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37: Joy Beyond the Paycheck: Reclaiming the Meaning of Your Resources · Finding God at Work

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Hi, I'm Chris.
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This is Finding God at Work.
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Just a reminder that Finding God at Work
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isn't just a podcast, it's also an online
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course.
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Check it out at findinggodatwork.org.
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Our current series is meaningful work, calling, formation,
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service, and love.
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When you were a little kid, did you
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ever get a gift that you really loved?
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This happened to me Christmas, I was probably
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seven or eight years old.
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I was in Seattle visiting my mom's extended
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family, and her older brothers, John and Dan,
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had noticed that I was a really wiggly
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kid.
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I was always moving around, I was always
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taking pencils and beating out a rhythm on
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a table, or just using my hands on
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my tummy or something like that.
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A couple years later, I would start taking
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piano lessons, and that was a great kind
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of venue for me to explore those percussive
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instincts.
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But Dan and John, they saw, wow, Chris
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would probably really appreciate something along these lines.
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So what they got me for Christmas that
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year was the Yamaha DD-20 drum kit.
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Okay, so now this is a small, compact,
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single-unit digital drum kit.
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So it's maybe 18 inches long, it's got
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these four little drum faces on it that
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are maybe each the size of a tea
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saucer.
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But it's a Yamaha tool, so it's got
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a hundred different settings, and a dial you
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can spin to try the different settings, and
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it makes different techno noises or different styles.
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And I just went ballistic, in a good
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way.
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I was like, this is amazing!
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Thank you, Uncle John, thank you, Uncle Dan,
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thank you, thank you, thank you, amazing!
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And it wasn't just in the moment, right?
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I used that thing for a couple years,
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just going down to the basement, because that's
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where my parents made me take it because
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it was so noisy, and just taking the
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drumsticks and beating those tiny little digital drum
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faces for all, you know, my heart could
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muster.
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It was an incredible gift.
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And what I also remember from that Christmas
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celebration is the smiles on Uncle John's and
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Uncle Dan's faces.
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They were so happy.
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They had given the gift, but seeing me
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just enthralled by it obviously brought them joy,
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too.
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Joy comes from giving.
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Generosity leads to joy.
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This is not rocket science.
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This is not some secret spiritual principle that
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nobody has ever talked about, right?
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We know from the teaching of Jesus himself,
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it is more blessed to give than to
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receive.
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And yet, it seems like all of us
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have trouble believing this.
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All of us have trouble really believing that
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there's joy on the other side of generosity.
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And so, as we think about the meaning
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of our work, and what it means to
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love others through our work, I want to
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focus on generosity and how we use the
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resources that we earn through our work can
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be part of what contributes to the meaning
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of our job.
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So if you want your job to be
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more meaningful, I would argue give more freely
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and more joyfully, and you'll realize more meaning
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in your job.
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Okay, so thinking about kind of what gives
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our work meaning, we've talked about a lot
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of dimensions here.
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You might remember that in the calling section
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of the series, I interviewed a scholar and
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writer named Elaine Howard Eklund, and it was
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about her book co-authored with Denise Daniels,
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Working for Better.
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And one of the concepts that they introduce
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in that book is that calling can have
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multiple dimensions.
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So like, one dimension is like where your
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work matters.
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Does it matter at work or beyond the
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workplace?
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And then another dimension is why your work
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matters.
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Does it matter in some way that's intrinsic
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to the work or extrinsic to the work?
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And so they kind of divide it up
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with these two different dimensions, four quadrants.
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And one of those quadrants would be the
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beyond the workplace and extrinsic to the work.
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And in my follow-up episode, I kind
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of said, hey, even if that's where you're
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at, where your main motivation is what you
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do with your money from your job, see
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if you can find some intrinsic motivation related
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to the job itself.
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That's really going to help you.
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And I still stand by that.
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I still think that.
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But it's also important to recognize that quadrant
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still matters.
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Even if it's not a complete picture of
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how we can be motivated at work, it's
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still meaningful how we use the resources that
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we earn through our jobs.
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The opportunities that arrive in our lives, opportunities
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to be generous, to give to others because
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of our paycheck, those opportunities matter.
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That's part of why our job matters.
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That's part of what makes it meaningful.
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And again, it's part of what gives us
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an opportunity for joy.
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Okay, so I want to look at a
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scripture passage that explores this and kind of
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think about why is it that we have
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trouble believing that generosity leads to joy.
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So let me turn to 2 Corinthians.
