iWork4Him PowerThought

Generosity. Is it an action, a state of the heart, or a mind-set? I heard recently that generosity is BEST when it includes all three and we compare it with IMPACT.   Have you ever thought about your giving in this way? That your giving could possibly be leveraged for the highest impact for eternity? What if we all stopped and looked and prayed over the resources we have, and re-committed the 10%...

Ecclesiastes 4:12 says A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.   Are you a Christian standing alone in your work or professional life? Are YOU standing alone in OTHER areas of your life? What if you prayed and asked for a group that you could "do life and work" together...

It comes as no surprise that less than 20 percent of Americans regularly attend church.   But just about all Americans have a job. So, we COULD say that not everybody has a pastor, but just about everybody has a boss.   So how will the other 80% of Americans find out about Jesus Christ if they are not stepping into a church?   The current population of the US is about 330 million. So that's 264 Mi...

In the past couple of months, I've heard one word repeatedly out of the mouths of followers of Christ who bring their faith into the workplace. INTENTIONALITY. Intentionality is a concept defined as "the power of a mind to stand for things, properties and states of affairs".   WAS and IS Jesus intentional? You bet. Should WE be intentional?   You bet. HOW DO we shift to this state of intentionalit...

What do you think would happen to our economy, our country, if all the working Christians decided to "go into ministry"? There would be no "marketplace", our economy would collapse and we would be thrown into chaos. Could it be that is NOT God's plan or design for us? What if each of us were CALLED TO MINISTRY IN OUR WORK, right where we're planted? And that OUR JOB IS our pulpit, our work perform...

Relationship. Relational. Is there any better word to describe Christianity that sets our "religion" apart from all others? Our faith is based solely on relationship. And is there any better model for us to follow? In our life, in our work?   And the basis of this relationship model is LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I w...

Humility. The term "humility" comes from the Latin word humilitas, a noun related to the adjective humilis, which can be translated as "humble", but also as "grounded", or "from the earth", since it derives from HUmus (earth).   The greatest leaders, including our Lord have it. CS Lewis said: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of YOURSELF LESS."   What if TODAY, you and I, t...

What's the difference between a career and a vocation? Career is defined as an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life with opportunities for progress. A VOCATION, on the other hand, is defined as a person's main occupation, especially regarded as particularly worthy and requiring great dedication.   WOW. That's a big difference. We heard recently that as a Christ-followe...

We spend more than one-third of our life at work. Yet sadly, Barna research shows nearly two-thirds of churched adults say it has been at least three years or more since they heard church teachings on work and career, and yet, the workplace is where most Americans spend the biggest share of their waking hours.   What can YOU do, to introduce your church to the importance of faith and work? Invite...

There is a word that defines the bible, defines Christ, and defines leadership. That word is LOVE. But isn't love seemingly contrary to business and how it operates? Or IS IT?   Did you ever have a bad boss?   What quality of work did you do for them? Did you ever have a great boss? One that got the absolute best work from you? What was the difference in those two bosses? I'll bet it was LOVE. Lov...

Do you want to see your workplace as a place to live out your faith? Your work is a place where you finally get that chance to be involved in fulltime ministry. Then do these things. 1st Start praying for those you work around, by name every day. 2nd look for ways to serve those same people over and above what your job requires you to do. 3rd look for ways to build a friendship with those you work...

Money. We all need it to live. Is your view of money healthy and in alignment with biblical principles?   Is the WAY you use it serving man, or God and His Kingdom.   1 John 3:17 says If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God's love be in that person?    How about your income? How about your company's revenue? Are you tithing...

There is a truth about work that has been lost to much of our culture since the creation of the world. It is that GOD CREATED WORK. He created work for us, to do together and for HIS glory. Genesis 2: 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.  Work is...

What if our WORK WAS our WORSHIP?  The Hebrew word avodah means work, worship, and service, altogether! Work: being productive, worship: praising and glorifying God and service: a form of service to the world and our community. We are MEANT to be of service, to be PARTNERS with God in the ongoing creation of the world. The various usages of this Hebrew word that is first found in Genesis 2:15 show...

When's the last time you were UNCOMFORTABLE, OR PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE in your work? Discomfort = growth, and comfort = stagnation. The people doing the most growing are the ones that submit to spiritual and personal growth, like having a group of fellow Christ followers, who challenge them and hold them accountable, in their professional life, their leadership and business...

After years of meeting with and interviewing people from all types of work and all organizational levels, there is one major truth that keeps bubbling up to the surface. The investment IN PEOPLE, above all else, pays not only Kingdom dividends, but business dividends as well. This is what Christ did, and it is the ultimate example of Christ's holy character: Matthew 20:28   says "For even the Son...

Per a 2015 Barna Group study, only 20 percent of Christian adults are involved in some sort of discipleship activity.  And, less than one-quarter of Christian adults (23%) are currently being discipled by someone one-on-one.  Discipleship in the context of work is known as "mentorship". How about YOU?  Are you allowing someone to mentor you as a Christ follower in your work?  And if you are a "sea...

I think it's safe to say that the media focuses on, and provides negative news these days.  Should we just take it, and keep feeding ourselves this negativity? How does this affect your work? Do you take it with you?  What are you chatting with your co-workers about? And are you feeding the beast of "all that's wrong with world"?  Or are you speaking life at work. We can, and should consciously ch...

I heard a clever quip the other day about trying to take control from God's hands. God is writing the story of your life: so STOP TRYING TO GRAB THE PEN FROM HIS HAND! This applies to our work as well. Sometimes we think we are living God's plan for us in our work when we are actually just "taking Jesus with us".  And only praying to Him to ask for blessings on what we are doing at work. How can w...

Have you ever experienced a major upheaval in your business or work life?  Something that looked like it was taking you in the opposite direction of where you were headed?  Or was (you thought) the next logical step? It's highly possible that God is using this to move you to exactly where HE wants you to be.  For HIS work, in HIS time, for THIS season. Let Romans 8:28 encourage you today, and we k...

Being intentional seems to be a consistent hallmark of followers of Christ. Because Christ is our best example of intentionality. Intentionality is defined as being deliberate or purposeful. How about you? How are you working with intentionality today? In the office, with your co-workers, intentionally representing Christ and showing His love and patience to everyone you come in contact with? Most...

What if today, we committed to operate our businesses from a philosophy of "It's not about WHAT we sell or HOW MUCH we sell, it's about the LIVES we TOUCH and CHANGE."  That's "God's way of doing business". And it's the exact OPPOSITE of everything we have been taught as professional business people. But isn't that always God's way? This counter-cultural philosophy is rooted in Matthew 6:33: But s...

As a business leader, if you turned your business over to God, what would that look like? What would be the result? Hundreds of business owners we've interviewed over the past eight years have done it. They say the result is a DEEP sense of peace vs. stress, pressure, and tension. And a new, deepening understanding of their role as a STEWARD of God's business, vs. "being the OWNER of it".  What wo...

Every one of us in ministry. What? No, you say, I'm a CPA, I'm an engineer, I manage people at a construction company.  Yes, and you are called to be an Ambassador for Christ there.  The Apostle Paul agrees, as he wrote to the Ephesians, in Chapter 6 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God's ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.  If Paul can...

I learned something new talking with a Physical Fitness company owner in Nashville. The only gift God has given us that we can control 100% is our body. What we eat, how we take care of it, what we feed it, if we are exercising it. Reminds me of Luke 11:36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you...