People in the arena involuntarily?
Daniel was helpless
When you are born as a human being, you cannot choose your birthday, place of birth, skin color, mother tongue, parents, siblings, gender, etc. You have no control over your choice, and everyone is equal! However, when you and I are reborn and saved, and enter the "crooked and perverted generation", we gradually discover that those who follow the Lord in mainstream culture, including the workplace, are "in control of their own affairs"! No? The blind man who was healed by Jesus opened his eyes and saw that everyone in the world was telling lies! From the first six chapters of Daniel, we can see that in front of Daniel, who "accompanied his king (King Nebuchadnezzar) like a tiger", he was more "human" than any believer who entered the workplace. The dilemma of "I can't help myself in the world of rivers and lakes":
• Forced to immigrate to foreign countries as teenagers;
• An environment away from the faith of the one true God in the home and temple;
• Baptism and brainwashing into pagan idolatry culture;
• Godly names were forcibly replaced by pagan god names;
• At a young age, he was trapped in the concentration camp of power, money and sex in the world - the palace;
• The workplace boss is a cruel Babylonian emperor who is good at creating gods;
• After a change of dynasties, he fell into a lion's den because the tree was big and attracted the wind.
Looking back on his life, when he was more than ten years old, his country was destroyed, his family was destroyed, and he was taken into captivity in a foreign country. Not only did he lose the care of his family, but he also left the spiritual cultivation of the prophet Jeremiah and others. Since then, he has been trapped in a foreign royal palace, with power, money, The color-filled battlefield of faith-killing lasts for more than seventy years. Working in two empires, in professional terms, he has experienced "international corporate, military, and political mergers and acquisitions." After dynasties changed, he served a total of seven emperors. From this point of view, isn't Daniel the best spokesperson for "people are in the world and can't help themselves"!
▲How can you and I, who are in the workplace world, escape from the wave of "involuntarily" and not follow the trend, but ride the waves?
In such a life of ups and downs, he was "without any mistakes" in a dangerous workplace environment, and his devout faith was not assimilated and eliminated by pagan culture. The workplace did not become a battlefield for him, but a stage for victory, and even his bosses surrendered. More than five hundred years later, Jesus sealed his coffin with the eternal title of "prophet" instead of just the temporary aura of political prime minister!
For those Christians who always complain that "people can't help themselves in the world", hold on to the worldly and spiritual dichotomy, always think that there are two things inside and outside the church wall, and that the workplace is just a stage set up to support their families, can we start from the following principles? The truth revealed in the book of Daniel and the secret of the prophet's victory can improve our horizons and seriously treat the workplace as a field to serve God and bless people? How can we go to church on weekends to recharge and discharge in the workplace during the week, so as to transform the workplace into a shining lampstand, witnessing the spiritual law of the workplace that "everyone is a priest" and "within the wall is for the outside of the wall"?
Insight gives a vision that does not follow the crowd
On the surface, what is recorded at the beginning of the book is that the king of Babylon planted the banner of victory in the capital of God, but with insight, one can see the real meaning behind it: the reason why Nebuchadnezzar was able to bring the captured vessels from the temple to God. He took the land and brought it into the temple of his god and put it in his god's treasury, but it was "a portion of the vessels of the temple." It was the Lord who also "delivered into his hand" King Jehoiakim of Judah (the original verb is "to give to him"). ” ). Without God's "give", the nun would be powerless.Sight sees the superficial phenomena of history, while insight sees the theological implications; the master of history is not the King of Babylon sitting on the throne, but God sitting on the throne in heaven!
因這眼光，但以理不讓自己在皇宮江湖中沉淪，立志不被巴比倫透過食物來涮洗信仰。看重上帝的他，得上帝看重―「神給但以理……恩惠」（又是「給」）！十天之後，讓食物營養師傻眼的神蹟果然發生：吃蔬菜喝白水竟然更「俊美健壯」；三年後神給但以理「明白異象和夢兆」的智慧（又是「給」），解開巴比倫術士解不開的難題—重述尼王夢裡實況和意義。尼王五體投地，但以理仕途平步青雲，成了帝國總理。
The key verb "give" that appears three times in the first chapter proves that insight in the workplace can transform objective truth into subjective experience, allowing the God in charge of history to become a personal God!
