to walk away from my commitment to God's principles for a period of ten years—ten long years. It wasn't ignorance, but it was a willful determination to run my own life and get what I wanted. I failed miserably in that endeavor, and at the end of my emotional and mental rope, I came back to God, truly repentant, and he has proven himself to be a God of great mercy and grace to me. That was many years ago, and I can testify God simply never let go of me. He let me run my own show, until I ran it into the ground, and then he restored me.

Earlier I told the story of a boy who was rescued from the jaws of an alligator by a father who would not let go. And afterward the boy showed with pride the scars on his arm where his father dug in and held on against a much stronger animal who was trying to devour his son. Just as this young boy foolishly and ignorantly dove into the dangerous water where this alligator lived, we as children of God sometimes foolishly dive into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril, and we forget the enemy is waiting to attack. The Bible says the enemy of our soul, Satan, prowls about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, kind of like an alligator. Peter goes on to say, Resist him, standing firm in the faith…And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:9–10). If you feel like you're in the alligator swamp right now and they're ready to take you under, remember God has said if you are called to his eternal glory in Christ, he will himself restore you and make you strong again—after you have suffered a little while. God is not going to let go of you. But why does he allow us to suffer a little while? Unlike the story of the father who fought to save his son, God is not helpless against Satan. He could deliver us sooner rather than later, and we puzzle as to why he doesn't, don't we? There are various reasons God allows his children to endure suffering, and one reason is to bring us to maturity so our lives will bring glory to God. In writing about suffering, James said, Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy (James 5:10-11). James reminds us in retrospect, as we look back to the suffering saints of old, we consider them blessed who persevered through suffering, and he uses Job as an example. In other words, James says, “Get the big picture here. Look beyond your momentary pain and consider what God is doing through your suffering.” Whether your suffering is a result of your wrongdoing or someone else's or it's just the hardships of life, it didn't catch God by surprise, and he intends to use it for your good. He is not going to let go of you, so hang on and trust him. He is a trustworthy God.

Are you in a tough place right now? I want to encourage you to know God will never let go of you. When we are born from above, the Bible teaches us nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. God won't let go of you! Think of Elijah. You remember the story found in 1 Kings 18, where Elijah challenged all the prophets of Baal, with great courage, and their pagan gods could not deliver them. Elijah triumphed over all that evil, proving Jehovah God was the only true God. It was an incredible victory. But the very next day, brave Elijah becomes a coward, fearful of one woman, Jezebel, who has threatened to kill him. And he starts running for his life. Elijah no doubt would have been diagnosed today as having a deep depression, even as being deluded, as he ran for his life. But God didn't let go, and with great patience and kindness, he nurtured him back to strength, taught him some wonderful lessons, and brought him out of that deep funk an even better man of God. Are you there today? Has your faith failed you; are you full of fear? Are you in that kind of deep depression where everything looks hopeless, you feel worthless, and you're sure life is coming to an end—at least life with any meaning? I want to encourage you today to know God won't let go of you. He will patiently guide you back to wholeness, as he did with Elijah. How did Elijah recover? He needed some rest and some nourishment, first of all. When you are physically depleted, it will affect you spiritually and emotionally. So, God put him in quiet place for some rest and nourishment. Then he reminded Elijah of who God is, he helped him get beyond the pity party he was having, and then he sent Elisha to be his companion and coworker. God never let go of Elijah, and if you are his child, he will not let go of you. David wrote: For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).

Years ago, someone sent me this story, which illustrates a wonderful truth. Let me tell it for you. On a hot summer day in Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. He flew into the water, not realizing as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father saw what was happening, and he ran toward the water, yelling to his son. The little boy made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father would not let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard the screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred and on his arms were deep scratches where his father’s fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too, because my Dad wouldn’t let go.” Maybe you can identify with that little boy. You have scars, too. Not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some are unsightly and have caused you deep pain or regret. But some wounds are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, he’s been there holding on to you. Think of Joseph. His brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. Joseph didn't deserve to be so terribly mistreated, but there he was, a slave and a prisoner in Egypt. But God never let go of Joseph, because Joseph never forsook his faith in Jehovah God. And he was used by God to deliver many people, including his own family, from starvation. I wonder how many times, as he sat in that prison, he just wanted to give up. It looked hopeless, but God didn't let go. If you're in what looks like a hopeless situation right now, remember God is not going to let go of you, if you are his child by faith in Jesus Christ. God won't let go of you!