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This is chapter 8.
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And just some context here.
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The entire letter of Paul to the Corinthians
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here in 2 Corinthians is kind of a
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fundraising letter.
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He addresses a number of different issues, but
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his main reason for writing is for what
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he's going to do in this chapter, which
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is to ask them to give money to
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an initiative that's going to support other believers
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in the city of Jerusalem.
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So he starts by talking about how he
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hasn't just been asking them, he's been asking
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other communities as well.
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So he's talking to the community in Macedonia,
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which is also where the city of Philippi
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is.
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So the letter to the Philippians is addressed
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to that community.
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So Paul writes, starting in verse 1.
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And now, brothers and sisters, we want you
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to know about the grace that God has
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given the Macedonian churches.
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In the midst of a very severe trial,
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their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled
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up in rich generosity, for I testify that
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they gave as much as they were able
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and even beyond their ability.
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Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with
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us for the privilege of sharing in this
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service to the Lord's people.
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And they exceeded our expectations.
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They gave themselves first of all to the
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Lord, and then by the will of God,
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also to us.
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Okay, so that's verses 1-5, and just
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skipping ahead to verse 9, Paul gives some
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of the theology behind this.
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He says, Let
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me read that one again.
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Okay, what is Paul doing here?
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Well, let me set up a couple of
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the observations he's made.
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He's given this report about what happened with
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the Macedonian believers, and one of the things
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he mentions is that they were going through
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a difficult financial situation themselves, right?
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He says, So he's saying, they
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didn't have that much money, but they still
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wanted to give.
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And not only did they want to give,
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on their own initiative, they urgently pleaded with
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us for the privilege of doing this.
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They viewed it as a privilege to participate
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in this initiative that Paul was gathering together
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money for the believers in Jerusalem.
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Now, how does Paul characterize that whole situation?
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That they're motivated, even though they don't have
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that many resources, to give, to participate.
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They urgently plead for the privilege.
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In verse 1, he says, So Paul's saying,
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when you experience generosity, even if you're not
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super abundant in resources yourself, you're actually receiving
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something from God.
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And again, this parallels what we know from
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the teaching of Jesus.
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It is more blessed to give than to
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receive.
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When you enter into giving, you receive a
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blessing.
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You receive grace from God.
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Okay, now there could be a misunderstanding here,
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like a kind of prosperity gospel, health and
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wealth, like, oh, so if I give money,
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then God will make me richer?
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Is that what you're saying?
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Not necessarily.
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Although, sometimes God may see fit to do
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that.
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But he's talking, I think, about their interior
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experience.
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That when you give something material away, you
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have an interior experience of blessing and grace
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from God.
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And this is how he describes it.
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In the midst of their very severe trial,
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their overflowing joy welled up in rich generosity.
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So Paul is saying, these Macedonians, they didn't
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have much money, but they viewed it as
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a privilege to give.
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And when they gave, there was great joy.
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And that was a manifestation of God's grace
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to them in their giving.
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Paul's saying, there's joy on the other side
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of generosity.
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Okay, now, why?
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Why is it hard for us to believe
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this?
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Well, we can get cynical, I think.
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We can say, oh, sure, Paul.
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But you're fundraising, right?
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You know, of course, you want to tell
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people that there's joy on the other side
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of generosity so that they give you more
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money.
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And then you can give it to, you
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know, the saints of Jerusalem.
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So one reason that we might have a
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hard time believing about the joy of generosity
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is we might be cynical about the person
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who's asking us to give.
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Even me right now.
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It's like, I have a ministry, people give
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to my ministry, am I talking about generosity
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just so I can get people like you
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to give more money to my ministry?
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This is a genuine concern that people have.
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Another reason that I think it's hard is
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that people get confused about how money leads
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to joy, right?
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So let's think about what do people who
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have a lot of money tend to spend
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it on?
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Sometimes they spend it on luxuries, right?
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Extravagant trips, cars, homes that are much larger
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than they need, fancy jewelry, expensive clothes, right?
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These material things.
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There's kind of this question, right, which is
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almost like, how can I indulge?
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If I've got extra money, how can I
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indulge?
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What are the luxuries that I can get?
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And that will give me joy in my
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life.
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Or sometimes the lifestyle, it isn't limited to
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the material aspect of enjoyable experiences, but also
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the social aspect of being able to impress
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people.
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So I went on a sailboat owner's message
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board to explore this a little bit.
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And this is tongue in cheek, but it's
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a writer who's talking about what it's like
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to own a yacht.
