Laudable Linkage

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Barbara Harper

Here are some noteworthy reads and a couple of listens discovered this week:

When Furrows Fight Back, HT to The Story Warren. This is timely, with Labor Day on Monday: God’s creation of work before the fall and redemption of work after the fall.

Navigating Cross-Cultural Relationships, HT to Challies. “It is becoming increasingly common that, wherever you live, you will find yourself relating with someone from another culture. This is true in workplaces, neighbourhoods and churches. When confronted with a different culture, there are three common reactions.”

On Divisions and the Kingdom, HT to Challies. “So are you growing in righteousness, and peace, and joy? All the things which we are absorbing, all the debates we are throwing ourselves into, all of our stances, all of our focus and attention on the things which divide, all of our talking points….are these bringing about righteousness and peace and joy? Maybe, then, they aren’t the stuff the kingdom is made of.”

How to Speak with Grace, HT to Lisa. “How do we ensure we heal rather than hurt? Compliment rather than crush? Encourage rather than extinguish? How on earth do we speak with grace?”

10 False Versions of Jesus People Are Falling For. “Our culture presents us with so many versions of Jesus, letting us make Him in our own image. Maybe you’ve come to depend on a false Jesus and didn’t even realize it. If you are struggling to find peace, read about these false Jesuses with an open mind. Consider what Jesus said about Himself and test your beliefs against the truth from Scripture.”

Preaching the Funeral Sermon I Once Dreaded, HT to Challies. Beautiful.

5 Things Special Needs Families Wish the Church Knew. “We expect the world to shun us for being different, but not the church. Youth and children’s ministers are missing an enormous blessing for themselves and rich experiences for everyone involved by ignoring this issue.”

The “Revive Our Hearts” radio program for women with Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. I read the blog, but I don’t hear the program—the Christian radio station I listen to doesn’t carry it. They have the episodes online, but I just don’t think to find and listen to them, unless I hear about something special like Valerie Elliot Shephard’s episodes about her parents, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot. But I enjoyed this “Birth Story” of the broadcast as well as On the Eve of Twenty Years for Nancy’s journal entries and prayers as she considered stepping out to start this ministry.

If you’re a podcast listener, ThinkBible for women has just started a new one with the same name. I’ve been reading their blog for a few months now. I was not familiar with the main blog owner/podcaster, but she used to have a list of contributing writers on the blog, and I knew a few of them personally. One of my favorite people of all time, Claudia Barba, is interviewed in the second podcast. I could not find the podcast on Apple podcasts, but it’s on Spotify and other venues and can be listened to on the ThinkBible website as well.

30 Creative September Activities for Kids, with a printable list, HT to The Story Warren.

This is interesting: time lapse of a dandelion over a month:

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30).

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Laudable Linkage

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Barbara Harper

Here are several good reads recently discovered:

Don’t Overthink It Book Club. Linda is hosting a three-week book club on Sunday evenings to discuss Anne Bogel’s book Don’t Overthink It. I just finished chapter four this morning, and the book is proving very helpful so far. At the moment, it’s on sale for the Kindle for $1.59—don’t know how long it will be at that price.

Be a Truth-Lover. “Your love for truth must be greater than your party, your political pre-commitments, and your agenda.”

He Is a Jealous God. “If the United States of America ceased to exist tomorrow, would that be the end of our belief in the God that we claim to hold so dear? Or do we have a faith that extends beyond the bounds of country, of comfort, of confidence in the systems of this world?

A Call for Content Creators to Cultivate Discernment, HT to Challies. “But beautiful language, by itself, does not encompass all that it means to write well as a Christian. Christian writers must labor not only to write what is true but also to write in a manner that adorns the truth.”

Remembering God’s Faithfulness in the Face of a Detour, HT to Challies. “How about you? Do you trust God’s faithfulness to deliver again in the midst of your daily detours?”

Five Key Questions for Setting Gospel-Shaped Goals, HT to The Story Warren. “It was an apt senior quote for the young perfectionist, who keenly felt her failure to ‘obtain all this,’ who knew how short she fell in every area where she longed to succeed. Sadly, that seventeen-year-old senior, who had only been a Christian for two years when she chose Philippians 3:12 to mark her life, didn’t fully understand the dynamic of grace and goals.”

