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Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Five Mere Christians Devotional: 5 of 5 [Jesus said,] remain in my love...I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:9, 11) The search for joy was the dominant theme of C.S. Lewis’s life. And he sought it apart from Christ in all the usual (and some unusual) places: alcohol abuse, an alleged affair with his dead best friend’s mom, and perhaps most relatably his career. In 1925, after years of professional disappointments, Lewis landed his dream job as Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Magdalen College in Oxford. In an induction ceremony that had all the pomp and circumstance a 467-year-old college can muster, Lewis knelt before the president of Magdalen College, who dramatically met his gaze and declared, “I wish you joy.” Lewis then rose and proceeded around the room, stopping in front of each new colleague who echoed the refrain: “I wish you joy,” “I wish you joy,” “I wish you joy.” I guarantee you that in that moment, C.S. Lewis believed he had finally found joy in the ultimate. He had achieved his vocational dream! But by God’s grace, Lewis came to learn what every successful professional inevitably does: that without Christ, even a dream job will eventually turn into a nightmare. It is only by remaining in Christ’s love that “your joy may be complete” (see John 15:11).  Here’s how Lewis himself said it years later: “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” Is it wrong to find joy in our work? Absolutely not! God created us to love our jobs (see Genesis 1:26-28 and Ecclesiastes 2:24). But Lewis’s story and today’s passage remind us that we mere Christians glorify God by finding our ultimate joy in Christ and not our work. Is your mood perfectly correlated to whether you’re winning at work? Do you spend less time with the Lord when things aren’t going your way? Are you unable to enjoy God’s gift of rest from your work?  Take it from someone with loads of experience in this area: If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re probably looking to your work to provide you with the ultimate joy that can be found only in Christ. If that’s you, let me encourage you to do three things right now:  Confess your idolatry to God and other believers Meditate on the gospel Ask the Lord for his power to enjoy the good gift of work without turning it into an idolatrous ultimate goodIn doing this, you will be glorifying God as you work today!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Five Mere Christians Devotional: 4 of 5 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. (Matthew 13:34) Jesus revealed God’s kingdom primarily through culture rather than politics. He never sought a seat on the Sanhedrin or in the Roman Senate. Instead, he changed the world with parables—tiny tales that stirred hearts to long for God’s kingdom. Yet despite Jesus’s example, many Christians put far more faith in political solutions than cultural ones to fix the world’s problems today. We believe electing the “right people” and appointing the “right judges” will finally bring God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This mindset explains why William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament in the 18th century, gets the lion’s share of the credit for abolishing the slave trade—even though historians and Wilberforce himself gave equal credit to Hannah More, a poet, playwright, and novelist who outsold her contemporary Jane Austen ten-to-one.  Eric Metaxas, a biographer of both Wilberforce and More, says, “How Wilberforce came to be the chief champion of abolition...has everything to do with Hannah More.” While Wilberforce worked to change politicians’ minds, More worked to change the people’s hearts through art that exposed slavery’s horrors. Jesus’s parables and Hannah More’s poetry point to an important truth: We mere Christians glorify God by advancing his kingdom culturally and not just politically. What might this mean for you today? Consider abortion as a case study. Murder has no place in the kingdom of God. And so it is right to ask the question, “What is the political response to this problem?” But the far more powerful question is, “What is my creative response to this problem?”  If you’re an artist like Hannah More, your response might be to write stories and songs that break people’s hearts toward orphans and birth parents. If you’re a business leader, it could be creating generous maternity and paternity policies or funding adoptions for employees. If you work in a café, it might mean setting up a board with resources for pregnancy centers. Here’s my point: Please don’t wait for politicians to reveal God's kingdom—be the creator who makes it visible today. Whatever the issue is—abortion, racial injustice, gender transitioning, pollution, etc.— glorify God not just by working to change things politically but first and foremost culturally. Because as Andy Crouch said, “The only way to change culture is to create more of it.”

Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert (Job 38:25-26) Most people didn’t view the Great Depression as the best time to launch a toy company. But that’s exactly when LEGO, the most successful toy brand of all time, was born. The company’s founder, a devout Christian aptly named Ole Kirk Christiansen, had spent years building a traditional carpentry business. But by the early 1930s, business was slumping while his debts were soaring. So he pivoted to making toys like yo-yos, toy cars, and eventually LEGO bricks. And everyone told him he was out of his mind. “I think you’re much too good for that, Christiansen,” one friend said. “Why don’t you find something more useful to do!” The world was in crisis after all. People needed food, not toys.  But Christiansen disagreed. In his own playful life and the life of the business he created to help others play well, Christiansen demonstrated a deep understanding of this truth: We mere Christians can glorify God by embracing fun, beauty, play, and “useless” work because our heavenly Father does the same. That’s what we see in today’s passage. God says that he sends “torrents of rain...to water a land where no one lives.” Why would God make it rain in an uninhabited desert? Apparently just for the fun of it! Commenting on this verse, theologian Dr. R. Paul Stevens says that God’s playful nature should produce in his people a “freedom from the tyranny of utility.” In other words, godly play—not just productivity—pleases God. I’ll be the first to admit that I am glacially slow to learning this. But by God’s grace I am coming to see that play is productive for my soul and my goals. As Dr. Stuart Brown says, “In the long run, work does not work without play.” If you, like me, are not used to playing, let me encourage you to adopt this practice I recently found very helpful: Take stock of your play history. Ask yourself what you did as a kid or as an adult that felt like play.  Based on my study of the work of Dr. Brown and others, I define play as any activity that has these 5 characteristics: I would say I “get” to do it rather than “have” to do itI lose track of time while I’m doing itI can’t wait to do it againI can’t stop talking about it with othersI have no deadline to complete the activityOnce you’ve made a list of things that have historically felt like play, schedule 30-90 minutes this week to engage in one of those activities knowing that you, like LEGO’s founder, can glorify God as you do!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Five Mere Christians Devotional: 2 of 5 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. (Luke 6:27) Fannie Lou Hamer had just given birth, but the only cry in the room was her own. Twice now, she had watched her body grow along with her hope, only for her labor pains to usher in death rather than life. And then there were the miscarriages—losses that came so early she never even felt the joy of kicks in her womb. Those losses—coupled with her extreme poverty and slave-like work as a sharecropper in Mississippi in the early 1900s—ensured that Hamer moved through her days in a fog. Until a doctor gave her hope: With surgery, the doctor assured her, all of her infertility problems could go away.  Hamer eagerly signed off on the procedure. But after the surgery, Hamer discovered the unthinkable: The doctor had removed her uterus in a complete hysterectomy done without her knowledge or consent. Hamer’s dreams of having her own children were now utterly and truly dead. Believe it or not, this was arguably not the most tragic thing to happen to Fannie Lou Hamer who would go on to become one of the most significant civil rights activists in the 20th century, largely responsible for giving African Americans the right to vote.  But here’s what’s remarkable: Whether it was the surgeon, the police who beat her in prison, or the politicians who threatened her life, Hamer is never recorded as speaking a single word of hate against her perpetrators. One time when U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey proposed an egregiously unjust compromise, Hamer replied, “Senator Humphrey, I’m gonna pray to Jesus for you.” And then she walked out the door as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. followed behind her. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” Hamer shows us an example of what that looks like and reminds us that we mere Christians glorify God by doing justice without hating the unjust. The world often tells us that doing justice requires that we also publicly shame and “cancel” the unjust. But God calls his people to a different way (see Micah 6:8 and Matthew 5:43-44). So, how can you and I practically do justice without hating the unjust today?  First, take a risk to speak out against injustice. As God’s ambassador in your workplace, you are called to speak out against injustices respectfully (see Ephesians 5:11).  Second, refuse to take revenge against the unjust knowing that vengeance is God’s alone (see Romans 12:19). Finally, pray for the unjust per Jesus’s example knowing that you, like Christ, will be glorifying your Father in heaven as you do (see Luke 23:34).

