This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:4-7)

As we saw last week, the most proven strategy for cultivating large scale cultural change is not electing the “right people” and trusting them to force legislative change from the top-down. Mass change happens when hearts and minds are transformed. And hearts and minds are transformed not by laws but by acts of culture. As Andy Crouch says in his exceptional book, Culture Making, “The only way to change culture is to create more of it.”

But ...

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:27-28)

It seems like every day a new skirmish breaks out in our never-ending “culture wars.” Whether the fight is over COVID, race relations, abortion, or gender equality, we are more divided than ever in the battle over right and wrong.

Every four years, the American political machinery pitches the same strategy for winning these culture wars: Elect the right person and they will introduce new laws or appoint the right judges to legislate our desired brand of change.

But is this really how large-scale cultural change happens?

The evidence suggests that it is not. Just as Adam and Eve were called to “fill the earth” before they were called to “rule” i...

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

Over the past two weeks, we have looked to Scripture to refute two of the most common stories the world shares about the meaning of work: “The Office Story” (work is a meaningless means to an end) and “The Hamilton Story” (work is a means of justifying my existence). Both of these narratives about work are minuscule when compared to the epic narrative the Bible assigns to work.

So, what is “The Biblical Story” of work?

It starts “in the beginning” when God created work as worship in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1 and 2).

Once sin entered the picture, work became difficult (Genesis 3:17) and the world needed to be put back to rights. There was now a need for God’s Kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Fast forward to the first Easter Sunday and we see Jesus inaugurating that Kingdom and then leaving us behind ...

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14)

Last week, we saw how Scripture refutes what we might call “The Office Story” of work, namely that work is a meaningless drudgery we must endure in order to collect a paycheck to enjoy the truly meaningful things in life.

Today, we look at the second (and I would argue most readily believed) story of work, exemplified by the hit musical, Hamilton.

If you don’t know the story of Alexander Hamilton, here’s a quick recap. Before he was recognized as a Founding Father of the United States, Hamilton was an orphaned kid in the Caribbean whose youth was marked by unimaginable tragedy. By the grace of God alone, his neighbors recognized Hamilton’s formidable talents as a young writer and raised enough money to put him on a ship bound for New York, promising the young man that, “The world’s going to know your name!”

Hamilton vows to make good on that promise. As he walks onto the staged streets...

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:1, 27-28)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Today is the final devotional in a series that I pray has helped you dispel the idea of waiting to “feel a peace” about decisions at work and at home. Over the past two weeks, we have looked at a couple of biblical truths that can help us grow in confidence as we make tough choices:

First, God rarely gives us all the information we want before making a decision.

And second, God doesn’t need us to make any specific decision.

Today, we look at the third and final truth, which is related to the second: So long as we are obeying God’s Word, we can’t make a “wrong” decision.

When we read today’s Scripture (Romans 8:28), we typically think of “all things” in the context of negative things that happen to us: losing a job, shutting down a business, losing a loved one. Of course, Romans 8:28 promises that God will work all of those things “for the good o...

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)

We’re in a series debunking this idea that Christians should wait on a “sense of peace” before making big decisions, replacing that myth with three biblical truths that can grow our confidence to make tough choices. Last week, we saw the first truth, that God rarely gives us all the information we want before making a decision. Today, we look at the second: God doesn’t need us to make any specific decision.

If you’re reading these devotionals, it’s because you care deeply about doing your most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others. That is your overriding passion at work, and that of course is a wonderful thing! But that burning desire can easily lead to over-analyzing certain decisions, which ironically holds us back from participating in the work God is up to in the world.

I know I have struggled with this before: What if this partnership isn’t God’s will for...

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)

Last week, we debunked the myth that Christians should wait for an amorphous “sense of peace” before making big decisions.

This morning, I’m sharing the first of three biblical truths that can grow our confidence to make decisions at work and at home. Here it is: God rarely gives us all the information we want before making a decision.

That may not sound freeing, but trust me, it is. Hang with me for a minute.

Genesis 12:1 tells us that God asked Abraham to leave behind his country, people, and family and head to an undisclosed location—clearly information Abraham would have loved to have known before deciding whether or not he would obey. But as we just read in Hebrews 11:8, Abraham obeyed God despite the fact that “he did not know where he was going.” Do you think Abraham experienced a warm and fuzzy “feeling” of...

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

Decisions, decisions. We are faced with a never-ending list of them at work and at home.

Which candidate do I hire? Do I get my MBA or get a job? Do we move or stay?

As Christians evaluate decisions like these, there’s a phrase we often utter once we’ve made up our minds: “I just feel such a sense of peace about my decision.” Or conversely, if we’re having difficulty making a decision, we’ll say, “I just don’t feel at peace one way or another.”

But once we have that amorphous sense of peace, the discussion is over. One pastor hit the nail on the head saying, “When an internal sense of peace becomes the ultimate rationale for decision-making, no one can question you. It’s the ultimate mic drop—akin to saying God told you to do something.”

There are a few passages of Scripture people point to when claiming that we should wait for a feeling of peace b...

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)

After decades of working diligently toward his life’s goal, William Wilberforce witnessed the British Parliament vote to abolish the slave trade in 1807. Twenty-six years later, in 1833, Parliament would vote for full emancipation, freeing slaves throughout the British Empire. Wilberforce received the glorious news on his deathbed and went home to be with the Lord three days later.

The British people credited Wilberforce as the man chiefly responsible for the historic event, but Wilberforce was quick to deflect the glory back to God, recognizing that he was merely an instrument in the hands of his Maker.

When the nation was on the cusp of abolishing the slave trade in 1807, Wilberforce wrote, “How popular Abolition is just now! God can turn the hearts of men.” God undoubtedly used Wilberforce’s once-in-a-generation skills as an orator to “turn the hearts of men,” but Wilber...