“HONORING GOD AT WORK”
DANIEL 6:1-28
September 6, 2009 (Labor Day)
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Welcome to BBC on this beautiful Labor Day Weekend.
Today, we’re going to talk about “Honoring God at Work”.
Pete Hammond once studied 40 of the highest profile people from the Bible. These are people that we look up to as examples of great faith. I’m talking about people like Abraham, Moses, Noah, these kinds of people.
Pete Hammond studied 40 of them. Guess what he discovered! He discovered that of these 40 High Profile Leaders in the Bible 3 out of 4 or 75% never had a religious job.
In other words, 75% of them were never priests or pastors or missionaries as we think of them. 75% of them never left the business world to go into what we call “full time ministry”.
They held, for their whole life, what some refer to as secular jobs.
Today, we’re going to look at one of those 40 people studied by Pete Hammond. Daniel.
Daniel had a government job. He worked for the king of Babylon. Daniel held a high level position within the “organization”. The question is…What did Daniel do that made him both pleasing to God and his boss?
Daniel wrote a book where he talks about some of the things he went through on his job.
Sound familiar? Today it seems like everybody’s doing this.
People work at a high level job. They quit or retire or get fired and then come out a year later with a tell-all book.
You might remember former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, who served under George Bush and came out with his book.
Well, Daniel came out with a book titled “Daniel” where he tells of his experiences in government.
The difference with Daniel’s book is that his was inspired by God and not just trashy gossip.
We’re going to look at Chapter 6 of Daniel’s book and read about one of his most famous experiences while working for the Babylonian government.
“Darius decided to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm, and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.” – Daniel 6:1-2 (HCSB)
Darius was Daniel’s boss. Darius decided to restructure his government. He created 120 new jobs, hired 120 men to fill these new positions and gave them territories throughout his country. He then made those 120 satraps (satraps means “protector of the kingdom”) report to three administrators, one of whom was Daniel.
So, Daniel was in upper management.
Verse 3 says, “Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to put him in charge of the whole realm.” – Daniel 6:3 (HCSB)
We’re going to learn today 3 WORKPLACE LESSONS that Daniel teaches us.
1. WHEN YOU’RE AT WORK…STAND OUT! – Vs.1-5
If I asked you, “What kind of work do you do?” How would you answer?
You might tell me what your job is that you go, where you get your paycheck.
But what if I asked, “No, I mean, what kind of work do you do? Do you do good work or shoddy work?”
Most of us in here would most likely say that we do good work.
Daniel was no different. Daniel was a standout at his job.
This is a different approach than…when you’re at work… blend in, or when you’re at work…get by. Or when you’re at work…don’t rock the boat.
I’m talking about rising above mediocrity and fulfilling your potential.
I like what Helen Keller said one time. Helen Keller said, “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”
I think most of us here, when given a task or a job, genuinely want to do a good job.
Daniel was this kind of person, the kind of person who when given a task completes it and does a good job.
So, what was it about Daniel that distinguished him from his co-workers?
I want you to notice that…
A. Daniel stood out at work by choosing an excellent attitude. – V.3
“Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.” – Daniel 6:3 (NKJV)
The Bible says that an excellent spirit was in Daniel.
This is not talking about the Holy Spirit, or God’s spirit.
It’s talking about Daniel’s own spirit. His mind-set. The attitude he had within himself.
And the Bible describes “Daniel’s attitude as excellent.
In what way was Daniel’s attitude ‘excellent’? In two ways.
His attitude was excellent in comparison to others around him and in its intensity.
In other words, Daniel’s attitude at work was positive compared to the other people working around him and his attitude was more intense, more extreme than those working around him.
In other words, to say that Daniel had “an excellent spirit” within him meant that Daniel possessed positive enthusiasm.
At work, Daniel was both positive and enthusiastic as opposed to negative and lethargic.
How important is our attitude at work? Is attitude a big deal?
Evidently it was for Daniel. Daniel’s attitude separated him from the crowd; from the pack.
He stood out because his attitude was both positive and enthusiastic.
“Positive thinking is how you think about a problem. Enthusiasm is how you feel about a problem. The two together determines what you do about a problem.” – Norman Vincent Peale
I ASKED RYAN HOFFMAN TO COME AND SHARE WITH YOU SOME THOUGHTS ON ATTITUDE IN THE WORKPLACE.
I also want you to notice the second thing that made Daniel stand out at work.
B. Daniel stood out by contributing competent work. – V.4
“The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.” – Daniel 6:4 (HCSB)
Wow! What a testimony Daniel had on the job. He was trustworthy and incredibly competent at his job.
His enemies were jealous of his success and tried to find some way to bring him down. But when they started investigating his work, his life, his character, they couldn’t come up with any dirt on Daniel.
One man has said, “People won’t remember how fast you did your last job, but they will remember how well you did it.”
The late Andy Rooney, the reporter from 60 minutes for so many years wrote a humorous piece on incompetence.
I want to read it to you.