I want to focus on three key pressure points Daniel faced—and three of his friends did as well—as they were suddenly placed in a culture totally foreign to their faith in the God of Israel, the true God.   Pressure Point #1: A Change of Names and Diet  In Daniel one, we read how he and other Israelites, the brightest and the best, were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and brought to Babylon. They were assigned new Babylonian names. Daniel became Belteshazzar. And they were instructed to eat the royal diet, which was contrary to the dietary laws God had given the Israelites.   Nebuchadnezzar's plan was to transform these bright men into pagans, remove their Jewish identity, and get them to conform to the culture they were in. They would be more useful to him that way, he thought; they would do their best work and be more loyal to him if they abandoned their heritage and their faith.  Could a name change achieve that purpose? No, the only way Daniel and his companions would ever forsake their heritage, identity, and faith in the true God, would be a complete change of heart and mind. And a name doesn't affect the heart.  How did Daniel respond to this name change? We see no indication he objected in any way. This is where the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is true. “Call me what you like,” is Daniel's and his three friends' responses, because it wouldn't change who they were.  But how does Daniel respond to the dietary change? This does affect him, because he does not intend to abandon the dietary laws of his faith. For this he is willing to take a stand.  What do I take from this?   Pick your fights. There are some things worth standing up for and resisting, and some are not. Many times, we bring pressure and stress into our lives by allowing ourselves to be overly concerned about things which have no lasting value and make no real difference.   We must learn to distinguish between issues of integrity and issues of priority. For example, suppose you're facing an assignment which seems ludicrous to you, a waste of time and resources, an exercise in futility. You must pick your fight. You may determine the damage and wastefulness of the assignment is of such magnitude you must confront it. Or you may realize it's not worth the fight—it's too small. This is not an issue of integrity but one of priority.  On the other hand, if an assignment involves a lowering of your own personal standards of integrity, an abuse of company policy, or unfair service to a customer, now you are facing an issue of integrity. This is a fight worth taking on. How you approach it is another issue. But to stay true to biblical principles, fight you must.  Picking your fight doesn't mean you come on in a combative way. Proverbs 16:21 says: The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. Pleasant words usually get you a lot further than words of confrontation or judgment.   How many times have you seen a good idea blown by the way it was presented? How many times have you watched a situation blow up into a major issue when, with a different approach, it could have been handled without a major conflict?   On the other hand, how many times have you seen someone back off a needed fight because he didn't have the stomach for it? He wimped out rather than stand up for what he knew was right.  In the pressure points of our lives, particularly on our jobs, we are continually faced with situations where we must pick our fights. We need God's wisdom to do this well, and thankfully, he promises to give us wisdom if we ask.   Pressure Point #2: Speaking Truth Under Pressure  In Daniel two, we learn how Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream none of his astrologers could interpret. He asked his wise men not only to interpret the dream, but also to tell him what the dream was. Talk about mission impossible! And you think you have a tough boss!  In frustration, retribution, and foolishness, Nebuchadnezzar condemns all the wise men to death because they can't interpret his dream. Daniel goes to bat to save the lives of all these people, recognizing how truly foolish and wrong it is to kill them. And then, after soliciting prayer from his friends, God reveals the dream to Daniel. He approaches the king, declaring he can tell the dream and its interpretation, and he does.  Can you put yourself in his shoes? God has revealed the dream to him, and it is very bad news for Nebuchadnezzar. He can save himself and all those wise men by telling the dream, but does he have to give him the interpretation, which Nebuchadnezzar won't like? Couldn't he fudge it a bit, when he describes this large statue and its meaning?   I would imagine he must have thought, “Either way I'm going to be killed. He will kill me if I don't tell him the dream, but when I do tell him the interpretation of this dream, he's going to kill me anyway.”  Yet, despite the pressure he is under, he chooses to tell the truth, as unwelcome as it might be. This really gets to where we live, doesn't it? Do you tell the truth regardless of the consequences? Do you do the right thing when it may not bring you any good—or it may harm you? In our own pressure points, where we must decide to tell it like it is or put some spin on it, are we, like Daniel, true to the truth, regardless of the consequences?  In Ephesians 6:14 we are told to Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…. Do you leave home each day with this belt on? It's invisible but it's obvious. When you wear the belt of truth, when you are committed to truthfulness, no matter what, it sets you apart from most of the people around you, and it takes a lot of stress out of your life. You don't have to worry about being found out or remembering exactly what you said. The truth will, as Jesus said, set you free.   Pressure Point #3: Facing Jealous Coworkers  In chapter six, we read the familiar story of Daniel and the lions' den. By this time Daniel was much older, at least in his 80s, and verse three says, Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.   Do good work and you're bound to generate jealousy. Have you found this to be true? Hopefully your good work will be recognized by those in authority, as was true for Daniel, but likely it will cause some jealousy as well. Is there anything you can do to keep this from happening?   Daniel didn't seem to be able to. His coworkers tried for a time to find grounds for charges against him in the way he did his work, but the Bible says: They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent (Daniel 6:4).   An old preacher I knew used to say, “Do right ‘til the stars fall out.” Just do the right thing, and the right thing is to work with all your heart, do the best work you can, without corruption or negligence. Obviously the way in which we work, the attitude we have toward others, the way we treat people will have some bearing on how others treat us, but there are people who will hate and despise you because you do things right, because you have a good attitude, because you go the extra mile. It is true sometimes the more you do it right, the more some will look for ways to do you harm. Thankfully these people are usually few and far between, but it only takes one to cause you a great deal of grief and indeed, a great deal of potential harm.   How do you deal with jealous coworkers? Proverbs 27:4 says, Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? If you've ever had to face jealousy—people who were jealous of you simply because you did the right thing—then you can relate to this proverb. Who can stand before jealousy? That green-eyed monster is ferocious.  Daniel's peers were so jealous they devised a plan to get him killed, a clever plan that would make them look good to the big boss and get rid of their hated rival.  Don't be surprised at what jealous people will do, and how cleverly they will try to disguise their jealousy. Daniel could not stand before jealousy, as it turns out. He couldn't stop these malicious coworkers who were out to destroy him. They got their decree signed by Darius: anyone who prayed to any other god or man other than King Darius for the next thirty days would be thrown into the lions' den—and it was an irrevocable decree.   So, at this pressure point Daniel is faced with a choice: to compromise his faith and abandon his daily practice of praying to his God three times a day, with his windows open toward Jerusalem for all to see or face those hungry lions. Did you realize the decree simply said you couldn't worship anyone else for this thirty-day period? So, I'm thinking he could have shut the windows and prayed privately, or just figured, hey, thirty days is nothing; God will understand. I'll show these guys they can't catch me in their evil scheme. I just won't pray openly for thirty days. Isn't it interesting that his coworkers must have been certain he would not compromise his commitment to his God. They knew he would choose the lions' den!  Daniel never pleaded his case with Darius. He never bad-mouthed his evil coworkers. He never protested. He simply refused to change his prayer schedule; he refused to compromise.   Most likely you'll never have to face lions or threatened death for standing firm to your faith. But you could face the death of a job, a relationship, or a career plan. And that could be very costly for you. So, if you're facing some pressure points now—some areas where you must decide if you will stand true to your commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Savior—think about Daniel. Ask God to give you Daniel-courage, the courage to refuse to bend to the culture or be intimidated by their many unbiblical ideas and beliefs, regardless of how our culture has embraced their ways and ideas.  A friend of mine is going through a situation where, because she has been wonderfully born again and delivered from the deceit and lies of the culture, she is facing hatred and condemnation from family members and friends because she no longer agrees with those unbiblical ideas. She hasn't become militant or confrontational. She simply states what she believes when they state what they believe, and for that, she is considered unacceptable. She's paying a price for standing true to her faith, but instead of being angry, she's just so thankful God has shown her the truth and now she's praying for those who are still deceived as she was for so long.  I hope you will take time to read again the first six chapters of Daniel and see how he stayed true to his God amid a very secular and pagan society, in the face of very jealous and evil coworkers. We serve the same God, and he can deliver us as well. 

