Humility or Boldness at Work-Selah 78-CMAW174

S   Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:" I heard my pastor Cam Huxford about 17 years ago at Savannah Christian church now Compassion Church preach a series on the Paradox of the Kingdom of God, of how in so many ways the Kingdom is the opposite of what we would think on our own. For example you must die in order to live and if you give you will receive.  There is much more to this than what I just shared and I probably need to try and find the sermon again and listen, but the reason it has stuck with me is that time and again it rings true for me.  I used to really enjoy the Seinfeld Show and one of my favorite episodes was when George and Jerry came to the conclusion that George’s instincts were always wrong and so George began doing the opposite of what he thought he should do. In some way I think that applies to the Christian walk.  Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” I know that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit but I can only speak for myself that I do not trust my own instincts on many matters and need to seek God and ask him to guide me all the time.  This creates tension but I think it’s a good tension. There’s another aspect to the Kingdom journey and walk I want to talk about that is similar to that Paradoxical aspect and that is the tension of knowing when to be humble and when to be bold, specifically in the workplace. I believe I shared about 6 months ago that I received some correction at work.  It was hard to take and it was humbling.  Things have gone much better since then.  I've received a lot of positive feedback, both in terms of WHAT I've been doing, meeting work metrics, and HOW I've been doing it, specifically that I had shown kindness to fellow workers. I've heard it said that the Christian walk is a tension between grace and law, between humility and boldness, between strength and weakness, and our response and focus should vary depending on where we are at in our circumstances. When we're at a low point in our circumstances at work, we should focus on God's grace, on His Promises, and on our inheritance and status as children of the living God.   Some verse that express that come to mind include: Eph 6;10 "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might", Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.", Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", and Romans 8:37 "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."   There was a season where my wife and I were very much following what is called "Word of Faith" doctrine, and attending a word of faith church.  Some of the preachers known for this are Kenneth Copeland, Andrew Womack, and Charles Capps among others.  This is often referred to as the Prosperity Gospel.  I agree there are errors in this part of the body. I have not thrown the baby out with the bath water and I believe God wants us to speak his word with power and confidence, particularly when we have been humbled and beaten down, whether it was a self-inflicted wound or not. When we are at a high point at work, we just got a promotion or an attaboy, we're feeling like we're providing value to others and have refined our skillset, those are the times, I believe, when we need to focus on our weakness and be humble.  That doesn't mean we should not celebrate our blessings and good times, but we should give glory to God and not to ourselves. We don't want to be like King Nebuchadnezzar who in Daniel 4:30 " was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” Immediately God made him to be like a wild beast eating grass in the wilderness for 7 years. James 4:10 says " Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." As believers we are children of the most High God, but we are NOT God.  Like the old saying, we need to believe that there is a God and we are not Him. We are never as bad as we think we are at work in our lowest moments, nor are we as great as we might think we are at our greatest moments.   E   For an example of Faith at Work, I want to use an example the very first person I interviewed on this Podcast, Dave Brown.  Similar to the story of Chuck Colson, Dave humbled himself and dedicated himself to God through in the middle of his long career in government.  He later went to Seminary and became a pastor and has lead a ministry to men.  For more on Dave, check out episode 1 as well as Episode 140 where Dave and I talked about Isolation, Passivity, and Political Idolatry.   L   As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20Timothy%206:17-19&version=ESV   A https://www.patreon.com/christianmenatwork https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/christianmenatwork H   What did the ocean say to the shore? - Nothing, he just waved