The Word Before Work

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: How God's Word Shaped C.S. Lewis's WorkDevotional: 2 of 4Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)Before heading off to WWI, C.S. Lewis made a pact with his friend, Paddy Moore: If either were to die on their respective battlefields, the survivor would look after the deceased’s families.Shortly thereafter, Paddy died; and after being discharged on account of a war injury of his own, Lewis made good on his promise and moved in with Paddy’s sister and mother.At first, the Lewis/Moore household was a happy one. But over time, Mrs. Moore became a thorn in Lewis’s side. According to one Lewis biographer, “He would be writing or studying in his room when he would suddenly hear a terrible crash from somewhere downstairs and a plaintive cry from Mrs. Moore. In great anxiety, he would run down to find that she had tripped over something and was not in the least hurt but very ‘shaken.’ [Lewis] would bustle about setting all to rights again and then return to his work, only to be summoned again ten minutes later to go out and buy something or to perform some other minor and largely unnecessary task.”Life went on like this for more than thirty years, and yet, according to multiple Lewis biographers, "no breath of complaint" was ever uttered by Lewis against Mrs. Moore. Why? Because according to Lewis, true "happiness…lies in the path of duty” to God. And what is that duty? Paul answers that question in today’s passage: “in view of God’s mercy…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” C.S. Lewis modeled this command exceptionally well in two ways. The first we’ve already seen. While Lewis was intensely serious about his work, he recognized that people are just as much “the work” we’re called to as are the tasks on our to-do lists. And so he sacrificed his productivity without complaint.Second, Lewis was sacrificial with his money. According to one Lewis biographer, “he would gladly give to anyone who asked,” which is all the more extraordinary considering that Lewis remained “convinced of his own poverty” until the day he died.C.S. Lewis understood that because Jesus was a dying sacrifice, you and I are free to be a living one. Go sacrifice greatly for the glory of God and the good of those you work with today!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: How God's Word Shaped C.S. Lewis's WorkDevotional: 1 of 4[Jesus] told them many things in parables. (Matthew 13:3)C.S. Lewis was one of the greatest Christian apologists of the 20th century. But up until his early thirties, he was an ardent atheist.How did God bring about Lewis’s radical transformation? By appealing first to his heart and then to his mind.It all started when a 17-year-old Lewis was waiting for a train in England. To pass the time, he purchased a novel titled Phantastes, and as he began to read, something remarkable happened. As one of Lewis’s biographers explains, “everything was changed for Lewis as a result of reading the book. He had discovered a ‘new quality,’ a ‘bright shadow,’ which seemed to him like a voice calling him from the ends of the earth.” Lewis had no idea at the time that the book’s author, George MacDonald, was a Christian pastor. Because the novel was no sermon. It was a parable written to awaken desire in the soul rather than preach truth to the mind.This experience, which Lewis dwelled on frequently until his conversion some fifteen years later, lends credence to what the Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal once argued—that “there was little point in trying to persuade anyone of the truth of religious belief. The important thing, he argued, was to make people wish that it were true….Once such a desire was implanted within the human heart, the human mind would eventually catch up with its deeper intuitions.”This is precisely what happened to C.S. Lewis, and it’s a philosophy he carried into his own work after coming to faith in Christ, most famously in The Chronicles of Narnia. Christians who read those novels will clearly see Jesus reflected in the lion, Aslan. But many non-Christians won’t. They will only see a story they desperately want to be true.In writing in this way, Lewis’s work followed the form of his Savior’s. As Lewis pointed out, Jesus rarely lectured but instead used “paradox, proverb, [and] parable” to awaken people’s hearts to the beauty of his Kingdom.You and I can do the same today. How? By living a parable of Christ’s love for his enemies, and by seeking to bless our enemies and competitors. By living out parables of Christ’s humility by working to place others in the spotlight rather than ourselves. By telling stories of redemption that are so beautiful and true that “people wish that they were true.”C.S. Lewis’s story reminds us that God can use our subtle parables to make people receptive to our explicit preaching. Work to that end today!