Lies At Work
Lies At Work
Lies At Work
Lies At Work
What we believe about work matters, and when we believe the wrong things, our actions will result in frustration and failure — even if it appears as if we are “succeeding”. The truth is every moment is spiritual, and we are in a spiritual battle all the time — including at work.
It was early in my career when I learned that everyone is not on the same page about high performance at work.
I was a management trainee with a financial services company, and I exclaimed to my manager, “This month I’m going to hit a new record for the number of loans done in a month by a trainee in Nashville!”
“Young man, if you break the current record for loans in a month you will get us all in trouble!” my manager replied.
“What do you mean?” I said, “Isn’t it our job to produce as many loans as possible each month?”
To which my manager replied, “You just don’t get it. You see, the more loans we produce each month, the more the folks in the corporate office will expect us all to do every month.”
With great disappointment, I said, “Well, then how will the executives know I am doing a good job? How will I get promoted if I don’t get noticed through my high performance?”
This short exchange from my early career, reveals two fundamental ways people view work. Both of them are equally flawed — both are full of lies.
Many people see their work as a grinding drudgery, often frustrating and sometimes humiliating. They see themselves as pawns in a system without much value or opportunity to make a difference. This type of person devalues work and even their own contribution. Work is not fair is their motto. They may have learned this growing up or through a difficult work experience that did not value them as a person — either way this view is full of lies.
Others see work as a chance to get ahead. A means to build a future and a life. To show bosses and all who will pay attention that they have what it takes to succeed in an organization. This type of person puts too much esteem on work and over values their personal contributions. See me perform and promote me is their code. They may have learned this from mentors and experiences where they were promoted based on perceived performance and they began to see their value in terms of dollars and recognition.
While these two views are at opposite ends of the spectrum, they both are troublesome because they don’t have God or others in the proper places. Both of these false ways of viewing work have the person who believes them at the center.
Both of these views of work will leave us tired, worn down, hopeless, and without the peace we are meant to have.
Define Reality — The Fight
What we believe about work matters, and when we believe the wrong things, our actions will result in frustration and failure — even if it appears as if we are “succeeding”.
The truth is every moment is spiritual, and we are in a spiritual battle all the time — including at work.
There is a battle for your mind, heart, and soul taking place every day — all day.
In his book, Live No Lies, John Mark Comer demonstrates how this spiritual battle infiltrates our everyday lives. Comer’s working theory is this: As followers of Jesus, we are at war with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The forces that work against us often use the following pattern:
Comer says, “Two and a half millennia ago, in The Art of War, the Chinese military savant Sun Tzu gave this sagacious advice: ‘Know your enemy.’ That's the goal of this book: to unmask the face of our enemies and develop a strategy to fight back. Vive la résistance.”
Our enemy is the devil. Yes, evil is real, and we are in a battle every day in life and at work. Jesus calls the devil a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus says the devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10
Our own flesh cooperates with the devil when we see something we desire. Our desires can rule over us in every part of our lives, and this is particularly true at work.
“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” – 1 Timothy 6:9
The world is a formation machine and reinforces our desires in a way that makes them appear completely normal. Media, especially commercials, but also news, movies and sports, systems like socialism, capitalism, companies, our bosses, coworkers, friends and family, and even our churches can normalize things that are against the full life God designed us to have.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2
Call Out The Lies — They Are Not Reality For Long
Some of the lies people believe at work are:
- “Your work is a punishment and should be begrudged.”
- “Your work is just about you (or you and your family needs).”
- “Your work is a competition to get ahead of others.”
- “You have less value than others”
- “You should quit trying”
- “More money and power equal more happiness”
- “You get what you deserve.”
- “All of life is not spiritual, save that stuff for Sunday.”
- “The best things in life are earned.”
The counter truth to these lies appears in the first chapter of the Bible.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1:26-28
- Men and women are made in the image of God and have been given incredible value from the creator.
- We were made to rule and be co-creators for God and with God.
- We were made to multiply and fill the earth.
- We were made to subdue the earth and our everything under God’s lordship.
- All of life is spiritual — every moment of our lives is about God
Tim Keller asked this great question to help us understand God’s intent for our work, “Have you taken to heart the fact that, all work is dignity, all workers have dignity, all work is a calling from God?”
Offer Hope — Work For God
Jesus is the Truth. Jesus defines the reality of our work and offers hope for life on earth and life everlasting.
The Apostle Paul met Jesus face to face and was radically transformed by the grace, mercy, and love of Christ. Paul went from persecuting Jesus and His followers (Acts 9:4-5) to becoming Jesus’ chosen instrument to spread His way to the world. Inspired perfectly by the Holy Spirit, Paul taught about work this way.
All of life is spiritual. Once you know the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ, all of life is a response to God. The opportunities to worship God at work by serving others are endless.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” – Romans 12:1
Work for God not to please man — including yourself.
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.” – Ephesians 6:7-8
Work is not a competition, but an opportunity to serve like Jesus.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 2:3-5
You see, while my manager in Nashville may have had a far different approach to setting standards, he did something for me that was way more important. He modeled what it was like to be a humble servant of Christ. He served me and all of our teammates well — regardless of our performance.
