How Do You Work Remotely For Christ?

This week I experienced my first-ever “snow day”. My office closed due to snow because we are

located in the South where the states and people aren’t accustomed to handling such weather.

This did not mean a day off, however; we would work from home on our company laptops.

Everyone seems to idolize the idea of working from home and those who do it. The fact of the matter

is, it is a huge and difficult test for those who do. It is a time to see if we can live up to 1 Corinthians

10:31 that says “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”.

Or, alternatively, if we will fall to the temptations that come from having zero accountability

because we lack our boss and coworkers.

It is easy to get distracted when working from home. You see the dishwasher that needs to be

emptied, the laundry that is waiting to be done, and maybe you have an insatiable urge to go walk

through the freshly fallen snow (ok, well, I did anyway). Oh, and on top of all that, suddenly your

social media accounts are all vying for your attention. Keeping your mind and actions focused on

the task at hand is a challenge when you don’t feel like you’re in the “work zone”.

I feel all of this is similar to our lives as Christians, too. Even when Jesus was on earth, his disciples

had a hard time staying focused on Him and building His kingdom. Now that Jesus isn’t physically

with us, we as Christians are left to work remotely for the kingdom and it has become even more

challenging to remain centered on living for Him.

We are surrounded every day by distractions that make us tempted to live for self-gratification rather

than for our Creator. This is why it is important that we have the church and fellowship with other

believers: they are our co-workers in Christ. We need to hold each other accountable for the remote

work that we are doing for God and challenge each other to be working at our full potential to honor

Him in all that we do.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is

faithful. And letus consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not

neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the

more as you see the Day drawing near.”

- Hebrews 10:23-25

Whether spiritually, for an earthly workplace, or both, how’s your remote work going? Are you staying

focused on the mission God has placed before you?

A Biblical Lesson in Modern Art

Last night I was at an art walk. One of the exhibits was a small room with a single window. Inside of this room, the artist had hung fluffy black fabric everywhere. From the walls, the ceiling, creeping in through the door. It obstructed the light coming in through the window and gave the room a very eerie feeling. 

As I stood there taking it all in, it hit me: this is an unfortunately perfect picture of life sometimes. We allow all sorts of things to take over our lives and eventually they choke out our view of Christ and his influence in us. Some things may be perfectly fine, other things may not be. Everything has the potential to obscure our perspective if we aren't continually refocusing and choosing to make God a priority in our thoughts.

Honestly, that is why this blog is a day late this week: I was lacking inspiration because I had been failing to look for it. I let all sorts of little things pile up over the week that took my mind away from seeing God's work and wisdom. You've probably experienced (or possibly are experiencing) something similar. It's easy to let distraction take over. Let's clear our minds and reset our focus this week, shall we?

How can a young man keep his way pure?

    By guarding it according to your word.

10 

With my whole heart I seek you;

    let me not wander from your commandments!

11 

I have stored up your word in my heart,

    that I might not sin against you.

12 

Blessed are you, O Lord;

    teach me your statutes!

13 

With my lips I declare

    all the rules of your mouth.

14 

In the way of your testimonies I delight

    as much as in all riches.

15 

I will meditate on your precepts

    and fix my eyes on your ways.

16 

I will delight in your statutes;

    I will not forget your word.

- Psalm 119:9-16

Life: Too hectic for God?

We all get this feeling eventually: life is hectic! For some of us, it means going to work and trying to take care of as much at home as we have time for in between shifts. For others it means trying to keep up with their children and families, or perhaps working super hard to do their best in school. All of these pursuits are great, when framed in the context that we are doing our best at whatever we are doing because we want to represent the kingdom of God in every piece of life. Sometimes, however, that context is difficult to keep in sight.

Sometimes we wake up late and are scrambling to keep on top of everything; we let the stress of the day take over and push out any thought of God's hand in it all. We don't even bother trying to seek the kingdom of God because currently our kingdom is going to fall apart if we don't do something! 

Once in awhile, it's good to stop and refocus. Matthew 6:33 says "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." That seems to hold up. I don't know about you, but I notice on the days that I consciously stop and take some time to focus on God before getting caught up in the tasks of the day, often those end up being my most productive and fulfilling days. 

Do you ever notice that in your life, too?

Diligent or Slothful?

"Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth." - Proverbs 12:27

There are three big questions for us to ask ourselves as we ponder this little proverb:

1. What are you doing diligently in your life?
2. Is your diligent work in one area causing you to be slothful in other more important areas?
3. What “precious wealth” will be gained from the activities we are most diligent in?

Upon first glancing at this passage, it is easy to let our minds go directly to the world of work and monetary gain. But there is another type of “precious wealth”; many times throughout scripture (particularly in Psalms and Proverbs) the love and knowledge of God is referred to in terms of wealth and treasure. In the end, that is the only type of “precious wealth” that will stay with us past the grave, and therefore, the most precious of all wealth we could gain.

Where does your relationship with God fall in the order of things you are most diligent in?

The Sunday-school answer we instinctually deliver is “God is at the top!” but take a closer look; is He really? Does He frequently occupy your thoughts? Does He take priority over everything else you need to spend time on in a day? Be honest. When I asked myself these questions, I had to admit, God often gets shoved to the “I’ll get to this later” list all too often.