Stupid and Wise People. “There will always be those with whom we cannot agree or come to a compromise. We cannot control their actions but we can control our own reactions and choices.”

Your Work Matters More Than You Think, HT to Challies. “God puts his people in some surprising places. The testimony of Obadiah can encourage Christians who have been called to serve God in dark places for His purposes.” I enjoyed this contrast between Obadiah and Elijah.

A Blog about Blogging, HT to Challies. Good overview for Christian bloggers in particular.

Tookish Bagginses. Lessons from hobbits. “Because nowness and not-yet-ness overlap and intermingle. God made us out of dust, but he also breathed eternity down our lungs. We’re a walking marriage of the sacred and the profane— the eternal and the ordinary. We’re Bagginses with the blood of Tooks who’ve been to Mordor and back again.”

This is as good a time as any for my occasional reminder that links here do not mean 100% endorsement of the blog or blogger they come from. Some of these are from blogs I read regularly, but others are from posts I happened upon or saw on other’s blogs.

Finally, to end with a smile: a cat interrupts a UK parliamentary live call:

Working as unto the Lord

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Barbara Harper

Some friends were talking about frustrations on the job. In both cases, worker error led to continual faulty workmanship or late deliveries which caused problems from mild annoyance to a factory crisis. Though upper and middle management has its flaws and problems, in these particular cases, it was the rank and file employees’ mistakes or carelessness that caused ripple effects. It doesn’t matter what slick ads or CEOs promise if the person on the nuts and bolts end of a product fails.

Employment issues are far beyond my purview, since I have been a stay-at-home mom for 30+ years. But I couldn’t keep my “fix-it” mentality from exploring different causes and helps that I might have proposed if I worked for either of their companies. Perhaps the employees lost sight of the big picture of how important their contributions were and they were just “punching the clock.” Maybe they needed inspiration to remind them that every little piece, every little step in the process is a vital one, that customer satisfaction and the success of their company rests on their shoulders. Maybe picturing the customer holding their product in his or her hands and delighting over it would motivate working with that end result in mind. Perhaps the employees were distracted by coworkers or problems at home. Perhaps recognition for good work would help transform and elevate mediocre efforts. Perhaps a pay raise might help them feel more encouraged about their jobs. People are only human and user error happens, but we should learn from our mistakes rather than excusing them. We do need to understand that customer dissatisfaction leads to a loss of customers which leads to a loss of business which leads to a loss of income which leads to a layoff or even a company closing.

Such problems come up in areas besides one’s job. I’ve worked on ministry projects at churches where we couldn’t use everything we made because some weren’t put together well. We have to extend grace: none of us performs at 100% all the time and our standing with God and our fellow Christian is not based on performance. There are times to overlook flaws. On the other hand, we shouldn’t have the attitude that our work doesn’t matter because we’re saved and sustained by grace. At one church where we ministered, I privately expressed dismay that several “wordless books” made of felt by the ladies to send to one of our missionaries had the pages out of order. The lady I was talking to said, “Well, they’ll get the idea.” This lady wasn’t commending careless workmanship: she was a missionary daughter whose family, I am sure, had to “make do” with materials of various quality sent by well-meaning supporters. But we should do our best to create and send excellent tools rather than ones that the recipient will have to “make do” with or adapt in some way.

For Christians, we have a higher motivation to do good work and a bigger picture to keep in mind. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Proverbs commends the diligent man: “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (22:29); “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty” (28:19). Luke 16:10 says, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

Exodus 31:1-6 tells us of two men appointed to be workmen for the tabernacle furnishings:

The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.

Even though these men were doing physical labor rather than preaching or teaching, they needed to be filled with the Spirit of God for their work. And so do we, whatever our place or function in our company, organization, or church. Our abilities and talents come from the Lord: let’s use them for the pleasure and glory of our Father and King.

(Sharing with Inspire me Monday, Literary Musing Monday, Tell His Story, Wise Woman, Woman to Woman Word-filled Wednesday, Coffee for your Heart, Porch Stories)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Barbara Harper

Here are a few of the good reads discovered lately:

The Greatest Work You Can Do, aimed at college students but good for all of us.