He demonstrated how to be a blessing to our customers. He checked on me everyday, treated me as a valuable friend, and even bailed me out when I got into trouble. I thank God for his Christlike and hope-filled approach to work.
It was early in my career when I learned that everyone is not on the same page about high performance at work.
I was a management trainee with a financial services company, and I exclaimed to my manager, “This month I’m going to hit a new record for the number of loans done in a month by a trainee in Nashville!”
“Young man, if you break the current record for loans in a month you will get us all in trouble!” my manager replied.
“What do you mean?” I said, “Isn’t it our job to produce as many loans as possible each month?”
To which my manager replied, “You just don’t get it. You see, the more loans we produce each month, the more the folks in the corporate office will expect us all to do every month.”
With great disappointment, I said, “Well, then how will the executives know I am doing a good job? How will I get promoted if I don’t get noticed through my high performance?”
This short exchange from my early career, reveals two fundamental ways people view work. Both of them are equally flawed — both are full of lies.
Many people see their work as a grinding drudgery, often frustrating and sometimes humiliating. They see themselves as pawns in a system without much value or opportunity to make a difference. This type of person devalues work and even their own contribution. Work is not fair is their motto. They may have learned this growing up or through a difficult work experience that did not value them as a person — either way this view is full of lies.
Others see work as a chance to get ahead. A means to build a future and a life. To show bosses and all who will pay attention that they have what it takes to succeed in an organization. This type of person puts too much esteem on work and over values their personal contributions. See me perform and promote me is their code. They may have learned this from mentors and experiences where they were promoted based on perceived performance and they began to see their value in terms of dollars and recognition.
While these two views are at opposite ends of the spectrum, they both are troublesome because they don’t have God or others in the proper places. Both of these false ways of viewing work have the person who believes them at the center.
Both of these views of work will leave us tired, worn down, hopeless, and without the peace we are meant to have.
Define Reality — The Fight
What we believe about work matters, and when we believe the wrong things, our actions will result in frustration and failure — even if it appears as if we are “succeeding”.
The truth is every moment is spiritual, and we are in a spiritual battle all the time — including at work.
There is a battle for your mind, heart, and soul taking place every day — all day.
In his book, Live No Lies, John Mark Comer demonstrates how this spiritual battle infiltrates our everyday lives. Comer’s working theory is this: As followers of Jesus, we are at war with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The forces that work against us often use the following pattern:
Comer says, “Two and a half millennia ago, in The Art of War, the Chinese military savant Sun Tzu gave this sagacious advice: ‘Know your enemy.’ That's the goal of this book: to unmask the face of our enemies and develop a strategy to fight back. Vive la résistance.”
Our enemy is the devil. Yes, evil is real, and we are in a battle every day in life and at work. Jesus calls the devil a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus says the devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10
Our own flesh cooperates with the devil when we see something we desire. Our desires can rule over us in every part of our lives, and this is particularly true at work.
“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” – 1 Timothy 6:9
The world is a formation machine and reinforces our desires in a way that makes them appear completely normal. Media, especially commercials, but also news, movies and sports, systems like socialism, capitalism, companies, our bosses, coworkers, friends and family, and even our churches can normalize things that are against the full life God designed us to have.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2
Call Out The Lies — They Are Not Reality For Long
Some of the lies people believe at work are:
- “Your work is a punishment and should be begrudged.”
- “Your work is just about you (or you and your family needs).”
- “Your work is a competition to get ahead of others.”
- “You have less value than others”
- “You should quit trying”
- “More money and power equal more happiness”
- “You get what you deserve.”
- “All of life is not spiritual, save that stuff for Sunday.”
- “The best things in life are earned.”
The counter truth to these lies appears in the first chapter of the Bible.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1:26-28
- Men and women are made in the image of God and have been given incredible value from the creator.
- We were made to rule and be co-creators for God and with God.
- We were made to multiply and fill the earth.
- We were made to subdue the earth and our everything under God’s lordship.
- All of life is spiritual — every moment of our lives is about God
Tim Keller asked this great question to help us understand God’s intent for our work, “Have you taken to heart the fact that, all work is dignity, all workers have dignity, all work is a calling from God?”
Offer Hope — Work For God
Jesus is the Truth. Jesus defines the reality of our work and offers hope for life on earth and life everlasting.
The Apostle Paul met Jesus face to face and was radically transformed by the grace, mercy, and love of Christ. Paul went from persecuting Jesus and His followers (Acts 9:4-5) to becoming Jesus’ chosen instrument to spread His way to the world. Inspired perfectly by the Holy Spirit, Paul taught about work this way.
All of life is spiritual. Once you know the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ, all of life is a response to God. The opportunities to worship God at work by serving others are endless.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” – Romans 12:1
Work for God not to please man — including yourself.
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.” – Ephesians 6:7-8
Work is not a competition, but an opportunity to serve like Jesus.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 2:3-5
You see, while my manager in Nashville may have had a far different approach to setting standards, he did something for me that was way more important. He modeled what it was like to be a humble servant of Christ. He served me and all of our teammates well — regardless of our performance.
He demonstrated how to be a blessing to our customers. He checked on me everyday, treated me as a valuable friend, and even bailed me out when I got into trouble. I thank God for his Christlike and hope-filled approach to work.