Your builders outdo your destroyers, and those who laid you waste go away from you… Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land-surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. Isaiah 49: 17, 19, NRSV.
Heavenly Father, here we are in your presence; waiting on You to lead us into all truth; in the name of Jesus! Amen.
This is our third day on this topic. We want to look at ways that God’s promise can be fulfilled in every aspect of our lives. We looked at one aspect of our personal relationships, that of a soulmate. Today we will look at the relationship between co-workers, in an office setting. In most cases, after our homes, the place that we spend the greatest amount of time, is on our jobs. If we are working full-time, we spend one third of our twenty-four hour day on the job site (8 hours per day) five days a week. Therefore, if there is a place where we want to have pleasant experiences, it is on the job. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
When God promised Israel that their builders would outdo their destroyers; I believe He meant that they would have more to be grateful for, than to lament. There would be more occasions to celebrate than to mourn. For this reason, we have a right to claim this promise, in full assurance, of its fulfillment. What we need to be aware of, are those situations that cause division. If there is a situation of competitiveness, instead of community; we will have problems; not only on the job, but at home, at church, at school, and even at play!
The basis of all good, strong, relationships, is team work. When all the members of a group have one common goal; when the desire of every member of the group is to work together for the well-being of the group; then, the outcome will be a strong foundation, that will not be easily broken. Now in every group, you have the peacemakers, and the troublemakers. Matthew 5: 9, reads as follows: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (NRSV). We know also, that a “harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace” (James 3: 18). The other side of the coin is this: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker. Yet if any of you suffer as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name” (1 Peter 4: 15, 16). Emphasis provided. It is crystal clear, on whose side, you and I are supposed to be!
Perhaps you are in, or have been, in a job situation, where for no known reason, someone in the workplace, is not very fond of you. You have done all that is in your power to secure peace. Yet the harder you try, the less peace is felt, and/or experienced. Then go to God, and remind Him of His promise to you. You need “not become weary in well doing.” When you have done all there is in your power, then it is time to step back, and watch God build healthy relationships, faster than the enemy can cause the breakdown of the existing relationships!
If people are not willing to cooperate, in pursuit of the peace of the institution, then God can allow “those who laid you waste [to] go away from you.” He has, on many occasions freed His children from “the troublemakers” (David, Daniel, Esther and the Jews of her day; the three Hebrew young men, and many, many, others)!
He did it for them, and He can do it again for you and me!