^14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14–21 (ESV)

One way to handle conflict at work, along with following proper established protocol by the company or institution for which you work, is to follow the guidelines set forth in Romans 12:14-21. While these commands and encouragements are applicable for the home, personal relationships, church and when engaging the public, they contain practical wisdom for the work place.

Today, we examine Romans 12:14. The text says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” Let’s unpack the verse.

To begin with, the word “bless” (εὐλογέω; eulogeo) means to act kindly toward, or to speak well of, someone (James 3:9). The English word eulogy, meaning to speak well of someone at a memorial or funeral service, comes from this Greek word. The word is also a present, active command. It is an order God gives and it is to be continually and actively obeyed.

Who is the believer in Christ to bless? God commands believers to “Bless those who persecute you.” To persecute (διώκω; dioko) means to harass and to pursue someone to intensely oppress them. The verb is in the present, active, plural form. Therefore, the persecution is ongoing and it may come from several individual sources or situations.

In spite of ongoing harassment, the Christian is to personally speak well of those who are committing the provocation against them. This does not mean that the Christian ignore proper and established work place conflict protocol, but to do so pleasantly and graciously.

The Apostle Paul adds the following thought: “bless and do not curse them.” As before, the word bless is a present, active imperative verb. In spite of persecution, the command for the believer is to bless, rather than to curse the provocateur. To curse (καταράομαι; kataraomai) means to cause injury or harm with one’s words by calling on the name of a deity or god to condemn the individual. In other words, the believer in Christ is to never invoke God’s holy name to condemn, or damn, a person who is persecuting them. The verb is also a present and personal command, which is to be obeyed.

Jesus stated the same principle in His Sermon on the Mount. ²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28; cf. Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; 1 Peter 2:21–23). Jesus stated that believes are to love, do good, bless and pray for those who persecute them.

Dr. John MacArthur explains the command can be summarized as follows: “Treat your enemies’ as if they were your friends.”

Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

^14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14–21 (ESV)

One issue which has not been addressed about work is conflict in the work place. Conflict, which is any kind of personality clash, struggle, fight, disagreement or argument, occurs in many different places. Conflict may occur at home, at school, at church, in a public place, but also at work. In fact, aside from when we were in school, the people we encounter most frequently on daily basis are the people at work.

There are many different reasons cited for conflict in the work place. These include poor management, unfair treatment, unclear job roles, inadequate training, poor communication, poor work environment, lack of equal opportunities, differences in work philosophy, and/or bullying and harassment. If left unresolved, workplace conflict can result in low morale, lack of work production, and in some examples, workplace violence.  

How is the Christian to handle conflict at work? The answer is to manage conflict the same way you would in any social situation including one’s home, school, church, or other places. Romans 12:14-21 provides believers in Christ with a practical guide to conducting ourselves in a God glorifying manner “when” encountering conflict. Please notice the emphasis on the word “when.” The issue is not “if” conflict will occur, but only a question of “when.”

We are going to examine Romans 12:14-21 this week as it relates to the workplace. Hopefully, and prayerfully, all of us will derive practical benefit from what God has to say about the believer’s conduct when encountering conflict, especially at work.

Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

We will devote each Lord’s Day in 2021 at hiswordtoday.org to present a portion of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). For those unfamiliar with the WCF, a brief explanation is appropriate. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine (to Scripture) in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

It is to that “most precise and accurate summary of the content of biblical Christianity” that we will give our time and attention to each Lord’s Day in the year of our Lord, 2021. I trust you will be edified and encouraged each week by The Westminster Confession of Faith.

Chapter Six: The Fall of Man, of Sin, and the Punishment Thereof. Part 2.

4. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good,^a and wholly inclined to all evil,^b do proceed all actual transgressions.c

a. Rom 5:6; 7:18; 8:7; Col 1:21. • b. Gen 6:5; 8:21; Rom 3:10-12. • c. Mat 15:19; Eph 2:2-3; James 1:14-15.

5. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated;^a and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself and all the motions thereof are truly and properly sin.^b

a. Prov 20:9; Eccl 7:20; Rom 7:14, 17-18, 23; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8, 10. • b. Rom 7:5, 7-8, 25; Gal 5:17.

6. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto,^a doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner,^b whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God^c and curse of the law,^d and so made subject to death,^e with all miseries spiritual,^f temporal,^g and eternal.^h

a. 1 John 3:4. • b. Rom 2:15; 3:9, 19. • c. Eph 2:3. • d. Gal 3:10. • e. Rom 6:23. • f. Eph 4:18. • g. Lam 3:39; Rom 8:20. • h. Mat 25:41; 2 Thes 1:9.

I encourage you to read the portions of Scripture listed in this post.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

\Soli deo Gloria!

^7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:7–11 (ESV)

Let’s examine what it means to have initiative in the workplace. Here are some quotes I discovered online concerning a working definition of initiative.

“Initiative is doing the right thing without being told.” Victor Hugo

“Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” Golda Meir  

“This a story about four people named Anybody, Everybody, Somebody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.”

My first job was sweeping the parking lot of a Burger King Restaurant. One of the first life lessons my boss gave me was to take initiative. Taking initiative is the self-discipline to solve problems and take actions by thinking of the solutions rather than being told, or ordered, what to do. I have never forgotten that life lesson and have always strived to abide by it in every job I have ever had: secular or sacred.

When you think about it, taking initiative is being godly. God took the initiative in saving sinners from their sin. Sinners do not seek God (Psalm 14:1-4; 53:1-3; Romans 3:10-11). As today’s text from I John indicates, it was God who sought the sinful.

Read and meditate upon the inerrant and inspired words of I John 4:10: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

God did not wait for us to come to Him, not only because we wouldn’t but also because we couldn’t (John 3:1-8; 6:35-66; Ephesians 2:1-3). He came to us in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.

When you return to work this upcoming Monday, think about God taking the initiative in saving your soul from sin’s penalty, power and eventually its presence. Take that same spirit of initiative and apply it in your home, at your school and where and when you work.

Have a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!   

^“Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” (Ephesians 6:9 (ESV)

“Even a bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work.” — Fisherman’s Friend Notebooks 

I am not a fisherman. Please do not hold that against me. I also tried golf as a hobby, but I did not like the person I became on the golf course. A hobby is supposed to relax you. Golf, however, made be incredibly tense and angry.

So, I took up biking. I enjoy riding my bicycle throughout the recently made bike trails in the county in which I live. The trails are paved and reserved solely for walkers, joggers, and cyclists. I invested in a rather nice bicycle. It may not be as fancy or as fast as some others I could have bought, but I enjoy it and it fits my needs.

What do hobbies have to do with work? Take notice of the quote I included in today’s blog. Some people, no matter how good a day of work they could have, would rather spend their time having a bad day of fishing or having played a bad round of golf. For all too many people, work is just plain difficult or work makes them miserable. Why? Perhaps, one of the reasons could be their boss or employer.

This does not mean that it is always the boss’ fault when work is a chore rather than a blessing. A lot of people’s disdain for their work has to do with their attitude about work in general, and their job in particular. However, this does not mean that employers have no responsibilities regarding the fostering of a pleasant work environment for their employees.

Ephesians 6:9 picks up where Ephesians 6:5-8 left off. The Apostle Paul says, “Masters, do the same to them.”  In our culture, masters would be our boss. This would include our immediate supervisor and even the owner of the company. If employers expect their employees to respect and have loyalty, then employers must reciprocate and show their employees respect and loyalty in return.

Additionally, Paul concludes that employers should not threaten their employees. In the opening scenes of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this is exactly what Ebenezer Scrooge does to his sole employee, Bob Cratchett. He constantly threatens to fire him if Bob does not abide by every one of Scrooge’s idiosyncrasies. It isn’t until after Scrooge has had his encounters with the ghostly visitors, that he changes his behavior and at the conclusion of the story treats Bob with the respect and loyalty that Bob always showed him.

Why should employers behave in such a God honoring way? It is because the Lord is the God of both people groups: employers and employees. God does not play favorites. He is impartial. He will judge the wicked employer as well as the wicked employee. Likewise, He will bless the godly employer along with the godly employee.

Let us keep in mind the concluding lines of Dickens’ timeless classic. “Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”

May the Lord give all of us, employers and employees alike, a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!

