The Word Before Work

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work in HeavenDevotional: 5 of 5They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads….And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:4-5)Today concludes our series exploring 5 biblical truths about work on the New Earth. Here they are again:Truth #1: We who are in Christ will delight in our work for eternity.Truth #2: We will be rewarded with varying degrees of responsibility based on how we live and work today.Truth #3: We can expect some continuity between our work now and our work on the New Earth. Truth #4: We will have unlimited time to do the work we want to do for God’s glory.Truth #5: We will reign with Christ intimately forever and ever.I saved the best truth for last. Because it is that foundational truth—that we will finally be with God fully—that makes all the others so wonderful.But read Revelation 22:5 again. We won’t just be with God. We will work and reign with him, which is exactly what he intended from the beginning (see Genesis 1:26-28).On October 22, I’ll be publishing a picture book called The Royal in You to help you and your kids catch a vision of just how glorious this eternal vocation will be. As I say in the book…The best part by far is King Jesus will be there,making everything new with His peace, love, and care.God says He won’t rule this world all on His own—He’ll send princes and princesses out from His throne.So don’t think for one second that Heaven is boring,because we’ll be reigning, creating, and exploring!Not just for our joy, and surely not for our glory,but to love and to worship the One who is worthy.It’ll be so much better than your wildest dreams—ruling heaven on earth next to Jesus our King.How should we respond to that vision of our eternal tomorrow today? Here are three ideas. First, seek God’s face until you see his face. Not just when you’re studying your Bible before work. But right now. At your desk. Before your next appointment. Be relentless in seeking communion with him all day every day.Second, play a mental tape of what King Jesus might say about your work today. Hebrews 6:10 says that “[God] will not forget your work.” And my guess is that those memories will fuel many of our interactions with Christ on the New Earth. What might Jesus say about how you worked today? Play it out mentally as a means of cultivating your hope and faithfulness. Finally, baptize your imagination of work on the New Earth as a means of spurring your heart to worship. You can do this by memorizing some of the Scriptures we’ve read in this series, completing some of the practices, or by picking up a copy of The Royal in You. But don’t miss this: worship of Jesus should be the response to all of that imagination. Eternity is not ultimately about us. It’s not ultimately about enjoying the work of our hands. It’s about worshiping “the One who is worthy!” I pray this series has helped you worship him even more enthusiastically.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work in HeavenDevotional: 4 of 5No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him…And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:3,5)There are dozens of jobs I would love to try: write a musical, be a travel planner, design a bookstore, serve as personal photographer to a president or dignitary. The list goes on and on. Why don’t I give one of these careers a shot? Because loving my neighbor through my work requires the pursuit of excellence in my work. And the pursuit of excellence requires loads of focus and time.You simply can’t “do it all” if you want to do your most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others. But you can in the life to come! That brings me to the fourth of five biblical truths about work on the New Earth we’re exploring in this series: We will have unlimited time to do the work we want to do for God’s glory.Psalm 37:4 says this: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” On the New Earth, we will perfectly “delight in the Lord,” because we will be free from all sin. And so, there will be no disconnect between our desires and God’s. As Dr. Randy Alcorn explains, “our desires…will be sanctified and fulfilled on the New Earth”—including our desires for our work.But that could be way off in the future. How should you and I respond to this truth today? Here are three ideas. First, praise God for freeing you from the burden of finding your “dream job” in this life. He has found it and has it waiting for you on the other side! Second, choose which skill you will master for God’s glory and the good of others in this season of life. Need help? Consider using my book, Master of One, as your guide. Finally, put vocational dreams that distract you from mastering that skill on a Someday list. I have many of the vocational dreams I shared above in a “Someday” folder in my to-do list app, even though there’s almost zero chance I even touch those projects in this life. So why put them in there at all? Because it’s a way to remind myself that this life isn’t my only chance to “do it all.” If my desires align with God’s I’ll get to do everything I want to do very soon. But right now, I’m going to focus intensely on mastering the work I’ve chosen to do in this season for the glory of God and the good of others. I pray this devotional frees you to do the same!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Work in HeavenDevotional: 3 of 5Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…for their deeds will follow them. (Revelation 14:13)A fortune teller once told Walt Disney that he would die on his birthday before he turned thirty-five. As Disney biographer Bob Thomas explains, “the prediction had a profound effect on him…he seemed to be in a race against time to accomplish all the work he wanted to do.” Can you relate to Walt Disney? Of feeling like time is speeding up and the drumbeat of hurry only seems to be growing louder? I used to feel that burden far more than I do today. What has God used to free me? Biblical truths about work on the New Earth in general and this one in particular: We can expect some continuity between our work now and our work on the New Earth. What kinds of continuity? At least these two. First, there will be some continuity in what we work with as Isaiah 60 promises that some of the best cultural goods from this life will miraculously be resurrected in the next one. The New Earth is not a return to the Stone Age. We can expect the very best work of all time as our starting point. Second, there may be some continuity in our occupations on the New Earth. Revelation 14:13 says, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…for their deeds will follow them.” Pastor John Mark Comer points out that the Greek word for “deeds” here can also mean “occupation.” In other words, you may be working today at the craft God intends for you to develop for his glory for eternity! (If that sounds terrible to you, don’t miss next week’s devotional.)What should our response be to this promise of continuity between our work now and then? A remarkable lack of hurry today.This has been one of the most profound and surprising benefits of meditating on the promise of work on the New Earth personally. I am far less hurried than I used to be. I am at peace with the fact that I (and you) will die with unfinished symphonies. Because I know that if the things on my to-do list are on God’s to-do list, he will either 1) choose someone else to complete that work, 2) complete the work on his own, or 3) bless me with the opportunity to finish the work when I rise from the nap that is death.I pray that as you meditate on these biblical truths, you will experience that same peace and lack of hurry in your own work today!

