Mere Christianity - He Will Make You Perfect

I am a reader; I love to read. The volumes I pick up are often about the faith and work movement or are specific books to prepare for an iWork4Him podcast, but I also enjoy a good novel. In particular, the fiction of C.S. Lewis has been a longtime favorite, but I’ll be the first to admit that his non-fiction has always been a bit of a stretch for me. Three times in the last 40 years, I have picked up his book Mere Christianity, started it, and then not finished.

I was recently inspired to pick up Mere Christianity again when I heard that it was based on C.S. Lewis’s radio appearances during World War II. Apparently, Lewis was asked by the UK Government to come on air and tell people about Christianity, to share his hope in a time that was incredibly dark for Europe. For many nights, C.S. Lewis talked about how he went from being an Atheist to becoming an all-out Christ Follower and Christian Apologist. He had the opportunity to educate a nation in peril about eternal hope found in truth.

As a radio host myself, this story was intriguing enough to help me finish Mere Christianity. In the book, there is a particular quote of Lewis’s that stuck with me. In it, he expounds on Matthew 5:48, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

“The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were “gods,” and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and, in parts, very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.”

Talk about a game-changer! All the pain, suffering, adversity, difficult days and years - they all have a purpose. God is using them to make us perfect, to make us into the image of His Son. Wow. This reality has been rocking my world!

As a Christ Follower at work, this fact is a game-changer for you too. God is delivering on His promise to make you perfect, and He is using everything that happens in your life to make you more dependent on Him and His words and His Spirit. He is creating a new heart, mind, and soul in you so that you can minister to those you work alongside and introduce them to the same divine rescue plan.

Think about it. You are on your way to perfect, and He will use it to attract others to Him. Awesome. And do you know what the best part is? It doesn’t depend on our strength or abilities; it’s all on Him! All you have to do is be willing to lay yourself down, to “let Him make the feeblest, filthiest of us into… a bright stainless mirror which reflects God perfectly… His boundless power and delight and goodness.”

God’s will for you today, His purpose for you at work, is that you might be a living reflection of Him to a world desperately in need of eternal hope found in truth.

For more encouragement and support about living a life worthy of Christ during your work week, I encourage you to pick up a copy of our new book iWork4Him and check out the Awaken Podcast Network, a gathering place for over a 100 different podcasts from the faith and work movement!

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!

Memory Stones

In a recent sermon at our church titled : “What do you do when God feels far away?”, Our pastor said that sometimes God feels far away because we don’t remember what He has done in the past.

Joshua 4:1 - 7 tells us of the memory stones...God told the Israelites to build a memorial so future generations will see and be reminded of what God did for them.

We can practice this type of remembering in many ways: scroll through your memories on Facebook, read old journals, or sit around the table and reminisce. We also do things like purchase souvenirs from a trip, buy a t-shirt at a concert, or eat a corndog – because we remember a time as a kid when we had one.

What have you seen God do in your family, work, or neighborhood that you need to remember? Do you have a bulletin board of photos? Do you have a trophy case or scrapbook from high school? What about the trinkets that sit on your desk to remind you of your kids?

At iWork4Him we want to recall a few MEMORY STONES and celebrate what God has done!

Impactful Guests on 1450+ shows that demonstrate connecting their faith + work

Testimony after testimony of listeners that are learning to carry their faith into their work each day

Six and a half years of radio and podcast production

Show sponsors that faithfully support the broadcast

Open doors to travel and attend dozens of faith and work events

Hundreds of listeners join the iWork4Him Nation

Changed lives and workplace cultures

For more memory stones, scroll through our Facebook page and podcasts

Let’s not forget what God has done for us in the past, and then look forward to what’s ahead.

https://www.iwork4him.com/5050challenge

About the Author, Martha Brangenberg

Born into an entrepreneurial family, Martha has been involved in small business her entire life. Gifted with an attention to detail and a sweet sensitive spirit, Martha is a servant leader with a deep faith in Jesus.

Being Called For The Impossible

Let me get straight to the point.

I am not a visionary. I am a worker bee. I love lists and tasks and I love to complete a job. I don’t usually have innovative ideas or creative ones either. I am not mad about this, it is just who God created me to be. I am comfortable being a Number 2 in a company, being a Number 1 requires skills that I do not naturally have. How about you?

Do you find yourself in a position that you are not qualified to be in?

Six and a half years ago, the Lord led Martha and I into what we thought was a Radio Ministry called iWork4Him. God was really clear to me when this started. I was given two commands.

1. Think Big, Really Big. This is bigger than you can imagine.

2. Don’t reproduce the wheel. You are not to create something that someone else has already created.

So out of these two commands, we have walked with the Lord these last 6 ½ years. My BIG thinking went from thinking of iWork4Him being on 500 to 1000 stations to realizing that God wants us to be obedient in creating a 24/7/365 (366 next year) media network that will collate and collaborate within the Faith and Work movement. The Lord’s big thinking that He has laid on my Heart is an organization that brings all the voices of the faith and work movement into one place so that any Christ Follower in their work, can know EXACTLY where to go to be trained on how to live out their faith in their work. I tell you honestly that THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE. But…IT IS GOD POSSIBLE.

God created the heavens and the Earth from nothing – Impossible. Noah built an Ark – Impossible. Abraham fathered a nation – Impossible. Joshua conquered the territory for Israel – Impossible. Daniel hung out with hungry lions – Impossible. Jesus – God in the flesh – came to Earth to live and die and rise from the dead - Impossible. We serve a God of the Impossible.

Will iWork4Him become a Nationwide 24/7/365 network feeding the 50+ Million Christians in the workplace with the encouragement they need to live out their faith in their work in front of a lost and hopeless world? It’s impossible. But in God and with God all things are possible - Matt 19:26 -

if He is in the center of it. So, we walk faithfully one step at a time. Want to join us in the impossible?

https://www.iwork4him.com/5050challenge

Jim

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!