Christian Men at Work Podcast Dave Hilgendorf

Phil 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things"
During my self-help days, I often heard "You are what you think about all day long"
or as it says in proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he"
What should we think about, or focus on, in this life?
Our highest priority should be the unseen holy, set apart things, namely God and the things of God. The word for holy spirit or set apart in Hebrew is Kadosh
Col 3:2 says "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."
Joshua 1:8 says "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night"
Psalm 119:97 "Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day"
I used to think that when the Bible talked about meditating, or thinking, about His Word all day long, it didn’t literally mean all day, but now I’m not so sure. I’m finding the more I focus on God the more I’m truly living.
In the Torah it encourages us to think about His word throughout our day
In Deut 6:6-9 says "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Number 15:39-41says "And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40 and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”
Lesser in value than the set apart kadosh things that are unseen but still having great value are those things that are seen but also set apart. What we experience with our 5 senses. You could say our natural reality.
Traditions in Judaism include saying prayers the moment you wake, when you walk to the bathroom, etc
By doing so we are making our natural world set apart or kadosh, not totally of course, since we are in a fallen world.
Gnosticism was a set of beliefs focused on knowledge and considered things natural to be avoided.
I believe by coming to earth and taking on flesh, in addition to the important work of providing the necessary sinless sacrifice, Jesus also demonstrated the importance of us living in our natural reality.
Also God wanted the tabernacle and then the temple to be made by human hands, and for us to it holy, even though they were types of the temple in the unseen realm.
There a number of Songs with the theme “this is not my home” or "this world is not my home" which capture this idea. I've also heard of the hotel analogy.  Our life here is like staying in a hotel room but our true home will come after our death.
That hotel room still has a purpose for us and is to be used and appreciated.
If you want to go deeper on the concept of the unseen realm check out the book "The unseen realm" by Michael Heiser who died last last year. Also the Naked Truth podcast.
So what are lesser thoughts or things we should avoid focusing on?
Things of this world that do not honor God, that Satan has twisted and perverted. This can include things we might consider wholesome and good and G rated, but if focus on them too much, relying on them or making an idol of them, they become unholy and forbidden.
There is another category of things to avoid, in my opinion even worse than the things of this wo

52 minutes.  One measure of a man and his life.
 
Red was the name he went by, from the color of his hair, but his name was Roger.
 
I met Red early on in my current job.
 
Our paths crossed due to our work, but we connected and enjoyed our time together based on our common love for God, for family, and for conservative politics.
While my shift away from focusing on politics change in recent years and I haven't been assigned jobs that had me working with Red as often, we still had a bond and I always enjoyed seeing him and even more so talking with him.
Red worked for a contracting firm that did work at the factory where I work.  Because of the constant need for repairs, maintenance and new equipments installations, Red was what was considered a resident contractor, meaning he wasn't an employee of the company but was there every day just as if he was one.  Just about everyone who knew him at work though of him as not just an employee but as family to some degree.
That's partly because of what he did, but more because of who he was.
What he did was do mechanical work at a level of excellence I haven't seen with anyone else I've worked with.  Red combined a high work ethic with skill, dedication, patience and a gentle spirit.  He never blamed anyone.  He took responsibility and he focused on what needed to get done not who got the credit.
He worked for his company for over 50 years and worked at our plant for over 20 years.  He was committed to his wife for life and to his kids and grandkids.
Red was a constant in a changing world.  He was often being assigned a partner with much less experience than him. With each one, I saw him intentionally try to pass along his knowledge to the less skilled person, along with patience and kindness.
Red recently died tragically.  The visitation and funeral were not far from the plant where I work so I decided to at least attend the funeral and pay my respects.
As I entered the funeral home I instantly heard the quiet buzz of chatter and hushed tones.  Then I saw the line.  I stretched throughout multiple hallways and was the path to meet and greet Red's family.  While in line I enjoyed sharing stories with others who appreciated Red.  No-one was there out of obligation.  They were there because they loved, at some level, the man everyone knew as Red.
52 minutes I waited in line to share with Red's wife, brother and children how much Red meant to me.
Red more than anyone else exemplified glorifying God through his work, while also cherishing his family.  He also demonstrated having convictions while not being divisive more than perhaps anyone I know.
The world and my workplace is not the same, and won't be the same, without Red.  I look forward to being with him in the glory that is to come, and cant' wait to see the great work the Father has in store for Him there.

And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord  gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job 1:21
If we recognize the Father is the filter between us and any blessings in our lives, whether material or otherwise, we will have the proper perspective.
In Ecc Solomon talks about how our material things will pass on to others and not go with us when we die. We are truly stewards not owners of the things in our lives. As my Pastor says if we think we own our house and there’s no mortgage try not paying your taxes and see how long you own that house. I’m going through a separation process with the potential for a divorce and one of the many lessons I’ve learned through that process is how quickly material things can change and be taken from us as well as how unimportant they are compared to our relationships.
Recognizing our Father as a filter between us and the material things in our lives will help us have a better perspective on these things and prevent us from making idols of them or seeking our security in them.
 If we’re feeling thankful for our job, direct that thanks to Him. If we have a complaint about our job, complain to Him and ask Him to show You how you should properly think about that issue and how He may be working things for good through that issue.
 

