Fruit of the Spirit at Work: Faithfulness

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

As we continue our series on Expressing the Fruit of the Spirit at Work, let’s take a closer look at FAITHFULNESS.

Faithfulness is a noun, defined as” the quality of being faithful; fidelity” by the Oxford Language Dictionary. Similar words are loyalty, constancy, dedication, reliability, being trustworthy, steadfastness.

As His followers, we are to imitate the qualities of God, His character. These are six of the verses which just scratch the surface of His faithfulness in the Word:

“He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV)

“For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.” (Psalm 33:4 ESV)

“Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.” (Psalm 36:5 TLB)

“God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, His merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great Your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:23-24 MSG)

“Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own].” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 AMP)

“Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 CEB)

What does this mean for us as His image bearers in the workplace?

1. If you say you will do it, do it. What you agree to becomes your commitment. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.

2. Be trustworthy. When you follow through with your commitments with honesty and integrity, you not only show that you are dependable, but that you are working your best for the company you are employed by.

3. Value loyalty. As a leader in your workplace, regularly express your gratitude for the loyalty of your coworkers.

Bringing This to God in Prayer

God, thank You for Your unending faithfulness to me. As I take this remembrance at my workplace this week, would You help me to walk out being a faithful employee/manager/boss/owner? Give me honest, true words to speak and a steadfast commitment to this company and my position there. May I be ever increasingly loyal to You, the Faithful One, as I depend upon You to equip, guide and strengthen me. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, and with Holy Spirit’s empowerment, Amen.

May God keep you and bless you as you express faithfulness, both yours & His, at work, today and always.

Karla, Guest Blogger

www.karlalees.com

Proverbs at Work: Do You Desire True Knowledge? Fear the Lord.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7a)

It is estimated that "the fear of God" is mentioned in over 100 Bible passages. What does it really mean to fear the Lord?

The fear of God refers to the awesome reverence, gratitude, and love we should have toward our God, the maker of the universe who loves each one of us more than we could ever understand. Our fear should be disappointing God or saddening Him when we do not turn to Him and trust Him in all areas of our life, do not learn about His principles, or do not follow Him.

But how do we reconcile loving God and fearing Him? 1 John 4:18 says: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love". According to Dr. David Jeremiah, we are to fear God and love God, and they're not in conflict at all. He states, "1 John 4:18 reminds us that when we truly know the fear of God, we will understand the love of God, and when we truly know the love of God, we will understand the fear of God. They are not mutually exclusive, only in our own minds." https://sermons.love/david-jeremiah/4209-david-jeremiah-deity-the-fear-of-god.html

The fear of the Lord, or in other words, the love, adoration, and thankfulness we have for the Lord, is the foundational reason why we want to honor Him.

We reflect this by continually knowing Him better and applying His principles and wisdom. I am always amazed at the unexpected blessings, but then I understand when we think of the enormous love He has for us. When we think of choosing to fear the Lord because we are so thankful for Him, did you know He also gives promises to those who choose to fear Him? Below are some of those promises when we display the fear of God in our adoration of Him.

• Keeps us from sinning. (Exodus 20:20)

• Gives us a heritage.(Psalm 61:5)

• Gives us hope. (Psalm 33:18-19)

• Protects us. (Deuteronomy 20:4)

• Delivers us. (Psalm 34:7)

• Blesses us. (Psalm 128:1)

• Provides us with good understanding. (Psalm 111:10)

• Creates a Godly home environment. (Psalm 103:17)

• Finds the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:5)

• Brings the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)

• Adds length to life. (Proverbs 10:27)

• Turns people from snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)

• Avoids evil. (Proverbs 16:6)

• Provides content rest, untouched by trouble. (Proverbs 19:23)

• Provides a treasure of wisdom and knowledge. (Isaiah 33:6)

• Helps us. (Isaiah 41:13)
  

How can you practically apply the fear of the Lord at work?

