Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Robert Ricciardelli

Home
About

Home
New Visions
Jesus, Jobs, and Money by Gerald Chester

Jesus, Jobs, and Money by Gerald Chester

Last updated on: January 16, 2012 at 4:07 pm by editorconvergingzone

Jesus, Jobs, and Money by Gerald Chester 2012-01-16T16:07:31-08:00 editorconvergingzone

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4 NIV)

For most of us, jobs are the way we make money, and money is a high priority for us so that we can live the way we want to live, that is, doing our will according to our ways.

Many of us view jobs as little more than a necessary evil. If we didn’t have to make money, we probably would not pursue getting a job. Given this reality, a major criterion of job selection must be money.

Another major criterion of job selection is retirement. The pedestrian thinking is that a person needs to make as much money as possible as fast as possible so that he or she can retire as soon as possible. Retirement is often viewed as the ultimate state because in retirement, we can do our will according to our ways.

Barring the return of Christ, physical death is the end of life on earth for all of us, but this truth seems to have little impact on our views of jobs and money. Consequently, most people don’t live strategically in light of their death. Jobs and money, therefore, are tools to enable us to do our will according to our ways with little thought to ultimate eternal reality.

Ever wonder how Jesus viewed jobs and money?

Jesus, unlike most of us, was not inflicted with myopic unreality. Jesus was keenly aware that he was sent to earth on a mission. He knew that he had a beginning and an end. His agenda in life was not about money and retirement; he was here to complete his mission. He did not live as we do, seeking to do our will and our ways; he was committed to living according to God’s will and ways. He lived to please the Father in all that he did.

Jesus knew the reality of the Proverbs 11:4. He knew that, in the end, money is worthless and is therefore not true wealth. True wealth is righteousness (living according to the will and ways of God). Money is simply a tool to facilitate righteousness.

A person who understands this truth can view his or her life as a divinely ordained mission. Jobs and money are simply tools to enable us to fulfill our missions, not the definers of our missions. The definer of our missions is God alone.

Here is your business tip. Find your mission in life, that is, the work that God created you to do. If you are an organizational leader, seek to discover the divinely ordained mission of your organization. Then build your organization with people who view their lives as divinely ordained missions. For such people, jobs and money are tools to facilitate the will and ways of God. True wealth is righteousness, and true success is obediently completing your mission in life both personally and organizationally. A key to building great organizations that deliver great value propositions is building with people who work out of a sense of mission.

Listen to Dr. Chester’s presentation on:

“Jesus, Jobs, and Money”

Available either as a PodCast or audio download.

Click here to subscribe.

Click here to download.

972 473-8655 USA

http://StrategiesWork.com

Previous Post

January 15, 2012

Living For Something Rather than Against by Robert Ricciardelli

Next Post

January 16, 2012 Safety Dance With God by Robert Ricciardelli

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Arts & Entertainment Business Coach Robert Coaching Community Education Faith Family/Relationships Government Health History/Biography Leadership Marriage Mindset Musings Science Technology

Select a Month June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many days did Jesus fast in the wilderness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

40 12 30 7