Empathy is the secret to not falling into loneliness and isolation
Due to different values, it is often difficult for Christians to "try their best to be at peace with everyone" in the world. However, Daniel was not tainted by the world's "lonely and withdrawn" attitude towards Christians in the pagan culture where he was "in control of himself". stereotype.
When he refused to worship idols and "asked the chief eunuch to allow him not to defile himself," he felt that his boss at work could not help but was under pressure to be beheaded, so he asked for permission to test vegetarian vegetables and plain water for only ten days (instead of three years). The effect of the king's meal and the king's wine, "Then look at our appearance and the appearance of the young man who drank the king's meal, and do to your servants as you see fit!"Giving bosses and colleagues relief and room for change reveals the rare empathy of young people.
When the king of Ni had a strange dream, foretelling that the Kingdom of God would shatter the four empires in the world, led by Babylon, and wanted to take the opportunity to eradicate the Chaldean sorcerers (and the remaining officials of the previous dynasty), Daniel also acted with empathy. , go to the front row and ask for grace time to pray, which can restore the truth of King Ni's dream and save his colleagues from death.
This is what John Maxwell calls the "trench principle" -When preparing for battle, dig aenoughLarge hiding hole to accommodate friends―It’s also rare. After interpreting the dream of King Ni, he was promoted to a high position. He asked for nothing for himself, but he asked for the opportunity for his three friends to display their talents. It was not like Zhao Kuangyin's "cup of wine to release military power", which was even more rare.
There is often a phenomenon of god-making in the workplace (especially the political arena), which is true at all times and in all countries, and Babylon, the oldest empire on earth, is certainly no exception. Incredibly, the nun king, who knew that the golden statue would be broken into pieces, still built a golden statue. He summoned all civil and military officials and officials from various provinces to force everyone to worship the god he had created. .
The three friends of Daniel, who refused to bow down, were sent into a high-temperature furnace. The nun, filled with anger, ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Unexpectedly, the three friends were safe and sound, but the few strong men who carried the three friends were engulfed in the flames.
這觸動莎士比亞在《亨利八世》中寫下「燒烤定律」—把燒烤敵人的火加旺，會烤焦自己―的顛覆性神蹟，啟示神兒女在職場因信仰受逼迫時，堅信且持守「伸冤在我，我必報應」，Don't be bound by hatred, lest you fall into the scorched side of the barbecue law. The workplace may be a barbecue battlefield, but three friends who have personally experienced the law of barbecue remind Christians at the barbecue scene that they can definitely experience "the more dangerous the place, the safer it is." This is a feeling that can only be found in martial arts novels! Because as long as there is God, even in a world where you can’t help yourself, you can still control Him!
▲Sight sees the superficial phenomena of history, while insight sees the theological implications, giving them a perspective that does not follow the crowd.
Promoting step by step is the grace of God
In the workplace, Christians do not need to regard promotion as "loving the world." There are three principles for whether to be promoted or not, and they should be adapted to the circumstances:
1) Take the initiative—但以理主動求尼王給轉圜空間，好保護同在職場的迦勒底術士；2) Passive—幫尼王解夢，但以理得擢拔為總理；3) Not moving—在充斥調侃上帝氛圍的晚宴席上，但以理解碼粉牆文字，預告帝國淪亡，竟婉拒伯沙撒的贈品及賞賜。The key to consider whether a child of God should accept promotion is whether it glorifies God and benefits others; if he can be promoted step by step, he should accept it with a heart of gratitude and service.
The nun king who sat on the throne of the human empire actually called on the world and said:“May you enjoy great peace! It is my pleasure to proclaim the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.HimWhat a great miracle!HimHow great are the wonders!HimHis kingdom is everlasting;HimHis authority endures throughout all generations! "It seems that behind any opportunity for advancement is God’s control. Therefore, those who become workplace bosses (or even kings) should know that authority is a gift from God. Kings and judges in the world should be aware of it, be disciplined, and be trembling, because everything is the grace of God. It’s not up to people.” So if you fall from the clouds to the bottom, remember that God is still in control.
