Peace in the Workplace

James 1:22  

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

When you struggle against the negativity that surrounds us these days, you wonder how anyone can live in peace. After you’ve prayed for that complainer you work with and she doesn’t seem to change, you wonder how to deal with it.

There is a way to have peace in the work place. James 1:25 reminds us, “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”  God blesses us when we take action on what he’s said. James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

We pray to our “Dear Heavenly Father” because he’s our parent who has instructed us and expects us to listen and do what he says. That’s Parenting 101. He expects us to obey him just like we expect our kids to obey us.

God wants us to be students of his wisdom. We should be learning individually and in gatherings so we can apply and perform what we learn in the Bible. Our job is to love God and love people. We can do a much better job of that when we’re continually refiling our inner storehouse with God’s wisdom.  

When a new problem appears, we have to find a new tool or a rarely used one from our inner storehouse. If we practice using the tools of Courage, Resilience, Attentiveness, Patience, and Flexibility, we’ll be better at using them when they’re needed.

Do not limit yourself to just your local Bible study. Continue in your church’s Bible study, but add to that knowledge by reading helpful books. My book, Heroine: Rising to the Challenge, helps people develop these tools and feel stronger and more peaceful when problems arise. I created a free Mini-Guide that helps you record your journey so you can remember what worked, what didn’t, and what would be a better plan for next time.

It’s better to practice doing what you’ve read in the Bible and find a new approach to a recurring problem.

You can have peace in the workplace, even if you’ve already tried prayer. Don’t give up. God is still there.

Humility is the Key to Wisdom

Proverbs 11:2 

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

I’ve covered the importance of humility by debunking some myths. Before I move on, I’d like to summarize that series because it’s crucial information before learning about wisdom.

Humility is about high respect toward God. Humbling yourself is a voluntary act or a decision like picking out clothes and dressing yourself every day. It takes place as you step down from the throne of your heart and ask God to occupy the place of honor. Humility is shown in the wisdom of respectfully serving others.

Now that you have humility, let’s find out about wisdom because it comes with humility as an extra bonus.

First, you need to know that you already have a small amount of wisdom. You were born with it. We read in Psalm 51:6, “Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.”

God taught us wisdom in the womb. You were born with wisdom just like you were born with arms and legs. If you decide not to use your arms and legs, you’re limited in what you can do. If you decide not to use your God-given wisdom, you will not strengthen the wisdom you have. If you don’t use wisdom, you’re a fool.

If you can’t lift your luggage, you don’t need more muscles, just stronger ones. You should start with small weights and use the arm strength you have. Then add more weight and keep using your muscles until they get bigger. Strengthening wisdom is like strengthening muscles. You have to use it. If you don’t have enough wisdom for your current life decisions, you should use your wisdom until it gets stronger.

If that’s still not enough, you need help getting better, stronger wisdom. So how do you get it?

If you lack wisdom, ask God who gives freely.

We read in James 1:5, “if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

This describes God becoming your personal trainer. He helps you strengthen your wisdom so your decisions are easier to handle.

Solomon showed us that asking God for wisdom really works. In 2 Chronicles 1:11-12, God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”

Solomon’s humility helped him use his wisdom to ask for better wisdom. This helped him handle all of the decisions he knew would be coming his way.

Humility, part three

Philippians 2:3 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves. 

This humility series helped Bob understand what humility is all about and how to put it into action in his life. Now Bob has a question. He wants to know if anyone can see the fruit of his efforts. 

How do you see humility in people? 

Myth #3: Humility means letting others crush your self-worth. 

We can take a lesson from King Solomon who didn’t have a self-worth problem, but was the wisest person who has ever lived on this planet. When God told him to ask for anything, he could have asked for money to spend on earthly pleasures, but he didn’t. His humility helped him ask for the wisdom to serve God’s people well.

Once you’ve humbled yourself and asked God for wisdom, start acting like you’re wise by respecting others and valuing others above yourself. That is how Solomon treated those he was in charge of when he asked for wisdom from God. He knew the people he would govern were valuable to God. He felt responsible to God for their good treatment. 

You can be a great leader and serve in humility.

If you have any wisdom in you, you have enough humility to ask for more wisdom. Treating people with kindness is showing wisdom. And when you act in wisdom, people see your humility. 

Thanks for seeking God with me.

