iWork4Him PowerThought

All of us need to feel appreciated, especially at work. But not everyone feels appreciated in the same ways… So how do we value our coworkers, employees, and bosses in ways that are meaningful to THEM? According to the the book, the Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, one way is through words of affirmation . And I'm not just talking about saying, "nice job so-and-so". PAUSE Instead,...

In today's culture, respect for our elders and wisdom, has been replaced by idolizing youth and outward appearances. As Christians, we believe that ALL human beings are created by God in His image. Therefore every person has inherent dignity and creator-ordained worth. To be created in the likeness of God means that each  person bears His image and with it, a value beyond our unique characteristic...

I heard recently from a retired army guy that he was taught to run TOWARDS the problem, not away from it. .... I wonder how many of us run towards OUR work problems vs. away from them.   Perhaps we think "confrontation" is un-Christ-like…but how did Jesus deal with problems? With the woman at the well, He confronted her, asked and answered questions. In the temple, He confronted with over-turning...

I recently had my concept of "neighbor" challenged. Does neighbor mean only the people in my neighborhood? The ones we live near? Actually, in a broader sense, it is anyone "living or located near another". That means the folks all around us at work, in the next cubicle. The teacher in the next classroom. The person exercising next to us at the gym. Our neighbors are everywhere and the Lord had a...

Workplace politics. If you're working, you're involved in them. And as Christians, we don't have to disengage just because the term is distasteful. "Workplace politics" are the strategies people use to gain advantage for themselves or to support a cause. What if, we employed biblical wisdom and strategies to deal with the politics? .... such as Matthew 10:16  " I am sending you out like sheep with...

How many times have we said to ourselves. "I wish I had time to go on a mission trip." Well guess what, you DO!  Your workplace IS your mission field. Your daily commute IS your mission travel. And your workplace has been crafted perfectly by God, specifically tailored to you, and your giftings. We can all begin to view our workplace and every co-worker as "the mission". We can prepare, pray, plan...

Businesses always seem to be searching for "the magic bullet" that will propel them into the "big leagues".  We've heard hundreds of stories of eternally successful companies and their practices and believe we know the secret. It's excellence. Excellence as unto the Lord.  Not being great at what you do, but EXCELLENT. .... It's the very top level. Consider these synonyms for excellence:  high qua...

Have you ever tried to ignore God and His direction in your work or career? Tried to go your own way, and kept running into roadblocks, un-ending NO's and shut doors? Sometimes in our career, we try to LOGIC our way towards our calling, to where WE want to be, but God has His plans.  Remember the Israelites? It took them 40 YEARS to make a 14 day journey. That's 14, 600 days of blindness, vs. 14 d...

Sacrifice. It's defined as surrender of something for the sake of something else. We are called to do it in our life as a Christ follower, just as He did. 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.   What does love-based sacrifice look like in our workplace? ....  We sacri...

Whether we're aware of it or not, temptation is all around us at work. It didn't get left at home when we left for work today. As we take God to work with us, we should also be aware that the enemy will be working there too. Starting our day with the Lord in prayer, and putting on the FULL armor of God (Ephesians 6), are some of the best ways to keep the door shut on temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:1...

When God created Adam, he didn't place him in the Garden of Eden for an extended vacation – No! God created A JOB for him. In Genesis 2 it says, " The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to WORK it and TAKE CARE of it… and the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them... " O...

Have you ever encountered a salesperson that wouldn't stop pushing you to buy an item because they were on commission? It's obvious in these situations that the salesperson is more interested in reaching their numbers than about meeting the needs of the customer. They have become producers rather than servers. PAUSE As followers of Christ, we can end up doing the same thing when we focus only on o...

Have you ever met a salesperson or a marketer who offered you something that seemed too good to be true… and then it turns out it WAS too good to be true? Although overpromising may increase sales and conversions on the front end, underdelivering on those promises alienates customers and creates a bad reputation. Similarly, overpromising and underdelivering in your relationships at work and at hom...

Have you ever been afraid to share the gospel because you might not know all the answers? Well, here's the good news: we don't need to argue people into Christ, we just need to invite them to encounter Him! What a relief - God is the one who does the heavy lifting… not us! When you set out to simply do good, work with excellence, and love people… others will be drawn to the light of Christ inside...

Why is it that the grass always looks greener on the other side? Well, in today's world it's because the grass probably has a photo filter on it! Did you know that the average person spends two and a half hours scrolling through social media per day?! That's more time than it takes to workout, make dinner, and clean the house! This constant access to the edited highlights of our friends' and cowor...

Your work matters to God, and God has strategically placed you in your workplace to be his representative. But what exactly does it mean to be a representative of God? 1 John:4 says, that God IS Love. So, when we genuinely love people, we are giving them a taste of who God is – it's as easy as that! Being a representative of God in the workplace doesn't mean that you need to be a pastor, an evange...

Do you want God to unlock His purpose for you in your work? As you execute the first 4 steps of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant: Praying for, serving, befriending, and praying with others, remember your work behavior is important. The final step of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant is to be someone of excellence in your work. Be the best and brightest example of a worker in your workplace position.  Exc...

Does God care for the people you work with? Of course, He does. In step 4 of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant, look for opportunities to pray with others.  When you continually work alongside the same people, you know their typical manners and facial expressions. When you notice someone having an off day, ask them, "How are you doing?" when they say "I'm Fine," keep asking, "No really, how are you do...

Do you want to see your workplace as a mission field? In step 3 of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant, we encourage you to befriend your co-workers or employees outside of the office. Why? Our work relationships are work focused and can be shallow. When you build friendships on your own turf, outside of work, real relationships develop. When you let someone into your world, it breaks down walls. Breaki...

Do you want to see your workplace transformed and have God unlock His purpose for you in your work? Step two of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant helps transform your workplace mindset into a mission-focused workplace ministry mindset. Start looking for ways to serve your co-workers, bosses, and/or employees outside your job requirements. Why? Anyone can do a job that meets expectations, but how many...

Do you want to see your workplace transformed and have God unlock His purpose for you in your work? I thought so. Step one of the iWork4Him Nation Covenant is the most powerful step you can take at work to transform your workplace and your heart. Prayer - Start praying for those you work alongside every day. Pray for your co-workers, bosses, and employees by name. You can even pray for their spous...

Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? Like all you do is go to work, come home, eat, and sleep, just to go back to work and do it all over again the next morning? This endless cycle can feel maddening! But did you know that God never intended for our work to be a burden? In fact, God gave Adam the job of caretaker of the world as a GIFT – as an opportunity to partner with Himself! And guess what? Jes...

When I graduated from high school, I had my life all planned out. For years I had felt God calling me into ministry, so naturally I planned to attend Seminary…. But then God asked me to take a right turn in my vocation - He asked me to go into business. At the time I didn't understand how I could feel called to ministry AND the marketplace, but today I can look back and see that all those years WE...

Have you ever looked at your current job and wondered, "how did I end up here?" The good news is, you didn't end up there on accident! God has strategically placed you exactly where you are for a REASON – to share the good news of Jesus Christ with your coworkers, employees, bosses, and clients! 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, " We are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. " So next...

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, " do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is IN YOU, whom you have received from God? " Whoa! Think about that for a moment: the Holy Spirit… the very presence of God… lives INSIDE of our bodies! How crazy is THAT! The God of the universe has taken up residence inside of us, where He not only guides us as a wise counselor but also intercedes on...