Philippians 1.27-28
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.”
The new life to which the Lord calls us is a particular kind of life. There are principles, commandments, and standards which we are called to follow. Once we have trusted in Christ, the next step of faith is to obey his commands. As Jesus says in the gospel of John, our obedience to him is a reflection of our love for him.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14.15)
The Lord’s admonition for us to live in accordance with his standards is quite different than how the world approaches this topic. We live and work in a world of competitive performance and achievement. Whether sports or business or entertainment, we are constantly being evaluated. If we perform up to expectations, we are praised. If we perform below expectations, we are criticized. It is relentless, non-stop scrutiny and commentary.
In reaction to this competitive environment, many people seek their identity based on how they perform and what they achieve. If they do well and achieve much, they feel good about themselves. If they do poorly and achieve less than expected, they feel bad about themselves. Sometimes this mindset is self-inflicted; other times it is the result of external expectations and pressure; much of the time it is a combination of both.
But if we are constantly seeking to prove ourselves, and we allow our identity and self-concept to be tethered to approval or criticism of our performance, eventually we will suffer emotionally and spiritually.
Jesus calls us to a different way of living and working. In God’s design, our identity is not found in how we perform or what we achieve; rather, it is found in our relationship with him. In God’s kingdom, we work and perform and achieve, but we do so because of who we are in Christ. Jesus liberates us to work hard at our jobs, striving and giving our best in order to produce results, but without losing our true identity in the blind pursuit of achievement.
The world is motivated to perform in order to gain approval or avoid criticism. In Christ, this changes profoundly. When we are secure in Christ, the ego factor is radically transformed; so is the fear factor. When we are secure in Christ, we are liberated to work with greater focus and effort, because now our motive is neither self-image nor approval; rather, our motive is to serve God and others and to become the person the Lord created us to be. The core principle is that God did not design us to derive our identity from our job; rather, he designed us to express our identity through our job.
However, it is imperative we understand that results matter. God calls us to work hard to produce results. That is the way God has designed the universe to function (remember: God himself labored and worked to create the world). Working for results is a reality in every sphere of life. The farmer who is not results-oriented will not feed himself, his family, or his community. The doctor who is not results-oriented would make a very poor surgeon. Results matter.
More tomorrow…