The Bible never denies or ignores human suffering and emotions. You'll find throughout Scripture God understands and provides a sacred dignity to anger and despair, to injustice and sorrow. Christians are invited to share their grief, not to cover up and “fake fine” and hide their struggles. That's why it's really important for all of us to use this spiritual means of lamenting when we find ourselves overwhelmed by life. I've encouraged you to lament to God when you're baffled and worried. Ask your questions, express your outrage, tell God just how you feel. That's where a lament begins. Lament is often living in the reality of our faith journey—“the already but not yet” aspect of our faith. It's the tension between knowing God is good, he has good plans for you, he is sovereign and in control, while living in a world that is terribly broken and often very evil. Lamenting is an acknowledgement of that tension, sitting in the grief and pain of the present while looking forward to the promise of the future, our eternity with Christ. You will note the Psalms of lament always end with a reaffirmation of trust in God. For example, Psalm 13 begins with how long, oh Lord, will you forget me and begs God for deliverance. But here is how David closed that Psalm of lament: But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me (Psalm 13:5-6). He sets his heart and his mind to trust in God's love, to rejoice in his salvation, and to sing to the Lord. Let me encourage you to follow his example. Pour out the fear, the anger, the confusion, and all the questions you have to God, with total honestly. But don't end there. Always, always confess that you still trust God; you will rejoice again, and recite all you have to be thankful for. Jesus invites you to exchange your heavy burden for his light one because he can handle the heavy stuff; you can't. Leave your heavy burden with Jesus; take his light one. He'll always walk through it with you and bring you out to a good place. You can trust him.