Character@Work

4 downloads 675 Views 884KB Size Report
Oct 9, 2016 - Integrity is a hot issue today. In a society where people feel like they can't trust anyone anymore, integ
1

Character@Work Character@Work: Walking the Talk in the Workplace

Walking the Talk in the Workplace

Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks! Dr. Brandon Park | October 9, 2016 When it comes to making your workplace your ministry, there is perhaps no greater example of When it comes to making your workplace your ministry, there is perhaps no greater example of this in the Bible than the life of Daniel. He worked for the pagan government of Babylon and because the Bible provides many insights into his work life, it enables us to “job shadow” him and learn some life lessons as to what it means to maintain your character at work – despite the odds. life lessons as to what it means to maintain your character at work – despite the odds. Character is defined as the sum of my _______________, public and private, consistently arranged across the entire spectrum of my life. arranged across the entire spectrum of my life. Integrity is a hot issue today. In a society where people feel like they can’t trust anyone anymore, integrity is a big deal. integrity is a big deal. Your daily decisions that you make will reveal whether or not you are a person of ________________ or ________________. Daniel illustrates what it takes to be a man of integrity rather than a man of compromise and conformity. There are ten lessons about his character we can rather than a man of compromise and conformity. There are ten lessons about his character we can learn from how he lived out his faith in the workplace. 1. Character results in your employer being able to _____________ you. Daniel 6:1-2, “Darius decided to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.” Daniel was immediately promoted because he had proven to Darius that he was a man who could be trusted. There is always a job for the man of integrity because everybody is looking for trustworthy people. If a man lacks ability, you can teach him job skills. But if a man lacks integrity, no amount of job training will make him a trustworthy person. Integrity has to come from within. 2. Character will ___________________ you in the crowd. Daniel 6:3, “Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm.” The man or woman who lives with integrity will always stand out. Integrity is “a high standard of living based on a personal code of morality that doesn’t succumb to the whim of the moment or the dictates of the majority.” Read Daniel 5:11-12. The Queen of Babylon had heard of Daniel’s reputation and said that he “had the spirit of the holy gods in him.” She didn’t know that he belonged to the One True God. As a Christian, God wants you to have character because you are to set the standard for everyone. (Think about that.) 3. Character will enable you to stand for your ______________________. In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar erects a 70 ft. tower and demands that everyone worship this image. Daniel wasn’t there at the time, but his three friends refused to compromise their convictions. Daniel 3:17-18, “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” Sometimes you will hear Christians ask this question: “Can I do this and still be a Christian?” Rather your question should be, “Because I am a Christian, what can I do to be closer to Him?” Whenever we face gray areas of life, there are four questions we should ask to know what to do: • Does it build me up ____________________? 1 Corinthians 10:23. • Does it bring me under its ____________________? 1 Corinthians 6:12 • Do I have an uneasy ____________________ about it? Romans 14:23 • Could it cause another Christian to _______________ in their faith? Romans 14:15 4. Character will allow you to be ___________________ in the eyes of men. Daniel 6:4, “The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.” Daniel had public integrity and he had financial integrity. One of the greatest tests of your integrity is how you handle somebody else’s money. These officials were looking for a way to bring him down.



People who have character have nothing to _________ and nothing to __________. 5. Character will preserve a ___________________ walk with God. Daniel’s accusers knew that they could not attack him because of a lack of faithfulness, so they decided to attack him because of his faith. Read Daniel 6:5-11. He had developed a consistent, personal walk with God—and that became the source of his integrity. Being always comes before doing. 1 John 2:15 says that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The love of the world is the “check engine light” that tells you that the love of the father is not in you. 6. Character will reveal its true nature in the fire of ____________________. Read Daniel 6:13-14; 20. If you want to know the level of your integrity, measure it when things are not going well. What you are really like can only be measured when your life is falling apart. We have been tempted to think that the most important part of the story is that Daniel survived the lion’s den. The most important part of the story is that Daniel’s integrity survived the lion’s den. 7. Character will ensure God’s _________________ with you in the midst of difficulty. Daniel 6:22, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king.” Integrity will give you God’s presence in the midst of trials. It may not keep you from the lion’s den, but it will keep you from going there alone. 8. Character will give you God’s ___________________. Daniel 6:22, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king.” Daniel had done what was right both in the sight of God and in the sight of the king and God vindicated him by protecting him from the lions. The King had Daniel’s accusers thrown into the lion’s den instead. When you are a man or woman of character, God deals with your enemies for you (Romans 12:19). God fights your battles for you. You just keep doing the right thing and God will vindicate you. “The one who lives with integrity lives securely” (Proverbs 10:9). 9. Character draws ________________ to the ___________ whom you serve. Daniel 6:26-27, “I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end. He rescues and delivers; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” When you live in integrity, God will be glorified. That pagan king got a lesson in theology that day. Daniel changed the spiritual nature of a country without even preaching a sermon. Because of the stand Daniel took, the King issued a decree throughout all of Babylon that the God of the Bible should be worshipped and feared. 10. Character will ultimately bring you ___________________. Daniel 6:28, “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Success is defined as “progressing in the will of God for your life.” Integrity will bring you success (in God’s eyes). Daniel enjoyed success not only under that current king, but also under the next, King Cyrus.



