“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”
(Jer 17:7-8)

As we lead in the workplace, we discover that God is not only a powerful God, the Lord of Hosts, who is with us, but that God is also a personal God, the God of Jacob, who is our refuge.

 

Some of the people we lead, may not recognize the existence of God, or if they believe in his existence, they may have never entered into a saving relationship with Him. We may work in a city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled. We may work amongst people who obey no one and accept no correction. We may lead people who do not trust in the Lord, nor draw near to God. We may work with officials who are roaring lions; and rulers who are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. Never forget our Lord is in the middle of our work environment. Never forget that Jesus
is righteous. Never forget that Jesus does no wrong, and that morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail (Zeph 3:1-5).

In any work environment, you can be like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God! How? By trusting in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever (Psalm 52:8).

For us to flourish as leaders, we need to be like a tree planted by the streams of water, with our roots going down deep into God’s love, grace, holiness, and righteousness. Only then can we consistently in every situation be quietly confident in our identity in Christ as we lead, shepherd, and shelter the team God entrusted us to lead.

No workplace can “out-reality” God! Prayer is the primary action in which we cultivate awareness of God’s unattended and unperceived reality in the middle of chaos and deadlines.

“Without silence and solitude with God, said Nouwen, we remain unconvinced of our worth. Instead we will live each day striving for affirmation, praise , and success. Rather than being set free to love others, we will be endlessly seeking to prove our own value.  We will labor to water our gardens by drawing buckets from the world’s empty wells.  In the end this leads not to love, but to a dry and weary existence.”[1]

Life with God, in silent solitude with him, is what fuels an engine of love within us – love that is courageous, generous, and unending for the team we lead.[2]

Thought for the day

How does God’s love, grace, holiness and righteousness, enable you to flourish today?

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for your love, grace, holiness, and righteousness. I cannot lead this team on my own. Fill my heart with your courageous, generous and unending love for the people I work with. Amen.

[1] Jethani, Skye. With: Reimagining The Way You Relate To God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011) : 161

[2] Jethani, Skye. With: Reimagining The Way You Relate To God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011) : 163