May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17
“Most of the teaching on the integration of faith and work emphasizes the importance of cultivating personal righteousness in the context of our daily labor. That’s understandable given the considerable ethical perils of the contemporary workplace…In this setting, [the righteous] seek to heed the Apostle Paul’s call to “shine like stars in the universe” through their intentional, diligent, prayerful pursuit of holiness (Philippians 2:15)…
Other times, the greatest challenges on the job relate less to persecution and trial than to the temptation to follow success. As believers enjoy promotions, the worldly rewards of labor increase. Salaries go up. Titles and offices become more prestigious. Such earthly joys can beguile congregants’ hearts, dulling resistance to pride, consumerism, and self-indulgence. Congregational leaders must warn their flocks of these dangers.”
Amy Sherman in Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good (Downers Grove: IVP, 2011) 52-53.
To integrate our faith and work means that we avoid the ethical perils on the job, while also avoiding the pitfalls that come with success. The former are easier traps to spot than the latter ones. As the retreat draws to a close, I send the men forth with the blessing from today’s Scripture and to charge them to avoid both traps as they return to work. Warn those you serve of these traps as well, as both will seek to hinder generosity. One pitfall seeks to thwart our service for God and the other tries to limit our support of the things God cares about.