Category Archives: Work

Ten Commandments for the Marketplace

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Sharing the concern of the Book of Proverbs for taking faith into the marketplace, Dr. Carnegie Samuel Calian has developed

“Ten Commandments for the Marketplace”

1. Treat individuals as sacred. People are more than means to another’s end.

2. Be generous. The benefits will exceed the cost in the long term.

3. Practice moderation. Obsession with winning is dehumanizing and idolatrous.

4. Disclose mistakes. Confession and restitution are necessary means to restoring ethical character.

5. Arrange priorities.…

Reflections of a Christian nurse

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From time to time, during my career as a nurse and nurse educator, I was asked to give a talk on, ‘My faith and my work.’

Here’s what I came up with on one of these occasions.

AS A CHRISTIAN NURSE, I HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT…

1. THE WONDER OF LIFE

As a nurse, I have repeatedly marvelled at the miracle of life itself. I cannot understand how anyone who has witnessed the birth of a baby, or who has studied the workings of the human brain, or who has seen the body’s
remarkable recuperative powers at work, can fail to see in all of these things the wisdom and power of a wise and powerful Creator-God.…

Psalm 92:12-15 – Still fruitful in old age – sermon notes

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The last in a series on work.  Various angles: –

Statistical.  In NT times the average life expectancy was 35-40.  This didn’t change much until about the year 1850.  By 1950 it had risen to 65.  Now it’s around 80.  Somewhere in the world a person has been born who will live to the age of 150.  Over half the people born today will live to the age of 100.

Economic.  Things will be very different when today’s young people reach retirement age. …

The sluggard – sermon notes

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Here are notes of a sermon on work, based on relevant passages in the book of Proverbs.

Work is, of course, a major part of most people’s lives.  For many people, work (in the form of paid employment) takes up half their waking hours.  And then there’s all the other kinds of work that people do – housework, school-work, voluntary work and all the rest.  Many people – especially women – work long and unsocial hours caring for children and families, and this is surely one of the most valuable kinds of work of all.…

Work and play

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1. In the light of CREATION

God himself sets the example, Gen 2:1-3. God calls us into partnership with him, Gen 2:15. God has made this world our workplace and our playground, Gen 1:28. God has established a cycle of work and play, Ex 20:8-11.

2. In the light of THE FALL

Work tends to become a hardship, Gen 3:17-19. The worker tends to become selfish, lazy, disobedient, dishonest, 2 Thess 3:6-12. Play tends to become perverted from its original purpose: (a) it may become commercialised and over-competitive; (a) it may become destructive of work, education, physical health, family life or spiritual well-being.…

Titus 2:9f – Witnessing in the workplace – sermon notes

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The most common type of employment throughout the Roman Empire was slavery. Slaves – especially in the East of the empire – were often treated quite well. Some were farm workers or labourers. Others became architects, physicians, administrators, philosophers, writers and teachers. Household slaves had many rights. They could marry and earn money. They were virtually members of the extended families of their owners. But they were still slaves, and would have been tempted to be untrustworthy, dishonest and disloyal.…

The world of work

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Work occupies a significant place in many people’s lives.  In some parts of the world there is little prospect of paid employment, because of civil war, famine or other forms of poverty.  There are varieties of work: the shoeshine boy in Nairobi, the call-centre worker in Bangalore, the oil worker in Siberia, the child labourer in Beijing, the entrepreneur in Kiev, the barrister in London and the teacher in Memphis are all working.  Some are oppressed and some are the source of oppression. …

Work

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Arthur Holmes writes lucidly on work within a Christian world view.  Here’s a precis:-

The technological revolution has affected the world of work in many ways: computerised accounting, sophisticated management techniques, systems analysis, advertising, and distribution networks all employ technology.  But technology is amoral, and an amoral mentality can take over, with utilitarian considerations predominating.  Profit, productivity, efficiency, or corporate growth can become not just important factors but over-riding goals.

This kind of mentality marred the industrial revolution. …

The ‘Sluggard’ in Proverbs

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The ‘sluggard’ in the book of Proverbs is, writes Derek Kidner, a figure of tragi-comedy, with animal laziness, Prov 26:14 (a bad habit solidifying into a trait) and preposterous excuses, 26:13; 22:13.  He speaks of, and to, the lazy in any and every age:-…

Prov 6:6-8, etc. – Work – sermon notes

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Here are notes of a sermon on work, based on relevant passages in the book of Proverbs.

Work is, of course, a major part of most people’s lives.  For many people, work (in the form of paid employment) takes up half their waking hours.  And then there’s all the other kinds of work that people do – housework, school-work, voluntary work and all the rest.  Many people – especially women – work long and unsocial hours caring for children and families, and this is surely one of the most valuable kinds of work of all.…