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Work and stress

It struck me the other day, while stressed at work, if I’m really looking forward to a future kingdom, should I ever be stressed at work?  If any harm is temporary in this life and I’m working for the Lord, should I be stressed?

What causes stress:

Performance stress – I’m trying to please someone. But, at times it’s because of a hard or impossible deadline I need to meet or there will be consequences. Or maybe I let my team down and someone else has to pull more weight or won’t have work to do.

Life boundary stress – maybe work is taking up too much of my life and I’m having to work extra due to others’ mistakes. And it’s not something that I can just ignore, so I’m sacrificing other opportunities, life energy, and other goals/personal priorities for work.

Reputation – I want to do well so others think well of me. However, a bad reputation reduces job opportunities later or if I need to jump to a different job or role due to work drying up.

Fear – What if I get fired? What if I get chewed out?

Money – for life’s necessities and pleasures. for family.

Many of these are legitimate reasons. But, can’t I fulfill all of these and work very hard without stress? Focusing on eternity should bring peace to the present. And I can work hard without anxiety and worry about things I can’t control. And those things I can control, I don’t need stress to do or be motivated. As for boundaries, that’s a tough one. It does bother me when work oversteps its bounds, sometimes out of situational necessity.

I still get stressed, but I’ve found that this perspective has helped. I thank the Lord for bringing it to me because I was getting very wound up, which happens when I feel I can’t fulfill impossible demands and will fail. But, as the old hymn says, keep your eyes upon Jesus.

The Lion of Judah and the Sheep of Damascus

I wish I had saved it off. A few years ago there was a Christian meme of a bunch of sheep wearing masks on the bottom and a bunch of big lions on top. It said “There’s no time left to wake the sheep. It’s time to wake the other lions” How does this hold up to scripture, or is it a worldly-sourced meme?

In scripture, guess who the sheep are? It’s us! More specifically, it’s Christians. Christ himself, our creator, said we were sheep. Why are you calling him wrong? He said Christains were sheep that heard His voice and who He protected because they trusted and followed him. Are Christians called lions in the bible? Uhm, no.

Many self-proclaimed Christians criticized others for being sheep.  The bible says we are all sheep in need of a shepherd.  So, that’s what our creator says about all of us humans.  What really matters is who we are following.  Are we following Christ or other voices?  Whose voice are you following in this moment?  If others are not following Christ, are we criticizing them and pushing them further away or pointing them to Christ.   

What is called a lion? Well, Christ. So, are you elevating yourself to the place of God or Christ? Who else? Satan. Well, there’s good company. Let’s wake the other lions – uhm, let’s not. What about the relationship of Christians to lions? Lion pit has a ring for a reason. 1 – Daniel. A good guy, but bad guys used lions to try to eat him. 2 – Early Christians had run-ins with lions. Romans setup lion dens to eat them too.

Ok, so lion represents strength. Shouldn’t we be strong? Paul admonished Timothy, we shouldn’t be timid. But that doesn’t mean being forceful jerks towards the world. God is a gentlemen these days. He knocks, some answer, but he doesn’t knock down the door and barge in. One day, not today, He will come back in power and wage war and judgment. But, that’s not you, not today.

Armor of God has one offensive weapon. What is the sword? His Word. Not yours. His. We are only strong because of Him. What about David? He was a warrior. But he called God his Strength and at times he refused to take power and defered to God.

After the Capital riots and break-in to the Capital, many excused their actions saying it was Antifa leading it.  Not only was this obviously false with just a little pause and research, but also it shouldn’t matter.  Something is either right or wrong on it’s own, not on other peoples actions.  Some said guards opened the rails at one place and others went in so of course they did too. Are you saying you’d follow others no matter what they did and it’s not your fault?  You have no personal responsibility for your actions?  The root of being a political conservative is personal responsibility.  What exactly are you saying about your character, judgment, and independence? And if you openly represent Christianity, what does this say to others about Christ followers and how does this reflect on Christ?

