Hunger and Thirst for More — Much More
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Hunger and Thirst for More — Much More
Hunger and Thirst for More — Much More
Hunger and Thirst for More — Much More
God invites us to so much more than just regular every day work and hitting the next quarterly goal, the next strategic objective, or client project. Jesus calls us to know Him, and to take on His character, and then do this very same glorious work that He came to earth to do. We all have this opportunity to do truly satisfying work, every single day.
“We are far too easily pleased.” - C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
We are often pleased when we hit a quarterly goal, accomplish a strategic objective, make a big sale, receive a promotion or a raise, and when we believe we are doing better than our peers.
Don’t get me wrong, hitting goals and objectives at work is good especially when our customers, coworkers, and communities benefit. But, this feeling of being pleased with ourselves does not last. Our goals and accomplishments are too temporary, too self-focused, too competition-focused – our goals are reset almost as fast as we can accomplish them.
There has to be to be more…
Hunger and Thirst for More
“Good is the enemy of great.” This phrase coined by Jim Collins is also the premise of his best selling book, Good to Great. Collins makes the case that complacency and being “ok” with good results keeps companies from becoming great and keeps them from having a greater impact on society.
“Business is provision for people” is what Dallas Willard says in his book, Called To Business. Willard goes on to say, “Business is a fundamental structure of love in the kingdom of God.” Our complacency with “good enough” is the enemy of caring for others in a deeper, more meaningful way.
“The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free, and available to anyone who wants it.” This is the premise of Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage. Lencioni explains that most organizations exploit only a fraction of the knowledge, experience, and intellectual capital that is available to them and this is the main thing holding them back from reaching their full potential.
There has to be a better way to work. There has to be more.
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
For many, righteousness has to do with being approved — proven that we are right. We all want to be accepted. We want to be vindicated, but we can’t do this on our own. God’s word says in [.no-reftag]Romans 3:10[.no-reftag] “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
The self-satisfied and self-righteous are headed for deep peril. John Stott said, “The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, the essence of the Gospel is God substituting Himself for man.” God is the only one who is perfectly righteous.
Those who are hungry for more and keep searching for true righteousness — not of themselves — will find it and much more.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. - [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:6[.no-reftag]
Martyn Lloyd-Jones explained what righteousness is and what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Here are some incredibly helpful excerpts from his sermon Righteousness and Blessedness.
"We are not to hunger and thirst after blessedness; we are not to hunger and thirst after happiness. But that is what most people are doing. According to the Scriptures happiness is never something that should be sought directly; it is always something that results from seeking something else…To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to desire to be free from self in all its horrible manifestations, in all its forms... To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to long to be like the New Testament man, the new man in Christ Jesus. That is what it means, that the whole of my being and the whole of my life shall be like that. Let me go further. It means that one's supreme desire in life is to know God and to be in fellowship with Him, to walk with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the light... Let us look briefly at what is promised to the people who are like that. It is one of the most gracious, glorious statements to be found in the entire Bible, Why? Well, 'they shall be filled', they shall be given what they desire. The whole gospel is there. That is where the gospel of grace comes in; it is entirely the gift of God. You will never fill yourself with righteousness, you will never find blessedness apart from Him. To obtain this, 'all the fitness He requireth, is to see your need of Him, nothing more... When you and I know our need, this hunger and starvation, this death that is within us, then God will fill us, He will give us this blessed gift. ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ Now this is an absolute promise, so if you really are hungering and thirsting after righteousness you will be filled... There is no question about it. Hunger and thirst after righteousness, long to be like Christ, and then you will have that and the blessedness."
Righteousness at Work
God invites us to so much more than just regular every day work and hitting the next quarterly goal, the next strategic objective, or client project. If you have accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, you know He has validated you. Jesus calls us to know Him, and to take on His character, and then do this very same glorious work that He came to earth to do. We all have this opportunity to do truly satisfying work, every single day.
Excellent Work - As we walk with Jesus at work, doing the very same work He is doing we will be led by Him on the right path for His namesake (Psalm 23:4). With His leading, we are empowered to do excellent work that glorifies God and serves others over ourselves.
Blesses Others - Fullness and assurance of our righteousness in Christ, allows us to stop serving self motives and leads us to see others (coworkers and clients) deeply. Seeing others deeply switches our efforts from serving self to meeting their needs (Galatians 5:14).
Leads to Jesus - As we serve others more deeply and openhandedly — not caring as much about the project outcomes, as the people — we will be able to see, to test, and to approve what actions lead others to know Jesus (Romans 12:2).
Working this way leads to incredible fulfillment, validation in Christ and a hunger to continue to work this way as we depend on the One who makes us righteous.