1. It begins with gratefully recognizing that God is loving and faithful to you, and acknowledging He is a wise God who knows you and what is best for you. 2. It continues with your choice to continually seek to know Him by reading His Word and spending time with Him. In this way, you express your recognition and gratitude for Him. 3. It is a lifelong journey with God as you approach Him with your cares and concerns and give Him His rightful place of being Lord of your life by applying His Word at work. What one area of your business can you choose to examine God's Word in depth to discover what the Lord says about it? It may be about money, relationships, conflict, decisions, or anxiety. With awe and love, ask God for His wisdom and direction in this area. Bringing This to God In Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for my beginning to understand what it means to fear You. Help me to deep in my heart allow this awe and gratitude to be the solid foundation from which I continually seek You, Your principles, and direction for my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Have a wonderful week! God Bless. Bonny, Christian Women at Work

Proverbs at Work: Do What is Right, Just & Fair

“For gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” (Proverbs 1:2-5)

You may be surprised at how many decisions you make in a day!

Some sources estimate that number to be over 35,000! Eva Krockow, a decision-making specialist at the University of Leicester, is not sure where this estimate came from but does agree we make an enormous number of decisions daily. In fact, roughly 2,000 decisions per hour or one decision every two seconds. (Link to read more about this study here. )

We hardly think of some decisions, but there are certainly many decisions that will significantly impact people, our work, and ourselves. How can we be confident we are making the right decisions?

Proverbs 1:2-5 gives direction on what to consider. God advises us to do what is right and just, and fair. These words seem similar, but there are some differences.

RIGHT: When we think of the word “right,” we think of what is morally correct, good, or acceptable.

FAIR: When we think of the word “fair,” we think of being impartial and just,

JUST: When we think of the word “just,” we think of behaving in a morally right and fair way.

To apply these principles to our workplace, we need to go to the source of wisdom and not rely on how we feel at the time or what the world says.

God has advised us to listen and add to our learning, which applies to doing what is right, fair, and just. This is very similar to what the Lord says in Micah 6:8 -

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your Lord.”

This past week, I needed to decide whether to continue with a company providing services to us. We have had a long-standing relationship and requested their services for another part of our business. It is expensive, and we feel they need to do the job better. There have been many changes in their staffing, and we do not think they understand our culture. However, as they still provide some services to us, we want to maintain our professional relationships.

When considering what is right, just, and fair, we reflected on the following:

RIGHT: This was not so much a moral decision, but rather a decision on the best way to go forward for our business. However, what was necessary (and right) was to communicate in a respectful, acceptable, and right way as well as to be honest with them regarding our concerns.

FAIR: They have done great work in other areas, so we would like to continue working with them. We were fair in that we did not stop our relationship with them, but instead we stopped a particular service. However, in fairness to them, and based on our information, we will ask them to give us an update on our progress as we take this function over ourselves in-house.

JUST: We expressed our concerns about their work and gave suggestions on how our culture would be better represented. They did try, but still did not reflect it. We spoke to the people directly involved and as a result, we felt that parting ways with this area of service was the right thing to do.

However, to do what is right, fair, and just, God tells us to take some steps first - to listen and add to our learning.

My husband, who is also my business manager, provided wise advice. Before making this decision, we needed to discuss it with one of our staff and listen to what they had to say regarding taking over this work. We needed to avoid jumping into a significant decision before exploring other options.

Listening and learning, then applying the concepts of being right, fair, and just provided me with an organized way of making this important decision. I feel at peace with it, and how other people were treated.

Is there a major decision you need to make this week? If so, please consider the principles in Proverbs 1 of listening, learning and then reviewing the decision based on whether it is right, just, and fair. In this way, you will be taking Proverbs 1 to work as you apply it in action.

Bringing This to God in Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which gives wisdom and direction. As I go through my workday and personal life this week, please give me a willing spirit to listen well and take time to learn whatever I need to before making a right, fair, and just decision. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Have a wonderful week!

God Bless,

Bonny, Christian Women at Work