Andy Rooney writes…
“Incompetence is a God-given gift with which all humankind is endowed. If competency replaced the half-done work we get now, the television repair shops, kitchen appliance service department and automobile mechanics would go out of business.
If we were all good drivers, insurance agents would be out of work and there would be no need for auto body shops. If we were competent in caring for our own bodies, we’d need half the doctors we have now.
Americans have been complaining about incompetence in government. But they don’t know what bad government is until they have a thoroughly efficient one that does everything it says it’s going to do.
Do we really want an Internal Revenue Service so good and efficient that they catch every nickel and dime we deduct that we shouldn’t? Do we want police enforcing the letter of the law every time we drive twenty-seven mph in a twenty-five mph zone?
I contend that we do not, and I say than an efficient, thoroughly competent government is not only dangerous but un-American.
Fortunately, I don’t think there’s much chance that the level of incompetence in all of us will decline in the foreseeable future.”
Daniel was not perfect. Daniel made mistakes like anybody else. I don’t want you to think that I’m saying Daniel was superhuman. He wasn’t.
His competence came because God blessed his work.
C. Daniel stood out because God blessed his work. – V.5
Daniel and three of his friends were a part of the training program the king had put together.
They’d been groomed for leadership.
But Daniel 1:17 shows us that Daniel’s competence came from the Lord.
“God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams.” – Daniel 1:17 (HCSB)
The fact is if you’re going to stand out at your work it will be because God decides to bless the work of your hands.
2. WHEN YOU’RE AT HOME…KNEEL DOWN! – Vs.10-11
“5 Then these men said, "We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God. So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said to him, "May King Darius live forever. 7 All the administrators of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an edict that for 30 days, anyone who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Therefore, Your Majesty, establish the edict and sign the document so that, as a law of the Medes and Persians, it is irrevocable and cannot be changed. 9So King Darius signed the document. 10 When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upper room opened toward Jerusalem, (A) and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, (B) just as he had done before.” – Daniel 6:5-10 (HCSB)
I have a question. What do you think Daniel prayed about that day?
Do you think he prayed about this situation at work? I do.
I think he thanked God for his job because he was glad to have one and then he started talking to the Lord about this new policy.
How often do you pray about work? Do you make work issues a matter of prayer between you and the Lord?
A. Pray about issues and people at work. – V.10
Daniel did. So does another man I want to introduce to you this morning.
• RICK KORWEK IS GOING TO COME AND SHARE HIS EXPERIENCE WITH PRAYER AND WORK.
11 Then these men went as a group and found (C) Daniel petitioning and imploring his God. 12 So they approached the king (D) and asked about his edict: "Didn’t you sign an edict that for 30 days any man who petitions any god or man except you, the king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?"
The king answered, "As a law of the Medes and Persians, the order stands and is irrevocable." (E)
13 Then they replied to the king, "Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, has ignored you, (F) the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day." 14 As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel (G) and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.
15 Then these men went to the king and said to him, "You as king know it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or ordinance the king establishes can be changed." (H)
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. (I) The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, (J) rescue you!" 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. (K) The king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing in regard to Daniel could be changed. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. (L) No diversions [a] were brought to him, and he could not sleep. (M)
3. WHEN YOU’RE THROWN TO THE LIONS…LOOK UP! – Vs.16-23
You ever felt like you were thrown to the lions at work?
Ever been in a situation where your future with that company was in jeopardy?
What do you do when that happens? What do you do when you’re thrown to the lions?
Do what Daniel did.
A. Trust God to help you. – V.23
19 At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. "Daniel, servant of the living God," the king said, [a] "has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you (A) from the lions?"
21 Then Daniel spoke with the king: "May the king live forever. 22 My God sent His angel (B) and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king."
23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. So Daniel was taken out of the den, uninjured, for he trusted in his God. (C)
I would say Daniel was in the dog house, but in this case…it would be the lion’s den.
Either way you get the point. Daniel was in deep trouble.
Being thrown into the lion’s den was out of Daniel’s control. He could not control his co-workers or his boss or these hungry lions.
For that matter, Daniel couldn’t control his own destiny. He couldn’t rescue himself. He couldn’t keep his life or his job. He didn’t have any more decision making power to do that.
All of this was out of Daniel’s hands. There are going to be many times at work where things happen that you’re not in control of.
Decisions will be made. Your friends will get fired. You’ll be paired with difficult people to work with. Work hours will be changed and they won’t ask for your opinion.
When that happens you can panic, get worried, get all stressed out.
When the lions are breathing down your neck you have a choice. You can look at those lions and get scared or you can look up to the Lord and get saved.
You can focus on those lions or you can focus on the Lord.
Daniel focused on the Lord.
B. Be patient as you wait for God’s help. – V.18
C. When God delivers you give Him the glory. – V.22
CONCLUSION:
What if HONORING GOD AT WORK causes you to suffer in some way?
Daniel suffered. He suffered because of his faith.
There will be times when the problem someone has with you at work is not with your work, but with your faith.
What do you do in those situations? Wimp out or stand out?
