One of the deep temptations of the human heart is to be a big shot. It’s no fun being the person at the bottom of the totem pole. Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to succeed or to have ambition or to rise up to our potential but, and this is a very important “but,” often times it gets muddled with pride, avarice and hubris. It requires humility to rise above – not above others, but above our own dark desires. Thomas Merton poses this question: “And who can swear that his intentions are pure, even down to the subconscious depths of his will, where ancient selfish motives move comfortably like forgotten sea monsters in waters where they are never seen?”  We want to do great things for God in our lives, but we must embrace the spiritual reality that the great things of the kingdom are often found in the little things, the menial things, the invisible things. It is Jesus himself that reminds us, “If you want to be great, you must become a servant. If you want to be first, you must become the slave of all.” (Mark 10:43-44) Not quite what they teach at MBA school. Therein is the rub. The kingdom of God is nothing like the kingdom of man.  This does not mean, however, that we should tolerate mediocrity within ourselves or harbour a lackadaisical attitude. No, we continue to stoke the fire of ambition within ourselves, but it is not for ourselves, but for God’s kingdom. We strive not for fame, fortune and power but for a faithful and humble life of service. In fact, striving for humility helps to inoculate our souls from the corroding effects of hubris. 

Practically speaking, this means paying attention to little things, or more significantly, serving people who don’t serve our ambitions. For some of us, that would be our families. This all seems very basic and we know it’s right, but we really need to spend time with our spouses, children, siblings and parents. They matter more than our boss, more than our clients, more than our jobs. Without a solid foundation at home, it doesn’t matter how successful you are anywhere else in your life whether it be at church or at work or on the golf course. Being true to those who do not help us get ahead in the areas of money, power or fame is what gives us integrity. These people have no commercial value to us and therefore can save us because they care about us just for who we are and vice versa. Spend more time with these people. I know we aren’t perfect, but this is an area we can probably all encourage one another to grow in. The difference I have observed is that the one who fails in this area always says, “I don’t have a choice!” while the one who is faithful says, “I choose my family,” and often with some sacrifice of position or career. We must look to our homes. 

“Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” - Romans 8:14

I think the greatest sign that we are maturing in our walk with the Lord is when we can discern the difference between “good things” and “God-things.” When the Israelites journeyed out of Egypt through the desert, the cloud led them by day. They could move only as fast as the cloud. If they went ahead, they went without God’s presence. If they lagged behind, they also lost God’s presence.

Each of us must have the discernment to know when God is leading in a matter, or if it is simply a good idea. There are so many good things in which we can be involved, and the more successful we become, the greater the temptations to enter into things where God has not called us. Entrepreneurs are especially prone to see all the opportunities.

I recall one time when I became involved with a project that I thought was a great idea. It would help many people. After two years, the project had to be discontinued because it was just not working out. It was a great lesson to me on understanding what projects have God’s blessing on them. There are some projects we might get involved in that result in little fruit compared to the investment put into them. That is because they may never have been birthed or blessed by the Holy Spirit.

As sons of God, we are called to be led by the Spirit. This requires a level of dependence on God in which many of us really do not want to invest. It requires listening, waiting, and moving only when God’s Spirit tells us to move. As workplace believers, we are “action” people. We know how to get things done, but our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness.

Today, ask God to make you a Romans 8:14 man or woman who is led by the Spirit of God. Pray against lagging behind or moving ahead. Ask God to reveal whether the next project you consider is a “good thing” or a “God-thing.”

Alvin Lee, Vancouver (transplanted from Singapore)

I truly believe one of the key challenges for today’s church is to equip Christians in the marketplace with the tools they need to serve Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as Lord of the Marketplace – to blend their personal faith and professional values.  Yet, given the importance of work as a means of serving God, it is surprising to find how little interest the church takes in the work that its congregation members do.  Often clergy is more interested in what members do in their evening and weekend church activities than what they do in the marketplace.  It appears many pastors have failed to realize that the church is both gathered (on Sundays) and scattered.  Believers are still the church when they are scattered into society Monday to Friday.

Why is there a need for the church to equip its members?  Many Christians have difficulty relating their faith to their work; they don’t see their work as ministry.  They may have “unsatisfying” jobs.  They may be aware of the low standards of behaviour in their workplaces, but don’t know what to do about it.  In fact, many of us experience a mixture of ‘creation-with-fall’ in our work – where God’s gracious provision of work has been grievously flawed.  As a result, Christians need to be cultivated with the mindset that they are called to the ministry in the context of their jobs, just as a professional Christian worker feels called to his or her job.

In equipping, the church can help its members discover their call through Scripture and reclaim their authority as agents of God’s kingdom and redirect them into the service of the world Monday to Friday.  Christians in the marketplace need to be equipped and empowered with strong Biblical principles and sound business skills so that they may “…become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which they shine like stars in the universe as they hold out the word of life…” (Phil. 2:15-16).  The church needs to help its members see themselves not just as objects who are ministered to, but also as subjects who can act in ministry, exercising their faith in the settings of family, community, church, marketplace, and society.

The responsibility of equipping does not rest solely with the church.  We, who are in the marketplace, can also do our share in bridging the gap between the church and the marketplace.  When was the last time you invited your pastors to come downtown or where you work for coffee or lunch and just chat?  When was the last time you shared about your work with them?  When our pastors have a better understanding of what we do and what struggles we encounter in our workplace, they will be better able to respond to our needs.

Happy Easter!  We celebrate a risen Lord!

Bill Wong

Vancouver, BC