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work that Physically Lasts for EternityDevotional: 5 of 5Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. (Revelation 22:12)I hope this series has inspired you to chase hard after the remarkable reward of your work physically lasting into eternity. But you may be thinking, Jordan, it doesn’t feel quite right to be motivated by these eternal rewards.I know I felt that way for years. Before I address this feeling of guilt, I want to make it crystal clear that Jesus is the ultimate treasure of heaven—not our work being considered “the glory of the nations.” That said, there are at least three reasons why we should be comfortable unashamedly chasing after the rewards God promises us.First, God encourages us to. If God didn’t want us to be motivated by eternal rewards, then why did Jesus spend so much time talking about them? In Matthew 6:1-6 Jesus mentioned three rewards in just six verses! As Dr. Randy Alcorn says, “If we maintain that it’s wrong to be motivated by rewards, we bring a serious accusation against Christ!”Second, we should be free from the guilt of chasing after eternal rewards because most eternal rewards are tied to sacrifice. They require giving up something in the present for something far greater in the future (see Colossians 3:23-24 and Luke 6:22-23 as examples). Maybe that’s why Scripture is constantly saying that these rewards are an act of justice (see Hebrews 6:10, Jeremiah 17:10, and Revelation 22:12).I don’t know about you, that idea makes me uncomfortable. Because I know you and I don’t “deserve” a single thing from God. But God in his incomprehensible goodness and grace says he will “repay” us for the good we do. Why? John Eldredge explains saying, “God seems to be of the opinion that no one should be expected to sustain the rigors of the Christian life without…being brazenly rewarded for it."Finally, we should boldly chase after eternal rewards because the more rewards we have, the more gifts we will be able to bring to Jesus. Look back at Isaiah 60—one of the core passages of this series. The people aren’t bringing “the glory of the nations” into the New Jerusalem for their glory, but for God’s. They bring their ships, incense, and refined “silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord” (v. 9).The same will be true for us. When Jesus graciously redeems the work of our hands and carries our paintings, skyscrapers, books, and inventions into eternity, we will take those rewards and lay them right back down at the feet of our King. So go and do your work with excellence, love, and in accordance with God’s commands today, brazenly chasing after that reward!

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Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work that Physically Lasts for EternityDevotional: 4 of 5For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)We’re in a 5-week series exploring this wild idea that some of the work has the chance of literally, physically lasting into eternity. The question, of course, is which work? Scripture doesn’t tell us explicitly. But it does give us some clues.As we saw last week, it appears that some acts of evil will carry on, so long as in their redeemed state they bring God greater glory. The nail scars in Jesus’s hands certainly fit that bill. Isaiah 2:4 says that some swords and spears will last, but they will be turned into “plowshares and...pruning hooks,” which will point to Christ's glory and victory over all wars and violence.But while Scripture alludes to the idea that these cultural goods we would call "evil" will be redeemed, my guess is that God will deem many things totally irredeemable. "What about intercontinental missiles or nuclear submarines? Or pornographic movies?” Dr. Richard Mouw asks. “[Isaiah 60] seems to be sensitive to these kinds of questions. The things [Isaiah] mentions....are items that seem quite capable of being employed in a ‘redeemed’ environment.”But today’s passage may be the most instructive of all in helping us discern which work will survive for eternity. Paul says that fire will ”test the quality of each person’s work” and implies that the work done with "gold, silver, [and] costly stones” will be the only work that “survives” judgment. What do these metaphorical substances represent? Pastor Skye Jethani says they represent “works of high quality” and are consistent "with the character of God." I’ve read dozens of similar answers to that, and I think Jethani is directionally right. Here’s how I’d summarize my biblically informed guess as to which work will last for eternity: Any work we do with excellence, love, and in accordance with God's commands that, if redeemed, will bring God greater glory.Based on that, here are some practical questions for you to meditate on today:Are you designing your client’s website with excellence and with all your heart?Are you building your business with genuine love of every stakeholder? Are you creating lesson plans in obedience to God’s commands?If so, Scripture gives you reason to hope that your work will literally last into eternity. That one day, you might ride the ships of Tarshish into the New Jerusalem with artifacts of your work in hand, and lay them down at the feet of Jesus as an offering of worship.I pray that motivates you to work with excellence, love, and in accordance with God’s commands today!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work that Physically Lasts for EternityDevotional: 3 of 5You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. (Revelation 4:11)Last week, we saw evidence from Revelation 21 and Isaiah 60 that some of our work has a shot at physically lasting into eternity. But since that idea seems too good to be true, today I want to look at three other pieces of evidence for this idea.First, it’s simply not in God's nature to ask his children to create things only to destroy them. In Genesis 1:28, God issued the First Commission to humankind: to fill the earth. Pastor Timothy Keller points out that this is a call to “not just procreation, but also cultural creation.” And it’s simply not in God’s character to watch his children obey that command by making bicycles, software, and Nutella only to throw those creations away. Good earthly fathers don't do that. Do we really think our perfect heavenly father will?Second, by redeeming the work of our hands, God will get greater glory. Randy Alcorn nails this saying, “Some may think it