Marketplace Faith
To What End?
“What’s the point?” This is a question many of us ask about work. Politics, long hours, conflict with colleagues, financial stress, job insecurity, they all sap our sense of purpose. Yet even in the face of these very real challenges, Jesus offers us something more.
The Kingdom Overlay
Jesus primary message when he was on earth centered on the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom, the realm where God reigns, was accessible, accessible now as a spiritual reality, accessible to all no matter their religious pedigree. The ethics, forgiveness, and power of the kingdom become an overlay through which to view life in this world. We live in between a clash of spiritual empires and we are invited to align ourselves with the winning side. But how?
Pastor and Financial Advisor and the Kingdom
My friend Peter Roselle is a financial advisor at a national investment firm and the founder of King of Kings Worship Center. He has been both a full-time wealth manager and a full-time pastor for many years. Here’s Peter’s top 10 list when it comes to seeking the Kingdom in the context of our work.
1) We work for the Lord, not our companies or our particular boss; we answer to a higher authority than the company “Code of Ethics” – when it comes to our behavior, we must be above reproach.
2) Your aspiration as a Christian in a secular setting is to be a valued team contributor with peer respect / acceptance without compromising your values – ask the Lord to help you love the sinner without normalizing the sin.
3) Your job is not just a way to get a paycheck, it can be a calling, a way for you to express the package of gifts God has given to you – if you don’t love your job ask God to increase your love – bloom where you are planted.
4) You are an ambassador for Christ in the marketplace, His representative. As you develop the character of Christ you become a reflection of how He would handle the ebb and flow of daily decisions with integrity
5) Through the Holy Spirit, you will receive solutions to problems at work that might evade people with a secular worldview – He is The Creator and will make His sons and daughters “creative problem solvers”.
6) As you conduct yourself with integrity you will find favor and promotion – people may become jealous – as you avoid the landmines of prideful responses through humility you will gain even more favor.
7) Christians in the marketplace should be highly gifted in relational skills – great listeners, high emotional intelligence, strong team leadership, able to manage group dynamics – God is in the people business, we need to major in this.
8) You are leading by example more than your realize – people are watching, more is “caught than taught”, you are navigating life with your compass pinned to true north – they are not – you are an “open epistle read by men”.
9) Be proactive about building relationships with co-workers, find common interests – apply the “ask, seek and knock” principle – ask the Lord for the keys to the hearts of your co-workers, seek them out and knock on their doors.
10) Live by the platinum rule – the golden rule says, “treat them the way you would want to be treated” – platinum is “Lord let me know what it is like to be THEM and let me treat them the way THEY want to be treated”.
How About You?
As you consider Peter’s insights, what are areas of strength and areas for improvement?
How can you tune up your sense of purpose based on this list?
About the Author: Dr. Chip Roper writes Marketplace Faith from New York City, where he is the director of Marketplace Engagement at the New York City Leadership Center. Chip is convinced that a central piece of God’s plan for any city or community is the work that people do each day. You can learn more about him here. Chip is available for speaking, consulting, and coaching engagements. Inquire via email: croper@nycleadership.com.
pic: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T68z8bRTSf0/hqdefault.jpg, free use from YouTube
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