At a young age, the king of Ni conquered Assyria, defeated Egypt, and all the countries from the Mesopotamia to the Nile River Basin surrendered one by one. He is as proud and domineering as a tree that towers over the sky! A generation of heroes came to power in their later years, and the surrounding areas were peaceful, and the plan to build the capital of Babylon seemed to be completed. Unexpectedly, he woke up in the middle of the night in the palace where he lived, and became the big felled tree he saw in his dream. He was "driven out of the world, lived with the beasts of the field, ate grass like cattle, and was wet with the dew of the sky..." ..." I can't help but suffer from "lycanthropy" where I imagine myself to be a wolf!
This is a warning to Christians who occupy a position in the workplace that no matter how tall a tree is, it cannot withstand an axe. Don't let yourself become what the Western proverb says: "The graves are filled with people who think they are the only ones in the world!"Remember everything is given by God, always ask for itHimIlluminate whether your heart is filled with vanity or pride. Even if you do fall, the world will still go on because "the Most High reigns in the kingdom of men." History is still God’s story!
Fame and wealth push spirituality to the precipice
Before the "perverted" wolf mania struck, King Ni paraded around the palace and said proudly: "Didn't I build this great Babylon as the capital with my mighty power to show the glory of my majesty?" Before he could finish his words, A voice came down from heaven and pronounced: "King Nebuchadnezzar, I have something to say to you, your kingdom has been taken away from you..."
Daniel later explained the whole incident of "success is the beginning of failure" to King Belshazzar, the grandson of the king of Nigeria:“O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, power, glory, and majesty; and because of the great power God gave him, all the peoples, nations, and tribes trembled before him. Fear. He could live and die at will, rise and fall at will. But his heart was arrogant and his spirit was headstrong. He even acted arrogantly and was deprived of his throne and glory."
Even King Belshazzar, whose achievements were not as outstanding as those of his ancestors, fell into this law and despised God. Unexpectedly, overnight, the mighty Babylonian Empire was destroyed by Persia. It will not happen again in the workplace. Once you are surrounded by fame and wealth, your spirituality will "involuntarily" move closer to the cliff.
So is there a way to settle down in the workplace?
Since the nun king unified the world, he has made golden statues to shape his political golden body of "cultivating the Tao in the flesh". During his 43-year reign (605-562 BC), he concentrated on building the most magnificent city of Babylon at the time next to the famous Tower of Babel: the double-layered city wall was 350 feet high and 87 feet thick, and could accommodate six rows of chariots. Go hand in hand; built magnificent palaces, temples, and the legendary hanging gardens in the city. No wonder 200 years later, Alexander the Great made this city, one of the seven wonders of the world, the location of his palace.
▲Surrounded by layers of fame, fortune and wealth, spirituality “cannot help but” move closer to the cliff. How can you and I survive in the workplace?
It wasn't until God took action that King Ni woke up. In the workplace, when you meet a boss who is capable and humble, thank God; when you meet a boss who is proud and domineering, look to God. As a subordinate, when your boss (even a tiger-like nun king) encounters difficulties and asks for help, learn from Daniel: even if you are unfortunate, you should not look down on yourself, but rather stretch out your hands to help your boss overcome difficulties.
When you become the boss, arrive at the company early in the morning, and enter the elevator that allows you to go up and down, take the opportunity to remind yourself:"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."If your position is high, your wealth will increase, but don't forget the eternal principle of "be prepared for danger in times of peace". As a boss, you should observe and understand the behaviors of your subordinates on a daily basis, and don't let the clouds obscure the sun. Only when you need help will you use the right person. Above all, do not focus solely on building your own Babylon, lest God’s blessing hand become a chastening hand.
Don’t turn a deaf ear to God’s warnings
Before the nun's "wolf madness" broke out and he became an "animal wonder", God had given him a vision of a big tree in the sky, and warned him of the fate of the "big tree" through the watching saint:"Down this tree! Cut off the branches! Shake off the leaves!throwScatter the fruit! Let the beasts leave from under the trees, and the birdshideOpen branches. The tree stump will remain on the groundInside, bound him with hoops of iron and brass, and let him wet with the dew of heaven among the green grass of the field, that he might feed with the beasts of the earth. "As Daniel later explained to him. If God does not make a surprise attack and refuses to listen to His warnings in advance, disaster is definitely not far away!