silly or sentimental to suppose that nature, animals, paintings, books, or a baseball bat might be resurrected. It may appear to trivialize the coming resurrection. I would suggest that it does exactly the opposite: It elevates resurrection, emphasizing the power of Christ to radically renew mankind—and far more.”Read today’s passage again. The saints are singing, “You are worthy, our Lord…for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." Commenting on this passage, Andy Crouch asks, "Wouldnʼt it be strangely empty to sing that song in a new world where all those things…were now only a memory?" Of course it would! By redeeming our sin-ladened work and carrying some of it onto the New Earth, God will get greater glory, which is precisely the point of eternity.Finally, the scars on Jesus’s hands give us further evidence that some work will last forever. Think about it. Jesus’s resurrected body included “nail marks” from when the Romans hung him on the cross (see John 20:24-27). And what are those marks? The work of human hands. The brilliant theologian, Dr. Darrell Cosden, explains that "the crucifixion was a ‘work’ carried out by many people…And since [Jesus’s] body, still containing those scars, is now ascended back into the Godhead, the results of at least this particular ‘human work’ are guaranteed to carry over into God's as well as our own future and eternal reality."Of course, the fact that the wicked work of the Roman soldiers and what John and Isaiah called “the glory of the nations” are physically present for eternity raises an important question: Which work will last and which won’t? We’ll attempt to answer that question together next week.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work that Physically Lasts for EternityDevotional: 2 of 5The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into [the New Jerusalem]. (Revelation 21:26)To quote a fictionalized Alexander Hamilton, I think we all "wanna build something that's gonna outlive [us]." Today, we’ll begin to see the biblical evidence that that longing is shockingly, miraculously true.In Revelation 21, John is sharing his glimpse of heaven on the New Earth when he says this about the New Jerusalem: “On no day will its gates ever be shut…The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it” (Revelation 21:25-26). What is John talking about? Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder, because Isaiah answers that question for us in Isaiah 60. And even though Isaiah wrote some 600 years before John, theologians such as Dr. Richard Mouw agree that “both men were working with the same material.” And so, as Dr. Randy Alcorn points out, “Isaiah 60 serves as the best biblical commentary on Revelation 21–22.”And in that commentary, Isaiah says this: “Your gates will always stand open…so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations” (Isaiah 60:11). This language is nearly identical to John’s. But Isaiah goes on to list out what some of “the wealth of the nations” are. They include "the ships of Tarshish" (v. 9), "incense" from the nation of Sheba (v. 6), and refined "silver and gold" from some unnamed nation (v. 9). Ships, incense, refined silver and gold—these are all works of human hands. And Isaiah and John are watching Jesus accept these acts of culture as gifts to adorn the New Jerusalem. The implication here is startling. These prophetic visions seem to suggest that some of the works of our hands—the product you’re building, the book you’re writing, the truck you’re repairing—have the chance of physically lasting into eternity.N.T. Wright, whom Christianity Today has called “the most prolific biblical scholar in a generation” summarizes this idea beautifully, saying, “You are not oiling the wheels of a machine that’s about to roll over a cliff. You are not restoring a great painting that’s shortly going to be thrown on the fire….You are…accomplishing something that will become in due course part of God’s new world."This all sounds too good to be true. Should these passages be taken literally as I’m suggesting? Dr. Mouw says yes: Isaiah and John “are not merely engaging in utopian speculation.” They are “given a glimpse of things that the Lord will surely bring to pass.”But as brilliant as Dr. Mouw is, we shouldn’t just take his word for it. Which is why next week, we will look at other evidence in Scripture that our work has a shot at lasting forever.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work that Physically Lasts for EternityDevotional: 1 of 5For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)Before we can appreciate how some of our work might physically last into eternity, we need to first grasp what God’s Word says about our pending judgment.Because today’s passage and others make it clear that it's not just our souls that God will judge. He will also weigh every person's actions, thoughts, and words—including those of believers! And since we spend such a huge portion of our lives working, we can assume that much of our accounting to the Lord will focus on our vocations.To be clear, the judgment today’s passage is referring to has zero bearing on our admission into the Kingdom of Heaven (see Romans 8:38-39). But it does influence our eternal rewards—a fact Jesus made clear to his disciples when he said that “the Son of Man…will reward each person according to what they have done” (Matthew 16:27).What are those rewards? Perhaps most famously, they are "treasures in heaven" (see Matthew 6:19) and various "crowns" (see 1 Corinthians 9:25-27). But in this devotional series, I want to turn your attention to another, less explored reward: The reward of God carrying the physical work of your hands into