Can a Christian be successful professionally and spiritually? How can a Christian be salt and light You follow me!” (John 21:22).
Winning the Christian Race in Your Workplace |
God disqualifies Christian athletes when they run in the
wrong lane. A runner might have a lane preference, but if he or
she changes lanes during the race it will result in disqualification. The other lane might be a job where the grass looks greener on
the other side or one that our “successful” neighbor has. But some
open doors are trap doors becaus
e they are out of harmony with
the will of God! In one instance, after Jesus told Peter that he would be
martyred for his faith, Peter asked Jesus about John, the disciple
that Jesus loved in a special way, about his future. Jesus’ response
to Peter was, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that
to you? It was His way of telling
Peter to run the race in the lane he had been assigned. God disqualifies the Christian athlete who is only half-hearted
or lukewarm in his effort much in the way that He spewed the
Laodicean Church in Revelation chapter three out of His mouth
for their lukewarm commitment to Christian training. In this
context Paul is saying that a hot or cold Christian athlete is more
useful and valuable than a tepid, tap water one. While hot water
has medicinal purposes and cold water is refreshing, so too, we are
to be a passionate and refreshing ambassador of God’s grace. The
tepid water of Laodicea was useless and distasteful to its citizens
and visitors—not an attractive feature for their tourism brochure! David, a lukewarm believer at times, wrote, “For my iniquities
are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much
for me” (Ps. 38:4). A clear conscience is like wearing a lightweight
outfit while maintaining a low weight. Doing so increases the
Christian athlete’s endurance helping ensure a strong finish in
the race of life. In contrast, Christian athletes burdened by the weight of
worry, guilt, bitterness, jealousy, pride, anger, lust, or greed, are
unlikely to ever reach their fullest potential. An athlete’s’ mental
and emotional state are crucial factors in their ability to perform. The same is true of Christian athletes in the workplace.
| David Fanning
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