Resources:
Article: The Advantage of Being Poor in Spirit | Howard Graham
Article: Be Blessed, Build Teams, and Change the World | Howard Graham
Article: The Power of Meekness at Work | Howard Graham
Article: Business is Provision for People | Howard Graham
Book: Good to Great | Jim Collins
Sermon: Righteousness and Blessedness, Studies on the Sermon on the Mount | Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“We are far too easily pleased.” - C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
We are often pleased when we hit a quarterly goal, accomplish a strategic objective, make a big sale, receive a promotion or a raise, and when we believe we are doing better than our peers.
Don’t get me wrong, hitting goals and objectives at work is good especially when our customers, coworkers, and communities benefit. But, this feeling of being pleased with ourselves does not last. Our goals and accomplishments are too temporary, too self-focused, too competition-focused – our goals are reset almost as fast as we can accomplish them.
There has to be to be more…
Hunger and Thirst for More
“Good is the enemy of great.” This phrase coined by Jim Collins is also the premise of his best selling book, Good to Great. Collins makes the case that complacency and being “ok” with good results keeps companies from becoming great and keeps them from having a greater impact on society.
“Business is provision for people” is what Dallas Willard says in his book, Called To Business. Willard goes on to say, “Business is a fundamental structure of love in the kingdom of God.” Our complacency with “good enough” is the enemy of caring for others in a deeper, more meaningful way.
“The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free, and available to anyone who wants it.” This is the premise of Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage. Lencioni explains that most organizations exploit only a fraction of the knowledge, experience, and intellectual capital that is available to them and this is the main thing holding them back from reaching their full potential.
There has to be a better way to work. There has to be more.
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
For many, righteousness has to do with being approved — proven that we are right. We all want to be accepted. We want to be vindicated, but we can’t do this on our own. God’s word says in [.no-reftag]Romans 3:10[.no-reftag] “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
The self-satisfied and self-righteous are headed for deep peril. John Stott said, “The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, the essence of the Gospel is God substituting Himself for man.” God is the only one who is perfectly righteous.
Those who are hungry for more and keep searching for true righteousness — not of themselves — will find it and much more.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. - [.no-reftag]Matthew 5:6[.no-reftag]
Martyn Lloyd-Jones explained what righteousness is and what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Here are some incredibly helpful excerpts from his sermon Righteousness and Blessedness.
"We are not to hunger and thirst after blessedness; we are not to hunger and thirst after happiness. But that is what most people are doing. According to the Scriptures happiness is never something that should be sought directly; it is always something that results from seeking something else…To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to desire to be free from self in all its horrible manifestations, in all its forms... To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to long to be like the New Testament man, the new man in Christ Jesus. That is what it means, that the whole of my being and the whole of my life shall be like that. Let me go further. It means that one's supreme desire in life is to know God and to be in fellowship with Him, to walk with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the light... Let us look briefly at what is promised to the people who are like that. It is one of the most gracious, glorious statements to be found in the entire Bible, Why? Well, 'they shall be filled', they shall be given what they desire. The whole gospel is there. That is where the gospel of grace comes in; it is entirely the gift of God. You will never fill yourself with righteousness, you will never find blessedness apart from Him. To obtain this, 'all the fitness He requireth, is to see your need of Him, nothing more... When you and I know our need, this hunger and starvation, this death that is within us, then God will fill us, He will give us this blessed gift. ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ Now this is an absolute promise, so if you really are hungering and thirsting after righteousness you will be filled... There is no question about it. Hunger and thirst after righteousness, long to be like Christ, and then you will have that and the blessedness."
Righteousness at Work
God invites us to so much more than just regular every day work and hitting the next quarterly goal, the next strategic objective, or client project. If you have accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, you know He has validated you. Jesus calls us to know Him, and to take on His character, and then do this very same glorious work that He came to earth to do. We all have this opportunity to do truly satisfying work, every single day.
Excellent Work - As we walk with Jesus at work, doing the very same work He is doing we will be led by Him on the right path for His namesake (Psalm 23:4). With His leading, we are empowered to do excellent work that glorifies God and serves others over ourselves.
Blesses Others - Fullness and assurance of our righteousness in Christ, allows us to stop serving self motives and leads us to see others (coworkers and clients) deeply. Seeing others deeply switches our efforts from serving self to meeting their needs (Galatians 5:14).
Leads to Jesus - As we serve others more deeply and openhandedly — not caring as much about the project outcomes, as the people — we will be able to see, to test, and to approve what actions lead others to know Jesus (Romans 12:2).
Working this way leads to incredible fulfillment, validation in Christ and a hunger to continue to work this way as we depend on the One who makes us righteous.
Resources:
Article: The Advantage of Being Poor in Spirit | Howard Graham
Article: Be Blessed, Build Teams, and Change the World | Howard Graham
Article: The Power of Meekness at Work | Howard Graham
Article: Business is Provision for People | Howard Graham
Book: Good to Great | Jim Collins
Sermon: Righteousness and Blessedness, Studies on the Sermon on the Mount | Martyn Lloyd-Jones