^5” Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, ⁶ not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, ⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.” (Ephesians 6:5–8 (ESV)

“Find a Job You Love to Do and You Will Never Have to Work a Day in Your Life” – Mark Twain

Unfortunately, for many people they toil at jobs that they do not particularly enjoy, let alone like. In fact, some people downright hate their jobs. They hate getting up to go to work, they hate the work they do at work, and the only enjoyment for them at work is when they punch out to go home from work.

What about Christians? What is the godly and biblical attitude we should have: not only toward our work but also toward our employer? Ephesians 6:6-8 provides us with the biblical answer.

To begin, willing employees/servants, or bondservants, are to obey their earthly masters, or employers. To obey means to comply with a either a command or a direction. The text indicates that this spirit of obedience should be accompanied with fear and trembling. Respectively, this means employees are to respect and possess a sincere loyalty towards their boss. As believers are to obey Jesus Christ with a sincere heart, so too are they to obey their employers.

Secondly, Christian workers are to perform their tasks with the attitude and perspective that they are serving Christ with a sincere heart, for this is the will of God. This is not just for those in the ministry, but for secular work also.

Thirdly, Christians are not to just work when the boss is around, or as a people pleaser who seeks to ingratiate themselves in order to get ahead in the company. They are to constantly have their work be a testimony of their faith and commitment to Christ.

The antithesis of this biblical perspective was entertainingly brought to the Broadway stage in the musical How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. The musical’s main character, J. Pierrepont Finch, works hard as a striver and people pleaser, but not at working hard.  

Fourthly, the Christian’s good service, or work, is to be done for the Lord’s reputation and glory and not for men. When a worker has this perspective, even the most menial task, like sweeping a warehouse floor, can become an opportunity for praise.

With these attitudes in place, the Lord provides His disciples with a promise. Whatever a believer in Christ does for a living, they will receive back from the Lord the good they have done. It doesn’t matter what their economic status is, the Lord promises to bless.

By rendering ungrudging service to our true heavenly employer, we do not work because of our value in the marketplace, but rather we work in our devotion to the One who poured our His own life thereby displaying the beauty of the Gospel (Titus 2:9-10).

Have a blessed day at work.

Soli deo Gloria!

^“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

“Hard work…most things worth doing are hard.” Louis L’Amour

Thus far, this study on work has focused on the work we do, or the labor we perform. In other words, our jobs or employment. Today, the focus is on the workmanship God has created each believer to be in Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 begins with this phrase, “We are His workmanship.” What does this phrase mean?

The personal pronoun “we” takes us back to the immediate preceding context of Ephesians 2:1-9. The individuals the Apostle Paul addresses are believers in Christ. These are those who were dead in their trespasses and sin who God has justified by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

“We are” is an indication that believers in Christ presently and actively exist in a particular condition or state of being. What Paul is describing is not what believers in Christ do, but rather who, and what, they are.

“We are His workmanship.” Believers in Christ, are His, or God’s, workmanship. The word “workmanship” (ποίημα; poiema) means that which has been created or made. The only other occurrence of this word in the New Testament is Romans 1:20.  God has created, or made, each individual believer in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). In other words, sinners become believers in Christ as a result of God’s work in their soul.

What has God created believers for? That question is answered by the rest of today’s text: “…created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

God has created us in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works. These are deeds or tasks which are morally and generous. These are acts which bring God glory, honor and praise (Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17; I Peter 4:10-11).

The good works God created each believer to perform God prepared in advance of the believer’s actual salvation. This preparation not only reveals the omnipotence of God but also His omniscience. Our purpose is to live, behave and to actively go about doing the good works God created each of us to do.

Dr. R .C. Sproul writes, “Good works are the vital and indispensable consequence and evidence of life with God (Titus 2:14; 3:8; 3:14; James 2:14-26). God chose His elect to make them holy sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:4-5), and He has fashioned them to be new bearers of His image (Ephesians 4:24), designed for the kind of life that conforms to God’s character (Ephesians 4:1-6:20). Our good works are the fruit of salvation, not its cause, and those who do not have good works show that they do not have saving faith (Romans 6; James 2:17-26).”  

May each of us today demonstrate and display God’s workmanship in our souls by the good works which we demonstrate and display in our lives. Have a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!