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Five Mere Christians Devotional: 1 of 5 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16) Today we’re kicking off a new series where I’ll introduce you to five “mere Christians” who show us what it looks like practically to glorify God via seemingly “secular” work.  First up? Fred Rogers. At the height of his fame, Rogers received a letter from Kathy Usher about her daughter, Beth, who had a rare brain disease that caused hundreds of seizures a day. The only thing that made them stop? Watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Before a critical surgery, Kathy wrote to Rogers asking for a signed picture to comfort Beth. But Rogers did one better. He called Beth that night and for nearly an hour, Beth talked to Mr. Rogers about everything from her fear of dying to her longing for friends. But just wait—this story gets crazier.  During surgery, Beth slipped into a coma. And Rogers called every single day for two weeks to check on her. After one call, Rogers dialed Beth’s surgeon, Dr. Ben Carson, and asked if he could visit Beth in person. Of course, Dr. Carson and the family agreed. And Rogers flew out the very next day to pray for Beth and perform a private puppet show at her bedside. A few weeks later, she woke up. Reading this story in a Starbucks, tears streamed down my face as I thought, Who does that? The answer: Someone so filled with God’s love that they can’t help but pour it out on others. Fred Rogers accomplished more than most people ever dream while also spending more time with his heavenly Father than most people ever dare. As one of his friends put it, Fred “fiercely guarded his time of quiet and reflection.” And in this, he reflected his Savior who “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). This points to an important principle: We mere Christians glorify God by making time to experience God’s love so that we can extend God’s love to those we work with. To that end, let me challenge you to put a physical object in your workplace to remind you of the love God has for you. I did this months ago by hanging a replica of a sign that hung in Rogers’s office for decades. It’s a Hebrew printing of Song of Solomon 2:16 which says, “My beloved is mine and I am his.” Do whatever you need to remind yourself of God’s love for you so that you can’t help but extend his love to those you work with today.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Wisdom for Work from Philippians Devotional: 4 of 4 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:6-8) I’ve heard Philippians 4:6-7 and Philippians 4:8 preached separately many times. But I’ve never heard these passages preached together. That’s a mistake because there’s a clear connection between anxiety and the things we choose to think about. That truth has become more apparent as we’ve seen smartphones, social media, and 24 hour news services combine to create a culture of non-stop doomscrolling this past decade. As Jonathan Haidt says in The Anxious Generation, “the great irony of social media,” is that “the more you immerse yourself in it, the more lonely and depressed,” and anxious, “you become.” Because most of what’s on social media and modern news services is not “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable.” It’s infotainment designed to make us addicted and anxious. Of course, we can’t do our most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others if we are constantly anxious. So how can we “guard our hearts and our minds”? Here are 3 ideas. First, experiment with my low information, low anxiety diet for 7 days. I haven’t read the news regularly in almost 10 years. And it’s not a coincidence that I’m far less anxious today than I was a decade ago.  Let me encourage you to give my low information, low anxiety diet a try. Delete all social media and news apps from your phone. Then set a reminder to email me in one week to tell me what important, true, and noble things you missed. (Spoiler alert: You won’t miss any. Your friends will tell you about what you truly need to know. Let them.) If that sounds too extreme, try this… Second, confine when you check news and social media to set times—maybe the last 15 minutes of your workday. Need help avoiding the temptation to check outside those set times? Use an app like Freedom or a Brick device (which I am increasingly obsessed with). Finally, read the news with the Holy Spirit. Whenever you do consume news and social media content, be sure you’re reading it with the Holy Spirit. And as you feel anxiety rising up within you, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Wisdom for Work from Philippians Devotional: 3 of 4 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. (Philippians 3:17) Today’s passage is exemplary of a command we see all throughout Paul’s letters, perhaps most famously in 1 Corinthians 11:1 where the apostle said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Paul understood that becoming more like Christ requires us seeing flesh-and-bone models of others following Christ. And so Paul encouraged his readers to look to him as an animated, three-dimensional case study of how to glorify God in a cultural context similar to their own. Paul’s words point to an important principle: If you want to know what it looks like practically to glorify God, look first to Christ and second to Christ’s followers. Let me suggest you respond to that principle in two practical ways. First, send a message thanking someone whose example you’ve followed as they’ve followed Christ. Who are the men and women God has used to form who you are spiritually and professionally? A parent? A former boss? Your pastor? A mentor God used to kick-start your career? Whoever just came to mind, send them a note right now thanking them for giving you a godly example worth imitating. Second, read more Christian biographies. I read a lot of biographies of other Christians. Because case studies make the commands of Christ stickier in my mind. The authors of Made to Stick explain why, saying, “A story is powerful because it provides the context missing from abstract prose.” That’s the power of biography.  