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And he says, here are some reasons to
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buy a yacht.
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To achieve status.
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Money alone cannot convey status.
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Come to think of it, a yacht alone
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does not grant status.
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Better buy two yachts.
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To show your riches.
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If you aren't rich enough to afford a
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yacht, be richer.
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And then I like this final one he
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adds.
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To command the crew aboard your yacht.
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After all, this may be the closest you'll
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ever come to your dream of being a
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pirate.
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Actually that one seems the most fun to
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me.
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Like, yeah, piratical whimsy, that's a good reason.
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That's better than just trying to have status
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and show off, right?
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But we know that this is part of
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it, right?
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Sometimes the reason people are buying the car
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or the boat or the house, it's not
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just because they think they're going to enjoy
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it a lot.
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It's because they want to impress others.
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They want the kind of social cachet that
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comes from those kind of demonstrations of wealth.
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And people think, okay, that will lead to
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joy, right?
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Luxury will lead to joy.
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An impressive lifestyle will lead to joy.
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But does it?
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Does it really?
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Obviously, there's a level at which it must,
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right?
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Like, people have fun doing those things.
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Yes, okay, there's some little measure of joy
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that they can get out of them.
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But how durable is it, right?
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And that's what I love about this tongue
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-in-cheek thing about like, hey, you know,
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one yacht isn't enough, better buy two.
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But if one yacht isn't enough, will two
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yachts be enough?
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Will three?
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Will four?
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And you see this in the lives of
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people who try and extract a sense of
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satisfaction out of material things is that it's
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never enough.
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It's never enough.
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It's actually the interior freedom of saying, I
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have enough.
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I don't need that luxury.
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I don't need that lifestyle that leads to
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contentment.
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And so a more durable route to joy
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where our money is concerned, I would posit
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is generosity.
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Using our money for the good of other
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people.
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Deploying it, right?
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And again, this can be literally giving it
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away.
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It could be investing in ventures that really
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matter.
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It could be stewarding things that we're spending
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money on that matter, that serve other people.
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There's different forms that this takes.
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But the most basic form and the most
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freeing in a way is to simply give
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your money away because then you don't have
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control of it anymore.
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You're just saying, I'm free.
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I don't need this.
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I can give it away.
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And again, that is a reflection of an
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interior quality where you're trusting that God will
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provide for you.
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And that God has already provided you in
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the most important way.
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And this is what Paul gets to in
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that verse nine, which I read, which is
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kind of like, hey, okay, as we're maybe
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cynical or we're thinking about, okay, but I
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could have more material things or I could
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have a more socially impressive life.
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Right?
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We're looking for joy in these different places.
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What do we see that God has already
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done for us?
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For you know the grace of our Lord
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Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
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for your sake, he became poor.
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So through his poverty, you might become rich.
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Paul's saying Jesus was enjoying the best lifestyle
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there was before the incarnation, right?
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Eternal bliss in the communion of father, son,
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and Holy Spirit and the blessed Trinity.
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And yet he chose to become incarnate in
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literal human poverty in order to save us.
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And that salvation that he gives us, that's
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true wealth.
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Again, regardless of our lifestyle or how materially
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wealthy we are, we become rich through Jesus's
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decision to become poor because we receive the
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goodness of God in our hearts in a
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durable way.
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And of course, within the bigger context of
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eternity in a way that's much, much more
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valuable than any present pleasure or status that
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we might enjoy.
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So that's the kind of theological rationale for
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giving is that God has already given abundantly
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to us in Jesus Christ.
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And he's saying, and there's joy if you
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follow that pattern.
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Jesus, as Hebrews said, endured the cross for
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the joy set before him.
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Jesus, too, even in the sacrifices he was
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making in the incarnation was after joy.
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And so when we choose to sacrifice and
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we choose to give to others, we're actually
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doing the smartest thing we can do to
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experience the deepest kind of joy.
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So when you think about your work, when
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you're earning your paycheck and you're doing your
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monthly budget or however you do that, and
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you're thinking about how can I get the
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most joy out of this money?
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Give some of it away and see what
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God does.
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Lord Jesus, thank you that you became poor
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so that we might become rich.
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Guide our thinking about money, guide our feelings.
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Give us that capacity to trust that you
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have already given everything we need.
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And you'll continue to do that so we
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can be free.
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We can give away without worry, without anxiety,
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and with great joy.
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Jesus, do your work in us as we
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do our work with you.
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Amen.
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Thanks for listening.
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