The Enduring Word

Luke 16:17

It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

If you’ve studied the Bible, you may have noticed that there are a lot of places where God said something would happen, and then later a different place in the Bible shows that it did happen. God isn’t into gambling. If he says something is going to happen, it’s truly a sure thing. So when God tells us he loves us, we don’t have to wonder if that’s true. When Jesus says he’s preparing a place for us, don’t say, “Really?” Instead, say, “What color are the walls?”

God wants us to believe what he says. This is also stated in Matthew 5:18, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Through the ages, God’s word has proven to our ancestors that though our technology changes from ark to chariot to car to jet, he’s always with us, providing solutions to our problems. God has given us promises in the Bible that many of us don’t take seriously enough. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because we’re trying to see how much we can accomplish without God’s help. I have kids in school who come to me, asking for help when they need to figure out what to do next. God waits for us to come to him, asking for help too. We’re his kids. And he has all the answers.

The same words Moses wrote so many years ago still apply to us today. We have the same wisdom God gave to Solomon because Solomon wrote down much of it for us to read. Should we tell God that the Bible available to us today is antiquated and useless? Just because it was written a very long time ago, doesn’t mean it’s powerless. The age of the text doesn’t give it power. And there’s no expiration date.

The reason God’s words have endured  is because God said them. If I made a promise that my neighbor would give you twenty dollars, you wouldn’t expect to receive that money like you would if my neighbor made that promise himself. God has made promises to us that he backs up with his presence and his power.

God’s word endures because God endures. God’s word is powerful because God is powerful. God’s word is true because God is truth.

The Word of God

Jeremiah 8:8

How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

When we hold up our Bibles and declare to the world that we have wisdom, but we don’t spend time in prayer or give to the orphans and widows or spend time just worshipping the Lord, we deceive ourselves. How can we say we have wisdom when we don’t spend time getting to know God? He is the one who gives us wisdom. Without a close relationship with God, our wisdom is foolishness.  

This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.     Jeremiah 9:23-24

Anyone can read the Bible. Those who read and believe what God says about himself are on the right path. You can only act on belief in God if you have belief in God.

If you ever find yourself studying the Bible in your own intellect, not asking God for wisdom, take a step back and reconnect with God. I’ve done that. I’ve tried to figure out things on my own, but nothing was making sense. I had to set my Bible study aside for a moment and find out what God wanted me to do instead. Sometimes he asks us to pray for others or take action to help others.

It’s best to start our Bible reading time with a reconnecting, a time of heart-to-heart with God. Then we’ll be ready to stop and listen when we notice he’s trying to whisper something into our hearts. God can help us navigate the wisdom in the Bible when we stop shoving him away and start paying attention to his subtle guidance.

His word is truth. Always. But anyone can take truth and twist it to deceive others. Our relationship with God will strengthen our ability to see the truth when others try to distract and deceive us. It’s not the Bible we should believe in, but the God of the Bible.

Without the Lord, there is no word of the Lord.

New Information

Colossians 1:9

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.

I love reading the Bible. It fills me with an awe that isn’t associated with any other kind of reading. I know it was inspired by God himself and written by many authors. It’s easy to see the varying writing styles of the authors. The writing of Luke shows details that might be noticed by a physician. Other books of the New Testament are written in a different style, with longer sentences and longer paragraphs. When I read the book of Colossians, I find myself mentally cutting down sentences to their main subject and verb. When I cut out many of the adjectives and prepositional phrases, I’m able to see the point of the verses so much more clearly.

For instance, if you read Colossians 2:2-3 and simplify the two verses into one sentence (cutting back from 48 words to 16 words), it might boil down to this: I want you to know Christ because when he reveals himself, he reveals wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 1:9 (above) tells how to pray for someone. It continues with Col 1:10, “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” These two verses help us to understand that God isn’t trying to withhold his wisdom from us. When God fills us with the knowledge of his will, he is giving us a little of his wisdom at a time, so that we aren’t overwhelmed. He does this so that we can bear fruit and grow in the knowledge of God. When we grow in the knowledge of God, we are so filled with the glow of joy that we have to share it. When we share it, we are able to bear fruit through our obedient actions.

Several places in the Bible show us that God wants us to seek him out and ask him for new information. We should be asking God for wisdom and understanding. He allows us to communicate with him through the Spirit of God so that we have not just information, but someone to guide us through the information. We can read that in 1 Corinthians 2: 12, “What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.”

As you seek God this week, be prepared to receive new information by his Spirit, the one who guides us into all understanding.