The Bible is full of examples of self-righteous workplace bosses who refused to heed God’s warnings. Pharaoh defied God's warnings through the ten plagues, and eventually his entire army was involuntarily drowned in the Red Sea. King Ahab did not listen to the warnings of Elijah and Micaiah and was killed by an arrow randomly shot by a soldier. Ahaz ignored Isaiah's warning and brought Assyria in, causing the northern and southern kingdoms to suffer disaster in turn. Children of God, what you should worry about in the workplace is not being in control of yourself, but whether you are grieving the Holy Spirit!
In addition, although the king is surrounded by bodyguards and looks safe on the surface, it is actually very cold at high places. As Dr. Choi Yuen-yun of Hong Kong's "Breakthrough" organization said, they unconsciously put themselves into a palace like a pyramid, and after a long time, they could not help but become mummies.
Such was King Belshazzar who mocked God! He clearly saw fingers writing on the white wall, but despite all the efforts of the Babylonian wise men, he could not get rid of his shock. It was not until his mother recommended it that he reluctantly introduced Daniel, but he still treated the nun king with extremely harsh words. The most important overseer asked: "Are you Daniel among the captives of Judah? Are you the one my father kidnapped from Judah?" His attitude was just like that of Ahab, who looked down on the man of God. He was doomed to die prematurely in his life and the empire that night!
Therefore, the higher you are, the more you need to seek help. In his later years, King Ni understood that “a good minister is close to you, but a villain is far away” (Zhuge Kongming said). When the Babylonian wise men could not interpret the dream, the king himself humbly asked Daniel for help: "Belteshazzar, leader of the magicians, for I know that you have the Spirit of the Holy Spirit within you, and that no mystery can trouble you. Now let me The visions I saw in the dream and the interpretation of the dream told me." No wonder he recovered safely from wolf madness, told the world about his testimony, and bowed safely off the stage of this book.
The reason why the nun king came to Daniel at the most "unable to help himself" moment was because Daniel had always been consistent. From entering the palace in his teens to walking into the lion's den in his eighties, he had "beautiful spirituality." . Even King Belshazzar’s mother and queen recommended this former minister:“...He has the Spirit of the Holy Spirit in him, and in this man was light of heart, and understanding, and wisdom, like the wisdom of God, as long as your father was alive.”
Because of this, Daniel dared to say things that ordinary people would not dare to say in front of the powerful King Nebuchadnezzar:"O king, please accept my advice and execute righteous judgments.AbsolutelyTake away your sins by showing mercy to the poor, or your peace may be prolonged. "Effectively testifies to what Proverbs says,"Perseverance persuades kings; a gentle tongue breaks bones."of spiritual power.
As Maxwell said, there are three major myths in the workplace:
1) Position myth: Only when I have a higher position can I lead; 2) Influence myth: Only when people are under my control can I lead; 3) Potential myth: If I am not a leader, my potential cannot be realized.
In fact, leadership is needed at all levels within an organization. The current position is prepared for the next higher position, and the highest leadership is prepared from bottom to top. When God’s children enter the workplace, don’t complain that people are in the world and you have no control over them. Opportunities are always the first to find people who are ready to take them!
Remember Daniel’s advice to the king of Babylon, and make “do justice, love mercy, be humble, and walk with God” your workplace motto. Live a trustworthy life in the workplace and be ready to help when you’re on the wrong path. Or colleagues and bosses in a storm, in a workplace where they can’t help themselves, testify that with humans, everything is possible, but with God, everything is possible!
WuPresent a seal, received a master's degree from the Institute of Civil Engineering at National Taiwan University and a doctorate in theoretical and applied mechanics from the University of Illinois. He later switched to studying theology and received a master of divinity and a doctorate in Old Testament theology from Trinity Theological Seminary in Chicago. Currently, he is professor of Old Testament, director of the Doctoral Department of Pastoral Affairs, director of the Doctoral Department of Mission, and CEO of the Pastoral and Mission Research Center at China Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Professor Wu has written numerous books, whether they are commentaries, sermons, character studies, or reflections on important issues. He always keeps the church and believers in mind, and presents the essence of biblical theology with a caring eye. His words contain theologians, The playwright and novelist's timeless insights, passion and earnestness penetrate the back of the page, and reading his writing is like seeing the person himself.