Fictitious Forgiveness: Why We Cannot Forgive Ourselves, HT to Challies. “Feeling bad about ourselves over undealt with offenses is God’s objective expression of love, not a feeling to be drowned out by self-actualization and self-pampering.”

Implications or Applications: Biblical Narratives, HT to Proclaim and Defend. Written for preachers but good advice for reading and knowing how to apply Biblical narratives.

Altar of the Feels.

Act Your Age. This is aimed at young men needing to “grow up,” but has some good thoughts for all of us.

Go to Bed for the Glory of God.

6 Surprises Every Premarital Counselor Should Cover, HT to True Woman

Dashing Little Ones Against the Rock HT to Challies. Thoughts on one of the most difficult passages of Scripture.

A few about parenting:

What Your Kids Need Is Your Authentic Christian Life.

Spurgeon’s Secret for Raising Godly Children, HT to Challies. I’d disagree with #8, but otherwise agree with the list.

Teaching Our Children About Work.

And finally, this from Pinterest made me smile.

Happy Saturday!

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How to Do the Job You Don’t Really Want To Do

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Barbara Harper

I was sorting through and organizing some quotes I have from Elisabeth Elliot this afternoon, and this one jumped out at me, so I thought I’d share it with you. This is from her book A Lamp For My Feet, but I think I originally saw it when her e-mail devotionals were sent out by Back to the Bible.

How to Do the Job You Don’t Really Want To Do

Certain aspects of the job the Lord has given me to do are very easy to postpone. I make excuses, find other things that take precedence, and, when I finally get down to business to do it, it is not always with much grace. A new perspective has helped me recently:

The job has been given to me to do.
Therefore it is a gift.
Therefore it is a privilege.
Therefore it is an offering I may make to God.
Therefore it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him.
Therefore it is the route to sanctity.

Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness. The discipline of this job is, in fact, the chisel God has chosen to shape me with–into the image of Christ.

Thank you, Lord, for the work You have assigned me. I take it as your gift; I offer it back to you. With your help I will do it gladly, faithfully, and I will trust You to make me holy.

The Spiritual Value of a Secular Job

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Barbara Harper

I recently read an article about people who didn’t want a regular 9-5 job because they wanted to do more with their lives than be tied to a desk (or garage or store or whatever). That got me to thinking.

It certainly sounds nice to be free to be involved in worthy projects rather than a boring, seemingly dead-end job. I’ve known some people who could do that. One man in our former church worked hard and regularly but had his own business and enough freedom in his schedule that he could go on mission trips many summers.

But not everyone can do that. Here are some points of value of regular secular jobs:

1. God ordained work. Adam and Eve were to “to dress and to keep” the garden (Genesis 2:15) and have dominion over the other creatures (Genesis 1:26-28) before they sinned and faced the consequences. Work was not ordained as a punishment for sin: it was a God-designed activity even in a perfect world. It was just made harder after sin entered the picture when thorns and thistles grew up and Adam was told, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:17-19). These days some jobs call for sweat of the brain rather than the body, but we can’t escape the fact that life involves hard work.

2. Biblical instruction. I Timothy 5:8 says “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” The Christian life is not ethereal or theoretical or philosophical: it is intensely practical. Yes, we trust the Lord to meet our needs, and sometimes He does that miraculously, but the way He usually does that is through regular work. Here are some other passages about work:

“And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (I Thessalonians 4:11-12).

“Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee” (Psalm 128:1-2).

“Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.” Provers 13:11.

“In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury” (Proverbs 14:23).

“The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour” Proverbs 21:25).

“I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13.

“Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.” Ecclesiastes 5:18.

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28). Here we’re instructed to work not just to meet our own needs but also to be able to give to others.

Add to that the instruction in Proverbs about the diligent man vs. the slothful or sluggard. True, the principles involved apply to what we might think of spiritual or ministry work, but many of the examples are secular work, like planting and harvesting. Colossians 3:23 (“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”), though applying to everyone, was written in context to servants.

