The Christian Working Woman Mary Lowman

No doubt you’ve heard and sung the old familiar chorus: I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back. It’s a good song to sing to yourself throughout your day. It reminds you that you have made a choice to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and keeping that in your mind at all times will help you remember who you are: a Christ-follower.



For those of us who are Christ-followers, we need to be aware of what Jesus taught us concerning how we live our lives. Jesus gave us some clear principles as to how we live out our faith on our jobs. The parable of the talents, as given in Matthew 25, is a very strong teaching Jesus gave us about how we manage our time and opportunities. Three people are given differing amounts to work with: one five talents, one two, and one received only one talent.



As Jesus tells the story:

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more (Matthew 25:16-17).

Right away, one of the lessons Jesus teaches us in this parable is he expects us to work at multiplying our resources, our opportunities—to make the most of what we’ve been given. And we should get right to it—no lollygagging, no wasting time.



Are you working by this Jesus rule—to do the absolute most with what you have? Maybe you have a job that is not challenging to you; maybe you’ve been doing the same job for years, and you’re just in that old familiar rut. You do what you have to do, but that’s it. If you want to work by Jesus rules, you need to get out of that rut and start finding ways to do more with what you have.



It’s easy to just stay in our ruts, isn’t it? This year we celebrate forty years since this ministry began its first radio broadcast in 1984. Many times, during these years I’ve had to get myself out of a rut—of just doing it the way I’ve always done it. You have to be intentional about getting out of your rut and becoming creative. How about having a brainstorming or strategic planning session with others, to just think about better ways to do what you’re doing? I find that is a really good way to put some fun back in the job and do more with what you’ve been given.

Working by Jesus Rules—that’s what I’m examining. If you and I are truly Christ-followers, people who have accepted him as our Savior, then we need to understand Jesus gave us rules and guidelines for our attitudes and actions on our jobs. We need to know the Jesus rules.



In Matthew 21, Jesus tells the parable of the two sons. The father told the first son to go work in the vineyard, and that son refused to go, but later he changed his mind and went. The second son agreed to go, but then he didn’t go. Jesus asked, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” Obviously the first son did what his father asked.



One of the things this parable teaches us is we should walk our talk. The second son gave the right answer, he looked and sounded good, but he failed to deliver. He was all talk and no walk. A good rule of thumb is under promise and over deliver. That’s what the first son did. He delivered more than he promised. His talk wasn’t very impressive, but he went out and got the work done.



Have you known people who could talk a good game but never put the elbow-grease behind their talk? They were lazy and just loved to hear themselves talk. I think many times they actually believe their own talk, but somehow, they never produce. I’d rather have a quiet, hard-working, no-nonsense worker any day than a smooth talker.



Are you a reliable person in your job? Does your boss know you can be depended on to do the job and do it right? That’s working by Jesus rules. You may not be the smartest or the fastest person on the job, but you can always be the most dependable and the hardest working. One way to make a lasting good impression is to be the kind of person who doesn’t have to be watched or reminded. It’s a joy to have workers who are so dependable you never have to follow-up and stay on their case. You just know they will do what you asked, and they’ll do it as quickly as they can.



We represent Jesus Christ on our jobs, and one of our trademarks should be we walk our talk.

Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 20 that is a puzzle for us to understand. It’s the story of an employer who offers to hire workers for a certain amount, the workers agree to the pay, and they go to work in his vineyard. Some start work early in the morning and work all day; others are hired throughout the day; and finally at five o’clock this employer hires even more people to come and work in the vineyard.



At the end of the workday, the employer pays them the exact same amount, even though some have worked twelve hours, some ten, and some just one hour. Well, as you can understand, those who worked the entire day were not happy campers.

When they received it (the pay they had agreed to), they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day’ (Matthew 20:11-12).

And as Jesus tells this parable, this is how the landowner responds:

But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ (Matthew 20:13-15).

I’m examining working by Jesus rules, the rules that apply to those of us who are Christ-followers and who want to please Jesus. And his message here is we are to work without envy. We are not to envy what others get or have or do. Envy will eat you alive.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones (Proverbs 14:30).

Is there some envy in your heart today—toward coworkers or others? It will rot your bones—destroy your health, shorten your life. If you want to work by Jesus rules, then you need to clean out the envy in your heart. Believe me, you’ll be so glad you did.

I remember as I was putting the finishing touches on one of my Bible studies, I asked several people to critique it for me. I had enough sense to know that I needed other eyes looking at it, seeing what I couldn't see, if I really wanted that Bible study to be as good as it could be. But frankly, I didn't want to hear the criticisms I had solicited. And I had to fight with everything in me to keep from being defensive as suggestions were made to improve the study.



Now, if I feel that way about solicited criticisms, you can imagine how I react to unsolicited criticisms. It is a very hard thing for me to handle—I have to be honest with you. Reviews of my books frighten me; I have to make myself read them. I fear they will be negative, and that would be painful. I can relate with Job who said in Job 6:24-25: Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. How painful are honest words. It seems Job had the same type of reaction to criticism that I do.