And oh by the way, Scripture commands that we learn from the Christian leaders who came before us. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Commenting on this verse pastor John Piper says this is “a mandate for reading Christian biography.” Unfortunately, most biographies are tearfully boring and way too long. That’s why I’m reimagining the genre with my next book which will introduce you to five mere Christians whose examples you and I would be wise to follow because of how well they followed the example of Christ in their work.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Wisdom for Work from Philippians Devotional: 2 of 4 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. (Philippians 2:14-15) Want to “shine among” the non-Christians you work with? Paul tells you how: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” Apparently, working without grumbling and complaining was as countercultural in Paul’s day as it is in ours. C.S. Lewis once said that, “Hell begins with a grumbling mood.” The inverse is also true. People can get a whiff of heaven through the joyful mood of its citizens. Dr. Randy Alcorn goes so far as to say that, “Happiness in Christ is one of our most powerful evangelistic tools.” The question, of course, is how can we be joyful and work without grumbling when your co-worker replies all to yet another email or your boss makes an urgent request at 4:45 on a Friday? By focusing on what Christ has done for us. Just a few verses before today’s passage, Paul writes about how Christ “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death” for you and me (see verse 8). “Therefore,” Paul says in verse 14, “do everything without grumbling or arguing.” The cross is the source of our joy amidst less than desirable circumstances. Once you focus on what Christ accomplished for you at Calvary, grumbling about the smell in the office refrigerator feels ridiculous. Tim Keller once compared it to being a “spiritual billionaire…wringing your hands over ten dollars.” Grumbling is so second nature we often don’t notice we’re doing it. Here are three simple ways to prevent, confess, and respond to complaining. First, prevent grumbling by writing Philippians 2:14-15 somewhere you’ll see it while you work. On a post-it note, your phone background—wherever. Second, confess grumbling by creating a grumble jar. And every time you or someone on your team complains, drop in a dollar (or, if you’re like me and never carry cash, an IOU to tally later). My family and I did this recently to break a different habit and it was shockingly effective. We were able to kick our habit in less than a month.  Finally, respond to grumbling by expressing gratitude. Think back to the last thing you complained about and thank God for something related to that thing. For example, this morning I grumbled about the house being a mess. But I then said a quick prayer of gratitude that I have children to make said mess. Do whatever it takes to wrestle your grumbling to the ground, believer. Because as Dr. Alcorn put it, “Our happiness makes the gospel contagiously appealing; our unhappiness makes it alarmingly unattractive.”

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Wisdom for Work from Philippians Devotional: 1 of 4 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. (Philippians 1:21-22) Today, we’re kicking off a new series exploring wisdom for our work from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, looking at one insight from each of the book’s four chapters. We begin in chapter 1 with Paul’s words that—so long as he’s alive—he will give himself to “fruitful labor” for the kingdom. Those words are countercultural today as retirement remains a goal for the vast majority of Americans. And thanks to the growing “Financial Independence, Retire Early” FIRE movement, Gen Z plans to retire earlier than any previous generation at the ripe young age of 54. How do these people plan to spend the second half of life? The social media bio of a leader of the FIRE movement is telling to that end: “Mr. Money Mustache was a thirtysomething retiree who now writes about how we can all lead a frugal yet Badass life of leisure.” This idea of trading hard work for endless leisure finds zero support in Scripture. Theologian Dr. R. Paul Stevens puts it bluntly: “there is no concept of retirement in the Bible.” Which is why Paul wrote constantly about the Christian’s call to work hard as long as we “go on living in the body.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 is just one example: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” And let’s not forget that while many of us are chasing financial independence, Jesus chased financial dependence (see Matthew 8:20 and Luke 8:2-3). And while many of us are calculating when we can stop working, Jesus said he glorified the Father by finishing the work the Father gave him to do (see John 17:4). God may call you to retire from the work you do for pay. But I guarantee you that he won’t call you to retire from “abounding in the work of the Lord.” Now, before you financial advisors reply to this email in outrage, hear this: There is nothing wrong with saving money for a day when you may no longer be able to work for pay. I do! But to call yourself an image bearer of Christ and then trade a productive life with a life of endless leisure is to take the Lord’s name in vain.  You know how lightbulbs shine brightest just before they burn out? That is a picture of the life of Paul and the life of Christ that you and I are made to image. Resolve to image him well as you seek fruitful labor today and to the very end.