1

Character@Work Character@Work: Walking the Talk in the Workplace

Walking the Talk in the Workplace

Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks! Dr. Brandon Park | October 9, 2016 When it comes to making your workplace your ministry, there is perhaps no greater example of When it comes to making your workplace your ministry, there is perhaps no greater example of this in the Bible than the life of Daniel. He worked for the pagan government of Babylon and because the Bible provides many insights into his work life, it enables us to “job shadow” him and learn some life lessons as to what it means to maintain your character at work – despite the odds. life lessons as to what it means to maintain your character at work – despite the odds. behaviors Character is defined as the sum of my _______________, public and private, consistently arranged across the entire spectrum of my life. arranged across the entire spectrum of my life. Integrity is a hot issue today. In a society where people feel like they can’t trust anyone anymore, integrity is a big deal. integrity is a big deal. Your daily decisions that you make will reveal whether or not you are a person of character compromise ________________ or ________________. Daniel illustrates what it takes to be a man of integrity rather than a man of compromise and conformity. There are ten lessons about his character we can rather than a man of compromise and conformity. There are ten lessons about his character we can learn from how he lived out his faith in the workplace. trust 1. Character results in your employer being able to _____________ you. Daniel 6:1-2, “Darius decided to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.” Daniel was immediately promoted because he had proven to Darius that he was a man who could be trusted. There is always a job for the man of integrity because everybody is looking for trustworthy people. If a man lacks ability, you can teach him job skills. But if a man lacks integrity, no amount of job training will make him a trustworthy person. Integrity has to come from within. distinguish 2. Character will ___________________ you in the crowd. Daniel 6:3, “Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm.” The man or woman who lives with integrity will always stand out. Integrity is “a high standard of living based on a personal code of morality that doesn’t succumb to the whim of the moment or the dictates of the majority.” Read Daniel 5:11-12. The Queen of Babylon had heard of Daniel’s reputation and said that he “had the spirit of the holy gods in him.” She didn’t know that he belonged to the One True God. As a Christian, God wants you to have character because you are to set the standard for everyone. (Think about that.) convictions 3. Character will enable you to stand for your ______________________. In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar erects a 70 ft. tower and demands that everyone worship this image. Daniel wasn’t there at the time, but his three friends refused to compromise their convictions. Daniel 3:17-18, “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.” Sometimes you will hear Christians ask this question: “Can I do this and still be a Christian?” Rather your question should be, “Because I am a Christian, what can I do to be closer to Him?” Whenever we face gray areas of life, there are four questions we should ask to know what to do: spiritually • Does it build me up ____________________? 1 Corinthians 10:23. power • Does it bring me under its ____________________? 1 Corinthians 6:12 conscience • Do I have an uneasy ____________________ about it? Romans 14:23 stumble • Could it cause another Christian to _______________ in their faith? Romans 14:15 blameless 4. Character will allow you to be ___________________ in the eyes of men. Daniel 6:4, “The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.” Daniel had public integrity and he had financial integrity. One of the greatest tests of your integrity is how you handle somebody else’s money. These officials were looking for a way to bring him down.



hide fear People who have character have nothing to _________ and nothing to __________. consistent 5. Character will preserve a ___________________ walk with God. Daniel’s accusers knew that they could not attack him because of a lack of faithfulness, so they decided to attack him because of his faith. Read Daniel 6:5-11. He had developed a consistent, personal walk with God—and that became the source of his integrity. Being always comes before doing. 1 John 2:15 says that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The love of the world is the “check engine light” that tells you that the love of the father is not in you. adversity 6. Character will reveal its true nature in the fire of ____________________. Read Daniel 6:13-14; 20. If you want to know the level of your integrity, measure it when things are not going well. What you are really like can only be measured when your life is falling apart. We have been tempted to think that the most important part of the story is that Daniel survived the lion’s den. The most important part of the story is that Daniel’s integrity survived the lion’s den. 7. Character will ensure God’s _________________ with you in the midst of difficulty. presence Daniel 6:22, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king.” Integrity will give you God’s presence in the midst of trials. It may not keep you from the lion’s den, but it will keep you from going there alone. protection 8. Character will give you God’s ___________________. Daniel 6:22, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king.” Daniel had done what was right both in the sight of God and in the sight of the king and God vindicated him by protecting him from the lions. The King had Daniel’s accusers thrown into the lion’s den instead. When you are a man or woman of character, God deals with your enemies for you (Romans 12:19). God fights your battles for you. You just keep doing the right thing and God will vindicate you. “The one who lives with integrity lives securely” (Proverbs 10:9). attention God 9. Character draws ________________ to the ___________ whom you serve. Daniel 6:26-27, “I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end. He rescues and delivers; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” When you live in integrity, God will be glorified. That pagan king got a lesson in theology that day. Daniel changed the spiritual nature of a country without even preaching a sermon. Because of the stand Daniel took, the King issued a decree throughout all of Babylon that the God of the Bible should be worshipped and feared. success 10. Character will ultimately bring you ___________________. Daniel 6:28, “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Success is defined as “progressing in the will of God for your life.” Integrity will bring you success (in God’s eyes). Daniel enjoyed success not only under that current king, but also under the next, King Cyrus.