Your Labor is Not in Vain
In this Life for Leaders devotion, I want to focus on labor, that is, on the work we do. As I was thinking about what to write for today, I was reminded of a verse in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (15:58).
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What’s Your Function?: Family
The Kingdom of God is not contained by ethnic, racial, gender, class, political, or geographical divides. Governments across the globe are failing to strike the appropriate balance in dealing compassionately, humanely, and appropriately with family dynamics, dysfunctions, and realities. Perhaps it is time for the Kingdom to make space for these truly knowledgeable voices to lead us into God’s solutions to these problems.
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What’s Your Function? Governance
When I look at the scriptures I resonate with the narratives of Esther, the intercessor and advocate who saved her people from extinction; Joseph, the brilliant economic strategist that saved a world in famine; and Daniel, the advisor to numerous kings, who functioned as a vice president in Babylon. These narratives are an inspiration to me and serve as broad templates as I navigate through the realm of governance.
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What’s Your Function? A&E
What you do matters to the Kingdom, and ultimately it matters to God. Your task is to tell whatever narrative(s) God has given you.
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What’s Your Function? Introduction
What are your strengths? What are you good at? What tools have you already been given to help you carry out our mandate as ministers of reconciliation? You must figure out your functionality so that you can determine what your Kingdom contribution is to God’s plan.
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What Motivates You?
I am constantly working on finding tools and exercises that help me become more self-aware. John Calvin argues in his Institutes that you can’t really know God if you don’t know yourself, and that you cannot know yourself without knowing God. I see my pursuit of self-awareness as part of my growing relationship to the God who created, called, and redeemed me… As we begin 2019, let’s commit to growing in our knowledge of self and knowledge of God in our daily work.
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I’ll Come to You
A couple of years ago, for the very first time that I can ever remember, I missed Easter. When my alarm went off to get me moving in time to make the sunrise service, I felt a little bit “off.” I thought it was a headache, so I rolled over and made the decision to skip sunrise and get myself to the 10:30 service. It wasn’t long, however, before I knew something was wrong. It was vertigo. My husband was eight hours away on a ski trip in Colorado. When he called to report on the fun he was having, he could tell something was wrong.
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Leadership Vows: Imagination
Perhaps nothing is more human than our ability to imagine. That should not surprise us. After all, humanity is created in the image of God. We are made in the likeness of the One who loves to create things out of nothing. Our core identity as God’s image bearers resonates like a plucked string when we create something new and original, something for the glory of God that serves the common good. And, there are many ways for us to express our imagination.
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Help Me Help You: Stewarding a Diverse Team
Is your team ideologically diverse? Can you say that each of your team members brings a unique flavor to the work? Do all your team members feel respected, valued, and appreciated as they are, or do they feel the need to assimilate to the dominant culture? As the leader of the vision, you should ensure that all your team members feel welcomed and supported as they are—not as you would prefer them to be.
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A Legacy of Leadership
Though I’m no scholar of Saint Patrick, I know his legacy leaves a rich bounty of lessons to consider in our modern context that go far beyond the superficial and commercialized ways that we are far too familiar with. St. Patrick, like the Apostle Paul, had a life worthy of emulation that speaks to us today… Suffering didn’t paralyze him, selflessness guided him, and sensing God’s direction was a priority.
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May We All Grow Tall Today
Begin this day knowing Christ is for you, God is with you, and the Holy Spirit lives in you. Grow tall into the truth of what it means to be a child of the living God. And, with this truth bubbling over and spilling out on those you meet today, give others the gift of believing them into the fulfillment of their possibilities, too.
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Your Labor is Not in Vain… in the Lord!
Our labor, whatever it might be, is not meaningless or worthless because God gives it meaning and worth.
According to 1 Corinthians 15:58, we can have confidence in this truth, and this confidence inspires us to give ourselves fully to our work. We know that, in God’s future, the work we do will take on eternal significance. It will matter to God and will be well-used in God’s plans.
Give Yourself Fully to the Work of the Lord
As people inspired by the hope of God’s future, we are to be “abounding” in God’s work. We “abound” in God’s work when we “give ourselves fully to it.” But “abounding,” especially given its usage elsewhere in Paul’s letters, also implies that God’s work is happening in us. We are able to give ourselves fully to God’s work only because God is working in us. God’s Spirit motivates and empowers us for all of this work. In a sense, 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because the Lord is already fully at work in you.”
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Your Daily Work and the Work of the Lord
What we see first in Genesis is reiterated through the Bible. The “work of the Lord” includes but is not limited to things like evangelism, discipleship, worship, and prayer. From a full biblical perspective, the “work of the Lord” encompasses all that we do to embody God’s purposes for us. It includes what we do for most of our waking lives, as we labor in our workplaces, raise our children, invest in our neighborhoods, and gather with God’s people for weekly worship.
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Seeing Our Labor from an Eternal Perspective
1 Corinthians 15 reveals life beyond what can be found “under the sun.” In this chapter, human life matters. Physical life matters. Our bodies matter. But there is reality beyond material reality. There is more to life than the life we experience today. One day, in God’s future, “the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (15:52).
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