Discover how our earthly work influences responsibilities in the New Earth. Explore the fascinating biblical insights from the Parable of the Minas, showcasing the rewards for faithfulness. Learn about the importance of a servant mindset as preparation for eternal service. Delve into the idea that while all believers are equal in God’s eyes, their positions in the afterlife may vary based on their earthly actions.

Delve into the inspiring vision of work in the new earth. Discover how eternal work will be a joyful experience, free from the burdens of sin. The discussion highlights biblical promises that we will thrive in our tasks while being fully present with God. Engage with practical exercises that transform work frustrations into hopeful prayers. Uncover the glorious idea that our hands will craft meaningful labor forever!

Explore the art of balancing ambition with contentment. Discover how biblical teachings encourage us to seek good desires while embracing gratitude for what we have. Uncover strategies for measuring progress backward rather than forward. Delve into the importance of rest and how it nurtures both aspiration and satisfaction. This engaging discussion highlights that cultivating contentment doesn’t mean abandoning our goals but instead integrating spiritual growth into our pursuits.

Exploring the balance between confidence and humility offers profound insights for personal growth. The discussion emphasizes setting God-centered goals that inspire and elevate. It highlights the importance of recognizing our strengths while humbly acknowledging our weaknesses. Drawing from biblical teachings, listeners discover how true confidence stems from a relationship with God, enabling us to navigate the workplace with grace and purpose.

Explore the fascinating tension between self-care and self-sacrifice through the life of Jesus. Discover how he prioritized moments of solitude while exemplifying selfless service. By withdrawing for peace, he demonstrated the importance of rest, yet his ultimate mission centered on giving and serving others. This duality poses a challenge: how can we embrace both in our own lives? Tune in for insights on integrating these principles for a richer spiritual journey.

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Double-Sided WisdomDevotional: 2 of 5Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)We’re in a series exploring five pieces of “double-sided wisdom” we see in Scripture. Today we come to the couplet of biblical commands to Plan for Tomorrow AND Focus on Today.The virtues of the first side of this double-sided wisdom can be seen in Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Jesus echoed this idea in Luke 14:28-30 where he assumes that a good worker will “first sit down and estimate the cost” before “building a tower.”In these passages and others, we see that it is wise to plan for the future. But the flip side of this double-sided wisdom is to “not worry about tomorrow” and focus on today (see Matthew 6:34).So, how can we both plan for tomorrow and stay focused on today? Here are three practices that work for me.#1: Schedule recurring times on your calendar to plan for the future. If you fail to plan for tomorrow, you plan to fail and worry tomorrow. Which is why I have three recurring items on my calendar: a quarterly, weekly, and daily review to plan what I will work on in the upcoming quarter, week, and day. This level of planning massively helps me not worry about tomorrow. Why? Because, to quote David Allen, “You can only feel good about what you're not doing when you know what you're not doing.” These reviews help ensure that I know what I’m choosing not to do.#2: Block tomorrow’s worries from your physical view. The Daily Review I mentioned above is the only time I look at my calendar for tomorrow. Once my review is complete, I set my calendar back to show today only. That simple habit removes a ton of temptation to worry about tomorrow, allowing me to focus on what I believe God has called me to do today.#3: When you’re feeling worried about tomorrow, take it to the Lord in prayer. Anxiety is the symptom that we’re not holding the tension between planning for the future and focusing on today well. When you experience symptoms of anxiety—tense muscles, a wandering mind, shallow breathing, etc.—“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” (Philippians 4:6-7).With those practices in hand, go forth and focus fully on the good works God has for you today!

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Double-Sided WisdomDevotional: 1 of 5“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)My readers frequently tell me that they love my ability to extract wisdom from God’s Word and apply it to their work. I love that too, of course. But one of my greatest fears is that in our well-intentioned pursuit of living by “biblical principles,” we will become what author Jen Wilkin calls “Bible-worshippers” rather than “God-worshippers.”That’s the red flag we see Jesus raising in today’s passage. Commenting on these verses, pastor Skye Jethani articulates this danger poignantly: “Discovering and applying [biblical] principles does not actually require a relationship with God….the Christian can put these new principles into practice without God being involved. God can be set aside while we remain in control of our lives. He may be praised, thanked, and worshipped for giving us his wise precepts for life, but as with an absentee watchmaker, God’s present participation is altogether optional.”Is that convicting to you? It is for me. And those words bring me to the first piece of double-sided wisdom of this series: the biblical commands to Study the Word AND Seek the Author.The biblical evidence for the “Study the Word” side of this double-sided wisdom is clear: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). “I cannot truly be a God-worshipper without loving the Bible deeply and reverently,” says Jen Wilkin. “Otherwise, I worship an unknown god.”But study of God’s Word is a means to an end, and the end is God himself. That’s the flip side of this double-sided wisdom and what Jesus was getting at in today’s passage. “Eternal life” is not found in God’s Word, but in Jesus Christ—the Word who became flesh.So, how can we hold this tension well? How can we study the Scriptures while ensuring we are seeking the Savior above all else? Here are three ideas.#1: Calculate how much time you spent studying the Word versus seeking the Author this past week. Of course, there’s no biblically prescribed ratio of Bible study to prayer. But this quick analysis can be a helpful diagnostic of where you’re at today.#2: When you close your Bible, open your heart in prayer. Martin Luther was a master at this. As much as Luther loved the Word, he loved God more and refused to finish his “quiet time” before conversing with his Father about what he just read. To see how Luther did this, read page 18 of Redeeming Your Time for free here.#3: Resolve to spend more time listening to God than any other teacher of the Word—including myself. Because while biblical principles are good and valuable, they are worthless without a relationship with the One who authored them.