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: God's Will for Your Work Devotional: 4 of 4 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (Psalm 37:23-24) We’ve been in a series exploring biblical truths for discerning God’s will for your work. Here’s the fourth and final I’ll share: Truth #4: Some Christians need to spend less time discerning God’s will and more time doing God’s will. Now, notice that I didn’t say “spend no time discerning God’s will.” That would be unbiblical and foolish as the wisdom of seeking wisdom from the Lord is everywhere in Scripture (see Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5, etc.). The problem is that many of us spend so much time worrying about God’s will for the future that we never get around to doing his will in the present.  This stands in stark contrast to the example of Christ’s followers in Scripture. Take Paul as an example. Yes there were times when Paul waited on the Lord in prayer (see Acts 13:1-2, Acts 16:6-10, etc.). But as pastor Jerry Sittser explains, the New Testament offers no hint that Paul agonized about the will of God as it pertained to the future…If we sense any agony in the heroes of Scripture, it is not in discovering the will of God but in doing it.” Now I hear what you’re thinking: OK Jordan, so long as I am seeking to obey God, I have lots of freedom in the decisions I make at work. I get it. But I still have a decision to make! So how do I choose? Let me suggest 3 practices that put the truths we’ve learned in this series into practice. #1: Pray and ask God for wisdom. But as I mentioned before, don’t be surprised if his answer is, “you choose.”  #2: Seek wisdom from Christians who understand your work. This could be a small group in your church, a Christian Employee Resource Group at your company, or my own Mere Christians Community (which is open for enrollment this week). #3: Flip a coin. Absent an exceptionally clear answer from God or others, choose whichever option you want. Still can’t decide? Flip a coin. As music producer Rick Rubin explains, “When the coin is spinning in the air, you’ll likely notice a quiet preference or wish for one of the two to come up. Which are you rooting for? This is the option to go with.” God’s will for your work is that you would work with him and be obedient to his commands. That gives you tonsof freedom to make decisions today. Maybe you need to stop asking God about his will and start doing his will. Because as Saint Francis de Sales once said, “Deeds give God far more glory than any amount of time wasted in trying to discriminate between good and better.”

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: God's Will for Your Work Devotional: 3 of 4 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. (Proverbs 3:5-6) The hardest decision I’ve ever made professionally was to step down as CEO of Threshold 360 six years ago. I loved leading that fast growing tech startup. And I also loved creating faith and work content like these devotionals. But I was convinced that I had to put all my professional eggs in one of those two baskets. I knew neither path was a “higher calling”—I could follow Jesus fully in either role. But I still spent months paralyzed, desperate to discern God’s will for my work. Part of what freed me was today’s passage, knowing that regardless of which path I chose, as long as my heart was submissive to God today, he would make my paths straight tomorrow.  As we’ve already seen in this series, Scripture says very little about God’s will for you tomorrow, but a lot about God’s will for you today—namely that he wills us to obey him and walk in the way of The Way, Jesus Christ (see 1 Thessalonians 4:3). So long as you’re doing that, there’s no such thing as a “wrong” decision. As Tim Keller once said, “for a Christian, there is no ‘plan B.’” Because God’s purposes will always prevail (see Proverbs 19:21). That brings me to the third biblical truth for discerning God’s will for your work…  Truth #3: There is no wrong way if you are following The Way. Here’s how pastor Jerry Sittser articulated this idea: “If we seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness…then whatever choices we make concerning the future become the will of God for our lives. There are many pathways we could follow…As long as we are seeking God, all of them can be God’s will for our lives, although only one—the path we choose—actually becomes his will.” In other words, it is impossible to seek the kingdom of God and miss the will of God. There is no wrong way if you are following The Way. What decision are you agonizing over at work? Should you stay or leave your job? Go back to school? Say yes or no to a big project? If none of your options violate God’s commands, relax. Pray for wisdom. And unless you hear a clear answer, choose freely and confidently—knowing the Lord will make your path straight.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: God's Will for Your Work Devotional: 2 of 4 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. (1 Corinthians 7:19-21) My pastor Chris Basham offers an analogy about God’s will that I love. Imagine you set up a backyard full of activities for your kids—a pool, a swingset, monkey bars, a trampoline, a football. You tell them they’re free to play with anything they like, as long as they stay inside the fence, because beyond it lies a pond filled with venomous snakes. Now imagine your kids keep asking, Can I throw the football? At some point, you’d say, Of course! I wouldn’t have put it there if I didn’t want you to enjoy it. Many of us act like those kids—constantly asking God for permission to do things he has already permitted. And that’s precisely what Paul addresses in today’s passage. The Corinthians, young in their faith, were asking: Should we be circumcised? Should we change jobs? Paul’s response? It doesn’t matter. “Keeping God’s commands is what counts.” That is his “will” as we saw last week. If all of your options are within the fence of obedience to God’s commands, you’re free to choose. Paul’s words bring me to the second truth for discerning God’s will for your work… Truth #2: God’s will is that his children have free will within the boundaries of his commands.  