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written,  ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’  ”
Luke 4:8
Yeshua says to Satan here that we should only serve Yah, and yet Yeshua demonstrated serving others and called us to do the same.
Friend when serving wife says it’s for Him not her
Don’t have to keep score who’s giving more if we’re filtering our service through the Father, if we’re considering all of our service being for Him not others, though others may benefit from that service
My challenge for you in your work this week is to check in with yourself at lunchtime each day and think about the ways you served over the last 24 hours through your work, think about who you served.  Was it an individual, your employer?  If you can't honestly say you were primarily serving your Father, think about how your heart would have been different and how your service might have been different if you had.  Commit to Father Filtering over the next 24 hours.
 

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit “ Prov 18:21
“a fool’s voice is known by his many words.”
Ecclesiastes 5:3
“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise” - Prov 10:19
James 1:19 says " let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;"
In corporate prayer my Pastor Julio Calderon challenged us to make sure that anything we say that day be more beautiful than silence
I've talked in the past many times about the power of our speech, particularly in our work.
One thing I don't I have discussed, however, is the power of the Father Filter in reverse.  Not only should we filter what we are about to say, we should also filter what we hear.
If someone speaks something to you and your instinct, your fleshly response, it to be offended by it, try to instead filter what they've said through Your Father and His Word.
If what someone is saying is true based on what God has to say about, even if it's paintful your correct response very well may be to say "I'm sorry, please forgive me, please pray for me, I'll try not to do that again".
if what someone has said is NOT true, or only half a truth, filter out the portion that is not true and, if possibly try not to let it bother.  Don't defend yourself or react negatively, just let it roll off your back.  I realize that it's easier said than done especially when you've conditioned to react to certain negative things spoke over you, but I believe this is so important that it's worth us trying to intentionally change the way we filter what we hear about ourselves and others.
Here are my three challenges I have for you this week in your work to apply Father Filtering with your speech, and if you want you can simplify by just picking one of the 3 to make it easier to apply:
1. Try to apply active listening technique with at least one person, specifically do not interrupt the person who's talking, and if you do, only repeat back to them what you think you heard they just said to you and them to confirm it's correct.   Resist the urge to share your wisdom, limit your speech to questions
2. Check in with your self lunch time every day and ask your self, did I speak more life or death with my words that morning?  Was what I said more beautiful than silence?
3. Next time someone says something to you at work our outside of work that is painful and that you want to react to defending yourself, ask the Father to show you what is true and what is not true.  If it's true, apologize, if it's not true don't react and let it go.  You may need some time in-between when you hear these words and your response and that may be best.

Father Filter
4 parts: Sight, Speech, Service, Being Content
Each will be brief but felt best to split them up so you could focus on each specific topic and make an application in your life rather than taking them all on at once.
Term I heard from Dr Joe Martin
Beyond “what would Jesus do” and trying to be like Him, but rather about literally partnering with Him in our walk here in the flesh as justified but ongoing sanctified children of Yah
Josh 1:9 says "do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”"
As believers, we all recognize that God exists and that He's always with us, but since most of us are not hearing an audible voice from Him, we may wonder sometimes what His constant presence in our lives means and looks like.
One way I've begun to understand His presence is through this concept of Father Filtering.  It recognizes God's presence while also recognizing our free will and the role we play in how God is part of our daily journey.
God is the perfect filter.  He is holy.  He is perfect.  
Jer 29:13 says "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  What I'm going to be talking about with Father Filtering is not a passive activity.  We have to recognize God's presence in our lives and intentionally seek His will, or you could say His filter for every part of our lives, what we consider the big stuff and the little stuff.
It's interesting when I did a search to look up this chapter and verse to quote since I remembered the verse but not the location, a 2nd verse also showed up from Ecc 2:3 "I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly".  What an interesting contrast between how Solomon search in his own heart how to gratify his flesh, vs what we're going to talk about which is seeking our Father's heart instead of our own.
Jer 17:9 says "“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" We can't trust our heart, we can completely trust the heart of our Father.
Sight
“Not Even a Hint” by Joshua Harris based on Eph 5:3 "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people".  He defines lust as craving sexually what God has forbidden, or to want what you don't have and weren't meant to have.  God's standard with regard to lust is spelled out clearly in Eph 3, He desires that we no lust whatsoever, not even a hint.
Though lust is a heart issue, our eyes or sight, particularly with men, are often a part of it.
As Joshua Harris says in his book "Lust tells you lies, the truth sets you free"
Song by Leland says “what are you doing when nobody’s watching”. With Father filtering it’s more than just knowing our Father sees all that we do and look at with our eyes, as a Father who is outside of us (which He is), but rather recognizing His Holy Spirit is inside of us as well and inviting Him to filter what we see.
This can lead us to make different choices like not looking with lust at women, can also help us see others with more compassion, empathy and kindness. To see others and circumstances with His eyes.
Work application - women at work your tempted to look at with lust?  Are there co-workers tend to look own upon or with judgment, seeing their flaws and not their pain?  Start Father Filtering what you see at your job this week and see how it changes your heart.