eternity. We’ll explore the biblical evidence for this next week. But today, I want to encourage you to do one practical thing in response to today’s passage: Judge your work before God does.The Apostle Paul says that “the spiritual person judges all things” (1 Corinthians 2:15, ESV). Knowing that God will one day judge our work, we’d be wise to examine our work today in light of that coming judgment. One way to do that is to imagine the questions God will ask you about your work and let your answers lead you to repentance and perseverance. Questions such as:Did you develop the talents I gave you with excellence? (see Matthew 25:14-30)Did you use your wealth to quietly serve the needy? (see Matthew 6:1-4)Did you do good to your competitors and enemies? (see Luke 6:35)Regardless of our answers to questions like these, if we are leaning on Christ alone for our salvation, we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (see Romans 10:9). But may we not be those who enter the Kingdom empty-handed. Let us be those who run through the gates and receive great rewards that we can lay back down at the feet of our King!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: A God-Honoring Approach to PlanningDevotional: 4 of 4Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)In this series, I’ve sketched out what I believe to be a biblical, God-honoring approach to planning. First, we saw that we are called to “Commit to the LORD whatever [we] do,” including our planning (see Proverbs 16:3). Second, we’re called to “listen to advice” from others (see Proverbs 12:15). Third, we’re commanded to recognize our ultimate lack of control over our plans (see James 4:13-16). And today’s passage shares the fourth and final principle of this series: As we plan, we’d be wise to remember that regardless of the outcome of our plans, “it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”This truth enables us to do two things. First, it allows us to plan more confidently. The nature of planning is that it is risky. Whether you’re planning a budget, a project, or goals for the next quarter, planning always requires you to make predictions about a future you can not see. That can be a frightening thing to do, which is why so many of us fall victim to analysis paralysis. But if you’ve committed your plans to the Lord, sought out counsel, and humbly recognized your lack of control, you can make plans with confidence because at the end of the day, “it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” His purposes can not be thwarted (see Job 42:2). Commenting on today’s passage, Tim Keller says, “In a sense, for a Christian, there is no ‘plan B.’” Second, today’s passage should empower us to be at peace with any result. If our plans are wildly successful, “it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” If our plans blow up in flames, “it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” So we can be at peace with any result knowing that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).What plans are you making at work this week? View them in light of today’s passage. Remember that the Lord’s purpose will always, always prevail. And may that truth lead you to plan confidently and peacefully today.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: A God-Honoring Approach to PlanningDevotional: 3 of 4Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)As we’ve seen throughout this series, planning is a good, God-honoring thing to do. But today’s passage reminds us that planning without recognizing our ultimate lack of control over our plans is arrogant and “evil.”I’ve had to repent of this sin recently. A friend of mine was asking me what I've been working on and I said, “I’m working on a new book that will come out in October of next year.” This is a textbook example of the evil planning James is talking about, and my temptation is to do it all the time.What’s the alternative? James tells us in verse 15: “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” If it is the Lord’s will, I’ll publish that book next October.Why is it so important that we articulate our lack of control over our plans? Beyond the fact that it’s simple obedience to God’s Word, let me share three reasons.First, it keeps us open to how the Lord might alter our plans. If I view a plan as “my plan” that I’m ultimately in control of, I’m going to hold that plan very tightly. But if I recognize that God alone is in control of my plan, I will hold it much more loosely and will be much more attuned to how the Lord might be calling me to change course.Second, articulating our lack of control over our plans increases our reliance on the Lord for results. It’s a practical way to “remember the Lord your God” and that “it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,” or bring your plans to fruition (see Deuteronomy 8:17-18).Finally, it gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our faith to others. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard a lot of people uttering “Lord willing” at the office. Not only does this phrase signify that you’re a Christian, but at a deeper level, it communicates that you’re humbling yourself and your plans before God. I know it sounds trite, and I know it can sound awkward, but I’d challenge you to attach those two words—”Lord willing”—to the plans you articulate today.Lord willing, we’ll finish that project by the end of the quarter.Lord willing, I’ll be at that conference in December.Lord willing, we should be able to hit that revenue number by the end of the year.Verbalize your ultimate lack of control over your plans today, and watch to see what the Lord does with your obedience and humility!