Should we be strong? Absolutely. We shouldn’t be swayed by every wind in the world and there is a time and place to stand in the gap and protect the helpless. But should we be devouring lions? No. We should humbly get our strength from God and follow Him.

This probably deserves a part II. What did the apostles do in Acts against an unjust society?

Is loyalty worship?

Worship belongs to God, but what does it look like when people worship other people? In many cultures of the past, the leader was considered a god. People would come and bow down and declare their loyalty. The leader’s directions and words were without question. They demanded loyalty.

Worship in the bible, depending on the word used, can mean service, adoration, respect, reverence, bowing, praising, and acknowledgment of majesty. Romans 12:1-2 literally defines worship as a living sacrifice, fully obedient. Worship is the giving of our entire self, our thoughts and our emotions, to God’s use. All of life is an act of submission, an act of worship. Worship is also described in the Old Testament as todah, which is taken from another Hebrew word, yadah. Todah literally means “thanksgiving.” It is also used to describe a thank offering or an act of adoration. Our word worship derives from the Old English weordhscipe meaning worthiness or meritoriousness praise.

Today’s leaders demanding worship, and maybe at first even the future final human leader, are a little more subtle. Take note of leaders who demand loyalty and praise, regardless of the religious beliefs and principles of followers, and punish followers who don’t obey. History has shown them to be bad, dangerous leaders, who often won’t stop in their striving for more power and worship if they gain complete control over a country, territory, or people.

What might this look like for a modern leader:

  • Loyalty test towards the leader to select those in positions of power as the sole discriminator, regardless of qualifications, ability, and character
  • Followers who stand up against specific wants of the leader or even question the leader due to conscience, integrity, morals, ethics, or beliefs, are summarily dismissed, discredited, slandered, threatened with future vengeful consequences, or otherwise overly punished
  • Punishes followers who do not take action or serve the leader’s wishes for any reason
  • Demands loyalty explicitly and praises it when received
  • Rewards those who show the most loyalty, creating competition
  • Takes adoration of those who “sing their praises”
  • Is extremely controlling of followers – what they say and what they do. Demands it and punishes non-obedience
  • Encourages comparisons to other similar leaders and strongmen. Does not rebuke, humbly correct, or deny comparisons to Christ and being a Savior
  • Physically puts himself higher than everyone else and often tilts his head so he looks down at others (the opposite of bowing)
  • Extreme pride
  • Extremely concerned about their personal brand of power and anything that may reduce their appearance of greatness or glory. Extreme reactions to any damage.
  • Only the leader can “save” us, put your faith in him

Worshiping anything other than God, is a form of idolatry. Don’t hear me too harshly. We all have various levels and forms of idolatry in our lives. We’re human. But watch out for leaders that demand it from the people.

Be wise, pray, and use discernment.

Addendum

From the dictionary: 1 : to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power. 2 : to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion a celebrity worshipped by her fans.  

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast–all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go.  “

Woke

I was reading reviews for the movie “A man called Otto” and one of the reviews said the movie was woke because the main actor befriends a trans kid. In transparency, I haven’t seen the movie so I don’t know how that relationship is portrayed and I doubt Otto is a Christian. But, the reviewer was very clear it was woke because of the friendship.

What would Jesus have done? What did he do? He was labeled a “friend of sinners.” He went to the outcasts. He interacted with those who were far from God and far from religion. And, obviously, he was “friendly.” hmm, as Christians, little Christs, shouldn’t we follow His model? Or do we believe he was wrong to do so?

I think many times this comes down to our own comfort, which becomes our God. It’s not comfortable to interact with people who may not fit our religious norms or are unlike us. But, how else are we to be salt and light and point to truth using grace? And, God himself, accepts us and sacrificed for us while we were still sinners. Just like the old song “Just as I am.” It’s not our job to fix people or fix the world, but to point people to Christ and act as he did as his ambassador. He loved people without budging on who He was and what He stood for, nor approving of the behavior. His presence alone did not validate it, but validated the worth of the person.

