Devotional Ventures

Objective of each Devotional Ventures devotional:

• Point the reader to Jesus Christ as the author of life and the Bible as the provider of guidelines for living a Christ-like life
• Write from a discipleship perspective
• Prepare a devotional writing that has a 300-500 word length
• Provide a theme for the reader to consider and explore
• Correlate a Biblical reference (verse(s) or chapter(s)) to the designated theme
• Share a personal story/experience that paints a relevant picture of the Biblical message for a business professional
• Provide a life application that prompts the reader to self-reflect and take action

Example Devotionals:

Title - Missionary Economist

Theme - Choices

Scripture reference - Philippians 3:7-8

If you’ve ever wondered if the economic principles that govern business practices and the Biblical principles that govern our personal practices are compatible, consider that Paul uses an opportunity cost argument in Philippians 3:7-8. In economics, an opportunity cost is the value of an opportunity passed up, or foregone. For example, if your job pays $30/hr, but you could get a job that would pay $45/hr for the same effort (and all other things being equal), then you are giving up – it is costing you – $15 per hour to work for your current employer. That $15/hr is your opportunity cost.

If we define an economy as a system that sets values for the utilization of resources, then it is obvious that Paul must be talking of another economy entirely, one that assigns different values to both resources and rewards – same stuff, but different values.

Underline the words “profit,” “loss,” “rubbish” and “gain” in Philippians 3:7-8 (NIV). Paul is saying that there were many things in his life that were profitable – they returned more than they cost – in human economy terms. But compared with the alternative – “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus” – that profit came up short. Both returns are on the positive side of the ledger, but in God’s economy, there is a greater return for the same effort.

I am in the middle of a job search and am fortunate to have a choice between two good options. One option means more money, prestige and opportunities for more of both in the future, which I could certainly use to advance the cause of Christ. But it also means a more single-minded focus on my career for the next few years. The other option would still surpass our material needs, but may produce a greater gain according to God’s value. Faced with a decision between two profitable options it is a comfort to know that the Bible has advice for my “economic” decisions. As I consider Paul’s lesson in economics I pray that God will reveal to me His greater value.

James 2:17 says that all good gifts come from God – even your job and the rewards it brings. Recognize their source and seek to know what He would have you do with them. Remember that there’s an opportunity cost to pursuing the things of this world. God’s got a different economy. Hear it in the Sermon on the Mount. Read it in Paul’s letters. See it in Christ’s life. And experience it in your own.

Point to ponder: Recognize God’s economic measurement of my job and the rewards it brings.

Verses to remember: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:7-8

Question to consider: Where am I investing in the wrong economy?

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Title: Finding God in the mountains

Have you ever wondered what Christ did when he wasn’t working? During the period of his life that we know about from the gospels, Christ’s life was his ministry: teaching, preaching, healing, feeding. But a close examination of the gospels reveals that Christ frequently took time alone to recharge, away from the crowds, often way from his disciples and other followers, and almost always in the mountains. Some of the most profound parts of Christ’s ministry occurred in or immediately after he retired to the high places: the sermon on the mount, the transfiguration, his betrayal, his crucifixion. Why?

Because our work, whatever it is, creates layers of concern that come between us and God. The mountains allow God to peel away those layers, the way you would peel an onion, to get to the core of who we are. That process is both essential to our life with God and essential to being faithful people of God when we go back to work.

I recently came back from climbing to the top of the world. Getting to the top of Everest is a grueling process. Climbers endure bitter cold, months of sleeping on a glacier, oxygen deprivation, dangerous crevasses and seracs, and long, long days working hard at altitude. Of course, this process has a dramatic effect on the body, but I discovered that it also has a dramatic effect on the soul. Petty disagreements with colleagues, bad presentations, which emails were or weren’t replied to all slowly stopped dominating my mind and I was free to listen to what God had to teach me about my life.

The teachings were simple and rich: Huge soaring mountains… God is God. The provision of a weather window or a secure axe placement or the close miss of a serac collapse… we should trust God. The realized triumph of the summit… God loves us. The camaraderie and teamwork of our partners… we should love others the way God loves us.

What is your Everest? The absolute magnitude of the experience doesn’t matter; what matters is how much what you are doing pushes you to rely on God. Go climb Half Dome. Hike Mount Washington. Run a triathlon. Walk that one extra loop in the park or on the beach. Then simply listen. The psalms say it best: “Be still and know that I am God.”

Scripture to remember:
Matthew 17:1: “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves”

Point to ponder:
To be effective at work we need to spend time outside work in a place which peels away the layers so that God can speak to us.

Question to consider:
What is your Everest? Where can you go to listen to God away from the demands of work?

Category:
Faith