3. Biblical example. Yes, Jesus’s twelve disciples were called to leave their fishing nets and tax collecting and follow Him. But other believers were slaves, soldiers, tentmakers, merchants, carpenters, and in various other occupations. Even Paul sometimes made tents and “labour[ed], working with our own hands (I Corinthians 4:11). God calls secular rulers His ministers (Romans 13:3-5). Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, a task that was usually done by a servant, and apprenticed as a carpenter. And the Bible opens with God working (Genesis 2:2-3).

There is an interesting passage in Psalm 104 that touches on man’s work as part of God’s manifold works and wisdom:

²¹The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

²²The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

²³Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

²⁴O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

4. Mission. One does not have to be in “full time Christian service” as a pastor or missionary to be “missional.” Those in secular work have the opportunity to work side by side with unsaved people who would not be interested in coming to church or would be on their guard if a pastor came to visit them. I should say here that the first best testimony a Christian has at work is doing his job well. No one is going to respect him if he’s slothful and sloppy or doesn’t get his work done because he is using company time to “witness.” I don’t know that someone even necessarily has to organize Bible studies during lunch break, though I’ve known some who have done that. A Christian on the job can be a witness by how he conducts himself and his business and his genuine interest in others, and talking and befriending coworkers and customers can often lead to opportunities to share more about one’s faith.

5. The world depends on it. Where would our country or indeed our world be without doctors, truckers, cleaning people, or any of the multitudes of other jobs that all work together to provide an economy? Even if your work seems to be a minor cog in the whole machinery of the country’s economy, you can be confident that you are providing a useful service in some way.

6. It provides the means to give to others. Ephesians 4:28, mentioned before, says, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” and I Timothy 6:17-18 say, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.”

I’ve shared before my own testimony that in camps or meetings for teens, there was an emphasis on salvation, surrender, and full-time Christian service. Being surrendered to full-time Christian service was presented almost as the next natural step after being saved, or the highest and best calling. Those who were really sold out to the Lord, or at least thought to be, were the ones that went on to some kind of ministry occupation. Thankfully by the time my sons were teens, the general emphasis seemed to be more on taking the next step one needed to take spiritually, whatever it might be, yet the surrender to full-time Christian service still seemed to be urged as the highest and best, the ultimate calling. I’ve known sweet Christian girls who only wanted to marry preachers and parents who were disappointed that their sons did not become preachers. I’ve known Christian college graduates who felt looked down upon by their peers for being in a secular job and not out “serving the Lord.” Sometimes the kids in the youth group who do plan on training for ministry are given something of a special status or special responsibilities or opportunities. I wonder if this is where some of the “let the preacher do it” mindset gets started. Every teen should be training for ministry, because we all have ministry, whether it is in a paid professional capacity or not. If God called someone to preach or be a missionary, that is God’s highest and best calling for them, but He does call some to be scientists and teachers and office workers and truckers and grocery store clerks and many other occupations, for His glory.

There are many other Bible passages that pertain to work, like not trusting in our riches but rather being willing to distribute to others’ necessities (I Timothy 6:17-18), not laboring to be rich (Proverbs 23:4), and not letting the practical obscure the spiritual (John 6:26-29), taking God’s will into account (James 4:13-16), and seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). But the Bible speaks of the church as a body, with each member having a different part (I Corinthians 12, Romans 12:3-8) and different gifts. Not all are called to be full-time paid professional preachers or missionaries, but we are all called to be full-time Christians, doing everything as unto the Lord, serving Him with the gifts and calling He has ordained for each of us.

LET me but do my work from day to day,
In field or forest, at the desk or loom,
In roaring market-place, or tranquil room;
Let me but find it in my heart to say,
When vagrant wishes beckon me astray—
“This is my work; my blessing, not my doom;
Of all who live, I am the one by whom
This work can best be done, in the right way.”
Then shall I see it not too great, nor small,
To suit my spirit and to prove my powers;
Then shall I cheerful greet the laboring hours,
And cheerful turn, when the long shadows fall
At eventide, to play and love and rest,
Because I know for me my work is best.

~ Henry Van Dyke, Poems of Sentiment: VI. Labor and Rest: Work

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.