^23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24 (ESV)

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he has a doctrinal section in chapters 0ne and Two, followed by an application section in chapters Three and Four. Chapter Three begins with these words: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”  

God commands believers in Christ to seek the things which are above. In other words, believers in Christ are to pursue the things which are heavenly, or which originate and are sourced in the Lord. These would include worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and sharing the Gospel. It also involves righteous living.

One of the areas of righteous living here on earth involves the believer’s work or labor. Paul stated in today’s text that regardless of whatever the believer is called or gifted to do, they are to work heartily. This means to include one’s intellect, emotions and will into the activity of work. The believer, in a positive way, is to work with their whole heart.

To work heartily comes when one’s focus is not on the work at hand, or either one’s employer or boss. Rather, the believer’s focus at, and during, work is to be the Lord and not men. In reality, each worker, regardless of what they do, is serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

The late conservative radio personality, Rush Limbaugh, often described his work as “having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have.” He also described his ability to communicate as “talent on loan from God.”

May each of us take the talent, and spiritual gifts, God has entrusted to each believer in Christ, and may we have more fun doing our work than a Christian should be allowed to have.

Have a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!   

“For most of our adult lives, we are engaged in some type of labor. What we do often defines for ourselves, and/or for others, who we are. To some degree, we are what we do.” Dr. R. C. Sproul

Do you often, or at all, associate the word “work” with the word “sanctity?” We have already seen that work is “the performing of a task or to fulfill duties regularly for wages or salary. It additionally means to perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated operations. Finally, work means to exert oneself physically or mentally especially in a sustained effort for a particular purpose.”

What about the word sanctity. What does it mean? Sanctity means to consider something, or someone, holy, sacred, blessed, pure, and unprofane.

Take a moment. How often have you considered your work, job, employment or your source of income as something holy, sacred, blessed, pure and unprofane? Frankly, many people use all manner of profanity to express their emotions about their work. Complaining about work and wages, sometimes in the most intense ways, seems to be the unalienable right of the American worker.

However, Genesis 1:28 says, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” 

When writing about the sanctity of work, Dr. R. C. Sproul explains, “Our work is a vital part of our identity. It is not the curse of humanity but the sacred vocation of the human race. It is not work that makes us free, but it is work that makes us obedient. As creatures made in the image of God, we are to imitate God in certain ways. One such way involves work. God is a working God—a Creator. In His work of Creation, He formed the cosmos, then assigned tasks to His creatures.”  

“We were created to dress, till, and keep the earth. We were made to be fruitful—to be productive as God is productive. And God assigned us these tasks before the Fall. Thus, labor is not a curse; it is a blessing that goes with Creation. The sanctity of human labor is rooted in the work of God Himself and in His call to us to imitate Him.”

Remember, our work and labor is not a result of the Fall; it is a blessing from God. The sanctity of human work is rooted in the work of God and in His call to believers to imitate Him. May we seek to no longer be conformed to this world’s attitude toward work, but have our minds renewed by God’s Word regarding our weekly labor (Romans 12:1-2).

Soli deo Gloria!

We will devote each Lord’s Day in 2021 at hiswordtoday.org to present a portion of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF). For those unfamiliar with the WCF, a brief explanation is appropriate. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the “subordinate standard” of doctrine (to Scripture) in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

It is to that “most precise and accurate summary of the content of biblical Christianity” that we will give our time and attention to each Lord’s Day in the year of our Lord, 2021. I trust you will be edified and encouraged each week by The Westminster Confession of Faith.

Chapter Six: The Fall of Man and the Punishment Thereof. Part 1.

1. Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit.^a This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.^b

a. Gen 3:13; 2 Cor 11:3. • b. Rom 11:32.

2. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God,^a and so became dead in sin,^b and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.^c

a. Gen 3:6-8; Eccl 7:29; Rom 3:23. • b. Gen 2:17; Eph 2:1. • c. Gen 6:5; Jer 17:9; Rom 3:10-19; Titus 1:15.

3. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed,^a and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation.^b

a. Gen 1:27-28 and 2:16-17 and Acts 17:26 with Rom 5:12, 15-19 and 1 Cor 15:21-22; 1Cor 15:45, 49. • b. Gen 5:3; Job 14:4; 15:14; Psa 51:5.

I encourage you to read the portions of Scripture listed in this post.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day.

\Soli deo Gloria!