Who defined the label woke anyway? Somewhere, some talking head with followers defined it. Why are people listening to these man-made opportunists anyway instead of listening to the source of the truth?

Minor Prophets Unified Message

I’m in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and they are going through the minor prophets. It’s amazing how consistent the message is even in the OT. God is saying that their rule following and sacrifices mean nothing because of the way they are treating others. Israel is ignoring the poor, windows, helpless, and so on, and often times financially taking advantage of them. He’s not saying morality and sacrifice is bad, but it’s just empty without a heart change. 

It’s amazing that the Pharisees missed this. They felt like they had to keep all the law, and then additional rules as hedge, and then enforce it on everyone else, since if others in Israel failed, God would punish them all as a whole. Of course, they didn’t even keep the law in Spirit (which is the hypocrisy Jesus often called out on murder, sex, etc) When it came to Jesus’s murder, they believed they were innocent since they didn’t carry it out, but without them putting it in motion and manipulating, it would have never happened. And from accounts in Acts, seems like most continued to self-justify and never repent. 

It feels like there is a a lot of this going on today, but that’s to write about later. Personally, while I don’t believe I take advantage of anyone of lesser means, I should up the amount I serve those in need. 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” 

The Allure of the Stongman

People, including the people of God, are often pulled towards the Strongman to fix societies woes that they themselves can not fix. They look for an earthly rescuer, a savior, often someone unsavory and lacking character that often will betray them later. People are often willing to give up much for it and overlook the ends justifying the means.  We are all guilty of this to some extent.

However, this is not God’s best direction for us. It’s an issue of faith and trust. Just like in the garden of Eden with the fruit. And it’s a personification of the golden calf. “God, where are you? I don’t see you. You’re not fixing this thing I don’t like. I’m going to find someone that can and will, right now.” It’s priotizing the present over eternity.    

A good example was when Isreal wanted a King. They knew this displeased God. And God warned them they were giving up freedom for security. In the end, God gave them a King, but stated they weren’t going to like it. God gave Israel exactly what they asked for—an earthly king who would seek his own.

Why was asking for a king wrong? The Lord was to be the ruler of Israel. God led the people through Moses and Aaron, and then through priests and judges raised up to govern the people. In Samuel’s time, the people began to worry about who the next leader would be, since Samuel’s sons did not follow the Lord. Their request for a king was a rejection of God’s way of leadership over them. 
 
Another reason it was wrong to ask for a king is that the Israelites did so in order to be like “all the other nations.” God had created Israel as a unique people. He was their leader. When the Israelites wanted a king like other nations had, they were rejecting their unique, set-apart position as God’s people. The nation whose God was to be the Lord alone was envious of the nations who followed false gods.  Christians as well, as Isreal’s spiritual successors grafted into the branch, are to be different. Early Christians were so radically different, what they practiced was often called “the way” and Christian itself means “little Christ.”

There are Leaders that God rises up but these Leaders arrive on the scene differently and have different characterics, though they too are flawed people. There’s a lot more to write on this and for me to sort through to figure out my own thoughts and feelings, so this will not be the last post on this subject.

HOSEA 13:9 “You are destroyed, Israel, 
    because you are against me, against your helper. 
10 Where is your king, that he may save you? 
    Where are your rulers in all your towns, 
of whom you said, 
    ‘Give me a king and princes’? 
11 So in my anger I gave you a king, 
    and in my wrath I took him away. 
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, 
    his sins are kept on record. 
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth come to him, 
    but he is a child without wisdom; 
when the time arrives, 
    he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb 

“Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you” (1 Samuel 8:7–8).   

Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations (1 Samuel 8:5). 

No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles (1 Samuel 8:19-20). 

1 Samuel 8:10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”