This may explain why you sometimes don’t hear a clear answer from the Lord when weighing two equally God-honoring choices. God just might not have an opinion. It’s not that he doesn’t care—he simply might be delighting in your freedom. Extending my pastor’s analogy, imagine your kids ask not for your permission per se but for your opinion—Should I swim in the pool or jump on the trampoline? Your response would likely be, You choose! As long as you stay in the fence and want me with you, I’ll be thrilled. Let me be clear: You very well may hear a clear answer from the Lord regarding the decision you have to make. But maybe God’s lack of an answer is his answer: You are my child. As long as you stay within the boundary of my commands, you are safe and free. Paul’s words just a few chapters after today’s passage are instructive here: “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). In other words, if your motivation as you make decisions is “the glory of God” you are free to do “whatever.” Glorify him today by choosing freely within the boundaries of his commands.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: God's Will for Your Work Devotional: 1 of 4 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:33-34) Which job should I take? What goals is God calling me to pursue in my business? Has God closed the door on this opportunity for good? All of these are variations of the same question: What is God‘s will for my work? Over the next few weeks, we’re going to explore four biblical truths for discerning God’s will for your work that I’m confident will lead you to unprecedented freedom, clarity, and joy. The first might surprise you… Truth #1: Scripture says very little about God’s will for you tomorrow, but a lot about God’s will for you today. If you search “God’s will” in the New Testament you will find nothing that resembles the types of future tense discernment we spend so much time worrying about today. And when Scripture does talk about the future, it’s almost always in the context of commanding us not to worry about it (see Matthew 6:34)! What should we do instead? “Seek first” the kingdom of God “and his righteousness” (see Matthew 6:33). In other words, prioritize God in all things and obey him in all things like Christ did—that is God’s will for you today and tomorrow. Paul says this more explicitly in 1 Thessalonians 4:3: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.” The best book I’ve read on this topic is The Will of God as a Way of Life by pastor Jerry Sittser, who summarizes today’s truth beautifully: “[After years of study] I discovered that the Bible says very little about the will of God as a future pathway. Instead, the Bible warns us about anxiety and presumption concerning the future, assures us that God is in control, and commands us to do the will of God we already know in the present….Obedience is God’s will for our lives.” This truth isn’t just freeing—it’s empowering. Instead of being paralyzed by uncertainty about the future, we can move forward with confidence, knowing that God’s will for today is clear. Before you close this email, identify one specific way you can obey God at work today. Maybe it’s extending grace to a difficult coworker, working with excellence even when no one’s watching, or simply pausing to pray before a meeting. God’s will isn’t a mystery—it’s right in front of you. Obey and glorify him as you work today.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: Mere Christians of the Bible Devotional: 5 of 5 …the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me….I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:14-15, 22-23) In the past few centuries, many churches have unbiblically elevated the callings of pastors and missionaries above those of “mere Christians”—teachers, small business owners, mechanics, and others working outside the pulpit. It’s no surprise that modern believers often forget the Apostle Paul was a mere Christian himself who worked as a tentmaker (see Acts 18:1-3).  Paul didn’t take up this work out of necessity. As today’s passage shows, he could have exercised his “right” to work as a donor-supported missionary. But he chose not to because he saw his work as a strategic vehicle becoming “all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” Tim Keller’s research highlights that “80% or more of evangelism in the early church was done not by ministers or evangelists” but by mere Christians like Paul and the others we’ve explored in this series. And that continues to be true today. Mere Christians aren’t on the JV team of Christianity—we are the primary means through which God spreads his glorious gospel! How should you and I respond to that truth? First, prayerfully consider taking your job with you overseas. More and more countries are closing their doors to Christian missionaries. But those same countries will happily open those same doors to Christian mathematicians, medical doctors, and managers. My friend Andrew Scott wrote a terrific book with case study after case study of what God is doing through mere Christians working in these largely unreached nations. Ask God if he’s calling you to follow suit.   Second, regardless of where you work, build a list of Launchers. Conversations with lost co-workers often stay at surface-level topics like sports or our favorite TV shows. But with a tiny bit of intentionality, you can easily steer conversations with non-believers from the surface, to the serious, to the spiritual. And Launchers is an unbelievably simple tool that enables it!  A list of Launchers contains two things:  The names of people you’re trying to share the gospel withNext to each name, a list of questions or topics you think might launch your next conversation with them from the surface, to the serious, to the spiritualKeep your list of Launchers on a note on your phone, in a journal—wherever. See a screenshot of mine here. I can not tell you how many times God has used my list of Launchers to open up deep spiritual conversations with the non-Christians in my life. I am confident the same will be true for you.