Well, it's a weakness, and it's one I must overcome. Because I need good honest criticism, I need input from others so I can improve, so I can avoid making the same mistakes all the time, so I can see myself and how others perceive me more accurately. I NEED IT, but I don't want it.



How would you rate yourself when it comes to handling criticism? Would your score, like mine, be on the low side? Well, how can we improve? We don't have to be this way forever. Jesus has victory for us in every area, and that includes handling criticism. So, let's talk about it.



Handling criticism well is a sign of maturity, both spiritual and emotional maturity. I'm discovering that as I am more and more confident of who I am in Christ and how much he loves me, the better I am at accepting criticism. As I grow spiritually with God, I also grow emotionally. Have you ever thought about that? The two go hand-in-hand.



Spiritual growth—knowing who God is and how we relate to him and how he relates to us—brings emotional growth. So, I notice that as I spend time getting to know God, immersing myself in God's Word, and filling my mind with his thoughts, my emotional weaknesses begin to improve. So, as in every other area of our lives, the starting point for learning to handle criticism well is to get to know God better, spending time in his Word, communicating with him regularly and growing continually in our understanding of God and our faith.



And then, if we're going to learn to handle criticism correctly, we've got to have the right attitude toward it. If we look at it as something negative, then obviously we'll handle it poorly. It reminds me of my first job in sales with IBM. We weren't allowed to have problems; we were instead faced with many opportunities! A positive outlook on any situation can make a huge difference in how we react.



If you can learn to think of criticism as a helpful tool in your life which can accelerate your own growth and learning curve, then that takes a lot of the pain out of criticism and gives you a good starting place for handling it correctly. So, the next time a criticism comes your way, send up a quick silent prayer and ask the Lord to help you see this as an instrument of good in your life. That way you can turn the pain into gain. Yes, the criticism was painful, but now you can make a painful experience a stair-step towards improvement, so you don't suffer for nothing! That makes sense, doesn't it?



What else can you do to teach yourself to handle criticism better? Well, you surely need to pray that God will give you a teachable heart and make you able to accept criticism appropriately. That's always a necessity for us as Christians when we recognize an area in our life that needs strengthening. We read in 1 Corinthians 11:31 that "if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.

Do you know how to motivate people? The ability to motivate people and inspire them is absolutely essential if you want to be an effective leader. Even as leaders in our homes, we need to know how to motivate our children and even our mates.



When I speak of motivation, I want to be clear I’m not speaking about manipulation. Trying to manipulate people to do what we want them to do is deceptive and wrong. But if we’re doing something worthwhile and we need others to come alongside, then we must learn how to motivate them so they will take ownership and want to succeed with us.



We’ve looked at a few principles from the life of Nehemiah. He was called by God to do a monumental task—rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem. Obviously, he needed help, and he had to find a way to motivate the few Jews that were left to undertake this huge project.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So, they began this good work (Nehemiah 2:17-18).

Nehemiah presented the problem to them and underscored the fact it was a disgrace to them for the walls of Jerusalem to be in ruins. He assures them of God’s guidance in this task and challenges them to join him in rebuilding the wall. And they readily agreed.



In motivating others, we must always present the challenge and the benefit. I find people really love to be challenged, to push the envelope and do what looks difficult or impossible. Presented in the right way, it will motivate people to join with you, provided they can see the need and the benefit.



Nehemiah told them what they already knew—that the ruined wall of Jerusalem was a disgrace to their nation. He motivated them through patriotism and loyalty to God. Once they shared Nehemiah’s vision, they were willing to commit themselves to rebuild the wall.



Ask God to show you how to motivate others appropriately, how to cast the vision, and make the rewards and benefits obvious. It is a very important characteristic of an effective leader.

Do you know how to keep a secret? We are examining some principles from Nehemiah because he was a very successful leader and motivator, as well as a very godly man. And we can learn much from him.



One of his secrets of success was he knew how to keep a secret. After asking for and receiving permission from his boss, King Artaxerxes, to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls, he arrives there to do this seemingly impossible task. In chapter two verse twelve we read,

I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:12).

Now why was it important for Nehemiah to keep his own confidence? If he had ridden into Jerusalem and started pronouncing to everyone his intention to rebuild the broken walls, they would have thought he was mad. Who did he think he was anyway? He realized this had to be approached very wisely and carefully, and he had to show the people it could be done. He needed a plan and he needed to take his time to do it right. He kept his mouth shut until the appropriate time.

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin (Proverbs 13:3).



Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity (Proverbs 21:23).



A trustworthy person keeps a secret (Proverbs 11:13).

Speaking rashly always leads to regrets. How many times have you wanted to cut your tongue out because you said something rashly, told something you should have kept in confidence or said something that was not carefully thought-out? It is so true guarding our mouths will keep us from calamity.



Nehemiah could have destroyed any possibility of rebuilding that wall—doing what God had called him to do—if he had not controlled his tongue and kept his own confidence until the time was appropriate. We can benefit greatly by following his example.